The Teskey Brothers

NX; Newcastle - 12th May 2023.

Just checked back - it's getting on 4 years since Curby first brought these guys into focus on the forum, so when the chance came by to see for myself, I took it; here's my thoughts...

Well worth a walk out into town last night, an opportunity to catch Australia's finest, The Teskey Brothers, and to check out what NX has done to the former O2 Academy, or carling Academy as was (if you can remember it as the Majestic, then you're old enough to know better...) More on that later; on to the business at hand.

I've heard some odd walk-on music over the years, I hope there's a good reason for using Nina Simone's I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free, but for a moment I thought we were in for a film review, rather than a concert, and why not? [That's a reference for those of us over a certain age in the UK.] No, it was just a good excuse for Sam & Josh (Teskey) to come on with their other 6 band members, among which were a trumpet & sax player, so we were in for a Muscle Shoals sound - always class in my books.

And happy to report, Josh's voice was in fine form throughout the dozen or so songs in the main set, and the band was right behind all the way; it was as if the band were there to showcase Josh's awesome voice, rather than be a band.... However, until the last song, What Will Be[?} I didn't feel that they "pushed" enough in the way Anderson East do. Sam was tight on the guitar, but I thought it was the girls on trumpet & sax who earned their money. And while the songs were very well done, there wasn't enough lift in the set, until the last number where it built into a stomping monster with pounding bass, chugging Hammond and Josh on harp, rather than vocals.

Still, I reckon there was a good 1100 people in the room enjoying themselves, and deservedly we got a mighty encore; Pain & Misery [from Half Mile Harvest] and the mighty Hold Me, which started semi-acoustic, broke down into acapella and ended as audience sing-a-long. So in the end, a couple of "niggles", but on the whole, another bloody good night and worth repeating sometime.

(And a call out to Dave, who travelled up from Stone in Shropshire to catch Joe's show in Newcastle tonight. Thanks for some good craic, and enjoy the show tonight..)

Set list: - Remember the Time:  Carry You:  Crying Shame:  Oceans of Emotions:  Take My Heart: 
I Get Up (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLUGXXr-GGA ):  Rain: 
This Will Be Our Year (The Zombies cover):  So Caught Up:  I'm Leaving:  Paint My Heart:  What Will Be
Encore:  Pain and Misery:  Hold Me

Their tour is meandering around Europe into the Summer and hits the US & Canada from August: -
AUG 4, 2023
Palace Theatre
Saint Paul, MN  A Special Coheadline Evening with Joy Oladokun

AUG 5, 2023
Hinterland Music Festival
Saint Charles, IA

AUG 11, 2023
Orpheum Theatre
Vancouver, BC

AUG 18, 2023
HISTORY
Toronto, ON  Sold Out

AUG 19, 2023
HISTORY
Toronto, ON

AUG 25, 2023
Ryman Auditorium
Nashville, TN  Sold Out

AUG 26, 2023
Rock The Ruins at Holliday Park
Indianapolis, IN

AUG 31, 2023
Tabernacle
Atlanta, GA  Upgraded from Buckhead Theatre

SEP 1, 2023
L'Olympia
Montreal, QC

SEP 9, 2023
Riviera Theatre
Chicago, IL

SEP 15, 2023
Red Rocks Amphitheater
Denver, CO

SEP 22, 2023
Brooklyn Bowl Philly
Philadelphia, PA

SEP 23, 2023
The Fillmore Silver Spring
Silver Spring, MD

OCT 1, 2023
Humphreys Concerts by the Bay (Early Show)
San Diego, CA

OCT 1, 2023
Humphreys Concerts by the Bay
San Diego, CA  Sold Out

OCT 7, 2023
Tipitina's
New Orleans, LA  Sold Out

JOIN WAITLIST
OCT 8, 2023
Tipitina's
New Orleans, LA

OCT 19, 2023
Brooklyn Steel
Brooklyn, NY

OCT 20, 2023
House of Blues Boston
Boston, MA

OCT 25, 2023
The Wiltern
Los Angeles, CA

OCT 26, 2023
McMenamins Crystal Ballroom
Portland, OR

OCT 27, 2023
The Moore Theatre
Seattle, WA