The Castanet Club
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Use Australian English|date=March 2012}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Castanet Club, The}}
{{Short description|Australian cabaret group}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = The Castanet Club
| image =
| image_size = 320px
| landscape = yes
| alias =
| origin = Newcastle, Australia
| genre = {{flatlist|
}}
| years_active = 1982–1991
| label = {{flatlist|
}}
| past_members =
Angela Moore
Russell Cheek
Warren Coleman
Rodney Cambridge
Penny Biggins
Kathy Bluff
Peter Mahony
Jacqueline Amidy
}}
The Castanet Club was an Australian cabaret collective from Newcastle Australia which spawned several well known media personalities.
History
The Castanet Club (colloquially known as the Castanets) began playing at the Clarendon Hotel in Newcastle in 1982. They soon gathered a following and played venues all around Newcastle before adopting the premises of an ex disco adjoining the Clarendon Hotel. The venue was decorated by the group along with local artist Michael Bell in Bell's "acid-trip circus aesthetic" and itself became known as the Castanet Club, having the name across the front of the building. The Castanets played here and invited guest artists to perform, some of whom joined the group. At one stage, in 1983, Tiny Tim played the venue sharing the stage with the band.{{cite web|url=https://dokumen.pub/tiny-tim-tipetoe-through-a-lifetime-2825820593-9781922384119.html|title=Tiny Tim: Tiptoe Through a LIfetime 1922384100, 9781922384102|author=Tarling, Lowell|access-date=23 Jan 2024}} Supplementing the performances here, audiences joined the band for mobile performance known as Swinging Safari World Tours run on rented buses involving musical acts and live events around Newcastle.
As the Castanet Club grew more successful, they toured nationally, including a sell-out season at the 1984 Adelaide Festival where they won the "Best of the Fringe" award against approximately 300 other performers from around the country.{{cite news
| last = Lazarevic
| first = Jade
| date = 4 July 2009
| title = Freeze Frame: The Castanet Club, Clarendon Hotel, 1986
| url = http://newsstore.smh.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?&docID=NCH0907043T15MA1T7AA
| newspaper = The Newcastle Herald
| page = Weekender page 7
| publisher = Fairfax
| accessdate = 21 May 2014
}} About 1985 the band permanently relocated to Sydney where they enjoyed runs at the Sydney Trade Union Club's cabaret space "The Gap"{{cite web |url=https://www.unsw.adfa.edu.au/special-collections/guide-papers-larry-buttrose-mss-006 | title=Guide to the Papers of Larry Buttrose [MSS 006] | website=UNSW Canberra | access-date=24 Jan 2024}} and popular comedy venue, the Harold Park Hotel, they adopted a theatrical mode, performing seasons at Belvoir Street Theatre as well as reviving the bus-based mobile Safari shows. This period is recorded in the 1990 Neil Armfield movie, The Castanet Club, featuring live concert footage.
The Castanet Club went on to play London and the Edinburgh Fringe, where audiences and critics responded well: "They were an hilarious kaleidoscope of colour, music, movement, satire and goodwill."{{cite web|title="The Castanet Club" review at Ronin Films|url=http://www.roninfilms.com.au/feature/2790/castanet-club.html|accessdate=31 May 2014}}
The Castanet Club played their final show in 1991.
In 2021 the Newcastle Museum hosted a retrospective exhibition The Castanet Club: An Exhibition You Can Dance To!{{cite web |url=https://newcastlelive.com.au/castanet-club-exhibition-newcastle-museum/|title=Castanet Club exhibition set to be a BLAST from the past!|website=Newcastle Live!|date=5 July 2021 |access-date=23 Jan 2024}} featuring footage, photographs, props, costumes and other Castanets' paraphernalia, including the iconic sign from over their Newcastle venue. Film-makers Glenn Dormand (aka Chit Chat von Loopin Stab) and Tony Whittaker created an instalment of the Stories of Our Town film series entitled Stories of Our Town: The Castanet Club Story{{cite web | url=https://hunterlivinghistories.com/2021/10/19/castanet-club/|title=Stories of Our Town: The Castanet Club Story|date=18 October 2021 |access-date=24 Jan 2024}} to coincide with the exhibition.
Members
The members of the Castanet Club adopted persona for their performances and often specialised in a musical instrument.
- Stephen Abbott as Johnny Goodman on guitar
- Penny Biggins as Doris Crawley on accordion
- Kathy Bluff as the Kid Kalamai/Kid Paganini on violin
- Glenn Butcher as lounge lizard Lance Norton
- Rodney Cambridge on drums
- Russell Cheek as Tron Wexler & Barnsey's roadie Doug "Gargoyle" Ormerod
- Warren Coleman as Bowling Man & Pastor Noel Anderson
- Peter Mahony as Urman Erstwhile on bass
- Maynard as Maynard F# Crabbes on Trombone
- Angela Moore as Betty B-Plate & Shirley Purvis
- Mikey Robins as Elvis Presle
- John Hay on keyboards
- Jacqueline Amidy as Nastassja Bassi diva vocalist
Several Castanets went on to entertainment careers in the Australian media: Maynard and Mikey Robbins became breakfast presenters at Radio station triple j, Steve Abbott evolved his Johnny Goodman character into the Sandman who was on Australian radio and television through the nineties, spawning books, albums and a very successful t-shirt, Glen Butcher joined popular ensemble sketch comedy show Full Frontal and Angela Moore became a much loved Play School presenter {{cite news|last1=Kermond|first1=Clare|title=Straight role for a change|url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/08/31/1093937581731.html|accessdate=2 June 2014|work=The Age|date=2 September 2004}} {{cite news
| last = Watson
| first = Chad
| date = 15 June 2002
| title = His sporting life
| url = http://newsstore.smh.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?&docID=NCH02061539K2D1BESMK
| newspaper = The Newcastle Herald
| page =
| publisher = Fairfax
| accessdate = 21 May 2014
}}
Two Castanets, Warren Coleman and Russell Cheek, each separately won the television quiz show Sale of the Century.{{cite web|title=Castanet Club|url=http://www.newcastlebandsdatabase.com.au/bands/CastanetClub.htm|website=Newcastle Bands Database|accessdate=22 June 2014}}{{cite web|title=The Brains Trust: Russell Cheek|url=http://www.abc.net.au/einsteinfactor/txt/s1423350.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140622022536/http://www.abc.net.au/einsteinfactor/txt/s1423350.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 June 2014|website=Einstein Factor|accessdate=22 June 2014}}{{cite web|title=Cast and Crew|url=http://www.bradyworld.com/reallive/behind.htm|website=Brady World|accessdate=22 June 2014}} Warren Coleman would go on to co-write the Academy Award winning animated feature Happy Feet.
Discography
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"
|+ List of albums, with selected chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:12em;" | Title ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:16em;" | Album details ! scope="col" colspan="1" | Peak chart |
| scope="col" style="text-align:center;" | AUS {{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=15}} |
|---|
| scope="row" | The Castanet Club{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/release/14060676-Castanet-Club-Castanet-Club|title= Castanet Club – Castanet Club|website=Discogs.com}}
| | align="center" | - |
Publications
- [https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=348291629174005;res=IELHSS "The Castanet Club: History, provenance and influence"]. Australasian Drama Studies, No. 66, Apr 2015: [225]-252. ISSN: 0810–4123.
- The Castanet Club: a Newcastle Story, Castanet Club Press, ISBN 9780646836904, 0646836900
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://maynard.com.au/category/the-castanet-club/ The Castanet Club Archive.] at [http://maynard.com.au Planet Maynard]
- {{IMDb name|0144130|The Castanet Club}}
- {{soundcloud|maynard-1/sets/the-castanet-club-album-1985|The Castanet Club Album}}
- {{YouTube|U9iETl9DUIQ|The Castanet Club Story}}
Category:Australian cabaret performers
Category:Australian comedy musical groups
Category:1982 establishments in Australia
Category:1991 disestablishments in Australia
Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1991
Category:Musical groups established in 1982