The
Doug Anthony All Stars (or
Doug Anthony Allstars,
DAAS,
D.A.A.S. or stylized as
D⋆A†A☭S) were an Australian
musical comedy group who performed together between 1984 and 1994. The band was an acoustic trio comprising
Paul McDermott and
Tim Ferguson on main vocals and
Richard Fidler on guitar and backing vocals. They 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, 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,...
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