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After 2 sell out matinee concerts in Perth last weekend, Peter is following his music educator's passion with a series of concerts in schools. Every child deserves the right to a music education. Music enhances the quality of life. And the basis of music education is singing - through the voice we learn creativity, and the structure of a musical piece. We start with imitation - hence many of Peter's echo songs (eg Wash Your Face in Orange Juice"), and also the repeated listening of beautifully played pieces by Suzuki students.
Next tour is through country South Australian and Victorian schools along the Great Ocean Road route to Melbourne, where he appears in the Melbourne Fringe Festival. Check out SHOWS on this website for details.
Check here for the latest video clip added to Peter's YouTube Channel.
Learn to tell the time in this loud and rocky children's song.
Starts Friday with "Wash Your Kids in Orange Juice" a matinee for children at the Subiaco Arts Centre, assisted by kids from the WA Performance School. On Saturday night July 18th at MOJOS is "Big Kids Nights Out" with the Bellyflop in a Pizza Band. Followed on Sunday by another "Wash Your Kids in Orange Juice" show at Koorliny Arts Centre, Kwinana. See under SHOWS for details. Then Peter embarks on a tour of schools. Peter enjoys performing to children in their schools because the children are up close and packed together and he can create an intimate rapport with them. He specialises in capturing and maintaining their attention throughout a 50 minute performance with his fast paced interactive show. He elevates childrens music to an art form worthy of inclusion in the school curriculum.
On Thursday Peter will be performing with his band (The Bellyflop in a Pizza band) at the Roola Boola Festival in the lovely Chapel off Chapel theatre in Prahan, near Melbourne, at 12noon
New kids drawing competition for Peter’s PERTH FAMILY SHOWS!!
Enter for your chance to win a copy of the Quirky Berserky CD and a DOUBLE PASS to one of the TWO FAMILY SHOWS Peter is playing in and around Perth this July.
FRIDAY JULY 17 at the Subiaco Arts Centre
& SUNDAY JULY 19 at the Koorliny Arts Centre.
Head to Peter's Facebook page for the details.
Peter had a great time with his band at the Big Kids Night Out - Perth Fringe. Here's the link https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/entertainment/a/26336874/review-big-ki...
REVIEW | Big Kids Night Out
The West Australian
Peter Combe.
MUSIC
Big Kids Night Out ★★★★
Circus Theatre | Review by David Zampatti
In her review of Peter Combe’s daytime show for ungrown-ups, reviewer Kate Prendergast perfectly caught the irresistibly silly magic that brews when Combe and kids get together.
In an inspired piece of programming, the Fringe had him back later — much later — when the tackers would definitely, absolutely be asleep (and not able to laugh at us), for another spin through his fantastic repertoire, this time for adults. No, not with new nasty words or dressed-in-bondage gear but as straight-up, grown-up, rock’n’roll backed by the everlasting Phil Cunneen and a hot trio of Perth players.
The audience, mainly young women in their late twenties and early thirties, with a sprinkling of their parents (like me) and the odd little brother/ boyfriend/ spouse, lapped it up, despite a far from adequate mix that would have made Combe’s vocals all but incomprehensible to anyone who didn’t know the words by heart.
Before the show, in the queue, homemade triangular newspaper hats were passed to total strangers. In its pulsating finale, the crowd hit the dance floor with the sort of uninhibited delight they had when they bopped to Newspaper Mama, Spaghetti Bolognaise and Juicy Juicy Green Grass in pre-primary.
Here’s the thing. These songs prepared kids for so much in life, not least rock and pop music, and they haven’t forgotten it. The songs were then, and are now, totally unpretentious and non-patronising. The kids’ memory of them, and loyalty to them as adults, is as understandable as it is inevitable.
I realised, as I listened to Combe doing his only cover, George Harrison’s sweet, limpid Here Comes The Sun, that, like the Beatles, it’s a much stronger and deeper connection than mere nostalgia that brought these grown-ups back to hear these songs again.
For them, Combe and his music have never made way for other toys.
Over the weekend Peter played 3 concerts at the Perth Fringe - 2 matinees for children and one big kids night out - all were sold out and Peter thoroughly enjoyed himself - here's a link to a great review -
https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/full-coverage/fringe-world-2015/a/2630...
CHILDREN'S EVENTS
Wash Your Kids in Orange Juice ★★★★½
The West Australian Spiegeltent | Review by Kate Prendergast
To begin with, let's get the facts out of the way: Peter Combe is the Australian legend of children’s entertainment - king of the kids since the 1980s. This is a man who has produced seven gold albums, two platinum albums, performed sell-out shows at the Sydney Opera House (twice) and claimed three ARIA awards.
The Fringe World Spiegeltent rejoiced in his silliness. Accompanied by Phil on keyboard and the lively all-singing, all-dancing troupe of girls from the WA Performance School, Combe filled the space with his matchless warmth, humour and vivacity. "Would you like some jelly and some ice-cream in your socks?" he asks us in marvellous outrage. "Would you like porridge in your trousers?" "No!" shrieks back the audience - no indeed.
Maintaining the attention of children under 10 years old is quite a feat, as I'm sure any parent is well aware. But, Combe is a veteran and master player of that game. He had bubs in the audience waving their chubby arms in glee, toddlers thumping out their boogie in the aisles, 10-year olds doing circles around him with blue balloons and, notably, a conspicuous gaggle of twenty-somethings ringing tenor their cassette-playing, newspaper-hatted, "bellyflop-in-a-pizza" childhoods.
The show’s finale was crowned with old-time favourites Spaghetti Bolognaise, Mr Clicketty Cane, Juicy Juicy Green Grass and the enormously catchy Newspaper Mama. Car rides home will resound with renditions thereof, but the only uncertainty lies in whether it’ll be the adults or the kids leading the sing-song.
It may be that this review is infected with the bias of extreme nostalgia from an original Combe fan. But, honestly, there is not one on this continent who hasn’t a special place in their heart for this composer of anthems for the Australian youth. Bless him. Bless him and his quirky berserkey turkey from Turkey.
Went to the Paul Simon/Sting concert on Sunday night. Superb. 2 amazing bands, superb musos, and Sting's rendition of Paul Simon's America brought tears to my eyes. Other highlights were Paul Simon's gorgeous Hearts and Bones and Sting's stunningly beautiful Fragile. Many other magical moments too numerous to mention. And a lovely rapport and respect between both singers. Whilst there I 'ran into' Sting's backing vocalist, the lovely Jo Lawry. Jo and I have a long connection. She, along with my daughter Emily and son Thom, (also Nick ) was one of my original 'Fabulous Combettes' on my DVD recorded in Adelaide in 1992 at the Dunstan Playhouse in Adelaide (watch the video below to see Jo in action in her first BVs gig!). Jo's incredibly good at what she does and complemented Sting beautifully. So if you like Paul Simon and Sting, go to the concert! xPeter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhpSlwOdm1E&index=1&list=PLgdlldWccgdj4v...
After spending 3 weeks at the beach swimming and watching tennis, children's music entertainer Peter Combe has started his extremely busy run of interviews and shows. Today he was in Melbourne with Nova radio, tomorrow he's at the Schutzenfest Adelaide, then off to Melbourne for a childrens matinee and a grown up kids night show. Then there's the Perth Fringe, Adelaide Fringe, Sydney concerts including Secret Garden, and back again to Melbourne. He seems to be zigzagging back and forth across Australia for the next 2 months. Look under SHOWS for details of all his concerts for children, and retro evening shows.
The wonderful Christmas season is upon us!
Peter's 2 albums of Christmas songs for children and families are still just as popular as ever in homes, schools and churches. You can see them here:
And here are all of Peter's Christmas songs for kids:
This year we have been working hard to get out all the Christmas songs on sheet music, and all the video clips from the Christmas Under the Stars concert up on our You Tube channel.
We wish you all a very happy Christmas and holiday season!
