THE Teskey Brothers are the musical equivalent of warm chicken soup when you're sick, or a creamy latte when you require a caffeine hit.
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The Melbourne duo are familiar and soothing.
Since finding national acclaim with their debut album Half Mile Harvest in 2017, Josh Teskey's achingly soulful vocal and his younger brother Sam's bluesy guitar licks have attracted an ever growing audience.
They've played Bluesfest, won multiple ARIA Awards, toured overseas, released another two studio albums and a couple of live records and each brother has launched solo projects.
Yet until Thursday night The Teskey Brothers were yet to play a headline show in Newcastle.
The Civic Theatre audience spanned multiple generations, everyone from grey-haired baby boomers to fresh-faced Gen Zs.
The beauty of channelling the evergreen sounds of '60s soul-rock legends like Wilson Pickett and Otis Reading, is that grandparents and grandchildren alike can appreciate the same performance.
The Teskey Brothers performed as a seven-piece band, which included trumpet, saxophone, keys, bass and drums, to present a rich and fully-fleshed out sound.
However, the main focus was Josh Teskey, and that voice.
The biggest compliment the Civic Theatre audience paid was that they rarely sang along. They just listened. Intently.
The set featured a mix of older favourites like Crying Shame and So Caught Up, alongside Blind Without You and Take My Heart from last year's The Winding Way album.
The Teskey Brothers have such a distinct sound that many of their songs tend to tread similar territory. The anthemic chorus of Oceans Of Emotions and the acoustic campfire-vibe of Carry Me Home provided welcome shifts.
Throughout the show Sam Teskey played second fiddle to his brother, happy to crouch over his fretboard with splashes of blues and country licks.
His chance to shine came on Paint My Heart, where he took the song down a prog-rock rabbit hole with a David Gilmour-esque solo.
The audience's silence was also broken with the finale. Josh Teskey took on the role of the preacher man as he led a cappella rendition of Hold Me with the Civic Theatre clapping and harmonising with him as they sang, "Hold me, don't hold me down/ Carry me, but keep my feet on the ground."
As far as the Newcastle audience was concerned, The Teskey Brothers' maiden show in the city passed the audition. They want an encore.
Josh Leeson
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
