HE’S IN THIS NEWSPAPER, MAMA

KIDS

of all ages — even those in their 30s and 40s — will be in their element when a beloved Aussie icon of children’s entertainment, Peter Combe, lives it up in Hobart this weekend.

Combe has been a household name in Australia since the 1987 release of his debut album Toffee Apple, and he’s gone on to entertain and educate generations of children with timeless classics such as Wash Your Face With Orange Juice, Spaghetti Bolognaise, Juicy Juicy Green Grass and Newspaper Mama. Along the way the prolific entertainer has won three ARIA Awards for Best Children’s Album, been awarded seven gold and two platinum CDs, and notched up more than a million sales.

In April Combe returned with his 15th album, Live It Up, which was inspired by Combe’s grandchildren and features a mix of contemporary folk songs, pop ditties, call-and-response tracks, made-up nonsense words, spoken-word poetry and Spike Milligan references.

Now Combe has embarked on a massive national tour to launch Live It Up, performing a series of all-ages matinee shows designed to let parents who were raised on Combe’s music share the experience with their own children.

“When I do a matinee, the audience usually consists of adults in their 30s who come along because they want their children to hear the songs they grew up on,” Combe says.

“What’s really delightful is when you see the parents singing and they know the lyrics better than the children!”

Peter Combe brings his Live It Up — Belly Flop in a Pizza! tour to Wrest Point this weekend, for a performance at 11am on Sunday. Tickets are $20 each or $68 for a family of four, go to www.tixtas.com.au or phone 1300 795 257 for bookings.