Up in the hills surrounded by John Forrest National Park is where you will find Red Hill Auditorium. Its unique semi-circular shape ensures unobstructed views from every vantage point, and allows the crowd to be fully immersed either from their seats in the grandstand style arena or on their feet, up close to the stage.
On a warm summer night in Perth, after a scorching hot day this is where we congregated for The Teskey Brothers, who was supported by the lovely Wilsn.
Wilsn had a powerful voice that projected beautifully in the auditorium, she had that deep soulful feel with a gentle strength in her that immediately made me wonder where she had been hiding and why I did not know about her yet. She shared how feelings of anxiety contributed to one of her more recent songs, her experiences with the “dickhead ex” and the support she had from someone close to her while living in Nashville right before the Pandemic.
Wilsn brings her own unique flavour to her songs, with a dash of soul, pop and jazz resulting in music that makes me want to dance around my living room with a glass of wine. I highly recommend seeing her live, I’m just not sure if recorded will be able to truly do her justice.
As Wilsn was coming to a close on her final two songs you could hear a titter of chatter and gasps of apprehension each time the sky was lit up by bolts of lightning as they shattered across the sky. As Wilsn finished her last song, the rain droplets began to fall and we all wondered if it would pass or result in the show being cancelled. Luckily for us, we came somewhat prepared with a blanket that provided coverage from the worst of it and soon enough the rain passed.
I have been a fan of The Teskey Brothers since 2018 with their first album ‘Half Mile Harvest’, so I was incredibly excited to do this review and get my first chance at seeing them live.
‘The Winding Way’ seemed to have more of the Jazz vibe compared to their first album, which would make sense since Sam Teskey had commented they wanted a producer for this album that was not too close to their genre. And yet, there was something so tranquil, almost hypnotic, that at times I found it difficult to tell if one song had finished and another had started.
Being the first time I have seen The Teskey Brothers live, I was eternally grateful they played a variety of songs from all albums, including my favourite tracks from ‘Half Mile Harvest’. This meant we were able to see and feel their musical progression and development, in one night which was a joy to see.
When ‘Crying Shame’ came on, something almost indescribable happened – it could have been the mixture of the melody, the Saxophone or maybe the smell of fresh rain but if I closed my eyes I could almost see the music forming. Like some weird psychedelic experience using all my senses.
As ‘Oceans of Emotions’ came on, you could see the gentle sway of the crowd below, indicative of the easy smooth vibe of the listeners. But every now and then I could see someone in the thick of it who couldn’t seem to contain their enthusiasm.
‘Take My Heart’ was described as a reflection on parenthood and to pay homage to all the mums. While sitting up on the steps, I watched as a man made his way up the stairs with his partner, suddenly grab and spin her around and send her in for a dip, telling me the Teskey Brother clearly know how to hit the feels with this song.
While their first album remains my favourite by far, seeing these guys live was an absolute privilege because I got to see how they are able to connect with the crowd and create music that opens your senses and make you have all those warm fuzzy feelings, even on a stormy summer night.
With thanks to Frontier Touring for the media access.
GALLERY by Hunter Brothers Media
WILSN
The Teskey Brothers
