Semi-Toned: Barbershop, Hip-Hop merge on the Miller stage

When 12 students from The University of Exeter first step on stage with their iconic maroon shirts and patent-leather shoes, prepare to be astonished.

Known for “tight harmonies and even tighter trousers,” Semi-Toned, the all-male a cappella group from the United Kingdom, takes the stage, 7:30 p.m. April 15, Miller Symphony Hall, Allentown, with their “Game of Tones” tour.

The group has been together for five years and Tommy Hamer, the music director of the group, says it’s been a spectacular journey.

“This is a much bigger tour than the one we did last year,” says Hamer in a phone interview. “Before, we only did small shows and we ran the whole tour ourselves. It’s going to be amazing to showcase what else we can do as an a cappella community.”

In addition to Allentown, the U.S. tour includes stops in Norfolk, Va.; Danbury, Conn., and Valhalla, N.Y.

The group was founded in 2010 as a five-man barbershop quartet but quickly gathered more members and is now a singing tour de force with 12 members. One of the singers is actually a founding member from the barbershop days and returned to graduate school in Exeter to finish his law degree and remain with the others on stage.

A cappella has been resoundingly popular in the United States for almost 100 years since the first such choir was founded in Illinois by Peter Lutkin in 1906. Popular TV shows in the U.S. like “The Sing-Off” (2009-2015) and “Glee” (2009-2015) further served to bring these groups into the limelight. Across the pond, however, Hamer says that style has only just begun to find its voice.

“In the UK, a cappella was largely unknown until the last five years or so,” Hamer says. The film comedy, “Pitch Perfect” (2012), and its sequel, “Pitch Perfect 2” (2015), has really helped popularize the sound, according to Hamer.

“If I’m trying to describe what we’re doing now, all I have to do is mention ‘Pitch Perfect’ or ‘Glee’ and everyone knows what I’m taking about. It’s really opened up a lot of opportunities for us.”

It certainly has. Semi-Toned has competed numerous times throughout the United Kingdom, winning “Outstanding Arrangement” in 2012 and 2013 at The Voice Festival UK and “Outstanding Vocal Percussion” the same years at the festival and in the South West Regional division. The group performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2013 and 2014 with the show “The Exe-Men,” garnering a five-star review from Broadway Baby both years. The group’s most recent music video, a mash-up of “Fiddler on the Roof”’s “If I Were A Rich Man” and Gwen Stefani’s “Rich Girl,” has gone viral on the BuzzFeed Website.

Even with all the fame, Hamer says the best part about going on tours like this is the audience’s reaction. “The reception here has been absolutely overwhelming,” he says. “We spend so much time traveling and in hotels that it’s really rewarding seeing the people enjoying themselves.”

They also enjoy themselves hanging out with the other a cappella groups in the areas they visit, and they plan to continue that tradition with their opening act in Allentown, Muhlenberg College’s The Girls Next Door.

Semi-Toned just released its new album, “Sing Theory,” on iTunes and the CD is expected to be available at the show. It contains a lot of mash-ups of songs both old and new, which Hamer says is part of the group’s appeal.

“We like to bring back songs that are original. It surprises the audience because they get to hear something familiar mixed in with something new.”

Hamer and the other boys are excited to share their talents with the world beyond the stage. “I think it’s our finest work to date,” Hamer says.

Tickets: Miller Symphony Hall Box Office, 23 N. Sixth St., Allentown; allentownsymphony.org; 610-432-6715