Doug Anthony All Stars

Doug Anthony All Stars

The Doug Anthony All Stars (or Doug Anthony Allstars, DAAS, D.A.A.S. or stylised as D⋆A†A☭S) were an Australian musical comedy, alternative rock and vocal group who initially performed together between 1984 and 1994. The group were an acoustic trio, originally comprising Paul McDermott and Tim Ferguson on main vocals and Richard Fidler on guitar and backing vocals. The group reformed in 2014, with Paul Livingston (aka "Flacco") replacing Fidler on guitar. DAAS were known for their aggressive, provocative style, their habit of involving audience members and their tendency to attack topical and sometimes controversial issues in their comedy. DAAS began performing as buskers on the streets of Canberra in 1984, while they were attending university. After winning the Pick of the Fringe award at the 1986 Adelaide Fringe Festival, the group relocated from Canberra to Melbourne, but it was not until they travelled to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1987 that they first achieved success. They quickly gained popularity in the United Kingdom, where they made numerous television appearances and performed several times on the UK's Channel 4 late-night alternative comedy show Viva Cabaret, but remained virtually unknown in Australia until 1989 when they were made regular performers on the Australian comedy show The Big Gig. These appearances gained them recognition, and they remained a popular feature of the show until 1991 when they left to create their own ABC comedy series, DAAS Kapital. The group released four live recordings and one studio album, DAAS Icon, which achieved some independent success in Australia but was briefly banned in Britain. They also released a collection of dark short stories in 1989, entitled Book, which took a markedly different tone from their comedic stage performances. They also made two live concert videos and one film, The Edinburgh Years. The group split up in 1994, following a final farewell tour of Australia. Although they reunited in 2003 to perform together at a benefit concert, were interviewed together in 2008 in support of their DVD, and reunited for a one-off show to launch the DAAS Kapital DVD in 2013, the three ruled out the suggestion of a reunion tour at the time. In December 2013, McDermott and Ferguson announced they would be performing "as DAAS" for the group's 30th anniversary, at the Canberra Comedy Festival in March 2014, with Paul Livingston performing the role of Fidler. This current line-up has announced subsequent shows in Hobart, Melbourne, Wollongong, Perth, Brisbane and Bendigo, with more dates to follow. The group have been inactive since the end of 2017.

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