The Teskey Brothers – Auckland Town Hall: December 7, 2023

The Teskey Brothers performed at Auckland Town Hall last night, delivering an evening of soulful energy and heart-stirring melodies that celebrated their long-awaited return to our shores.

Mel Parsons

The night began with New Zealand indie singer, Mel Parsons, setting a captivating tone with her acoustic guitar, accompanied by Josh Logan on bass and Jed Parsons on drums. Parsons’ performance was a gentle, melodic, and occasionally anthemic flow of lyrics and emotion, evoking hints of an early, vibrant Sheryl Crow drenched in the darkness of Lera Lynn.

Despite this, Parsons still managed to naturally squeeze in a number of authentically funny crowd addresses, drawing an understanding empathetic giggle-gasp from the parents in the audience when she revealed she had four kids at home under the age of 10. Her natural ease on stage felt perfectly fitting for both the audience and an opening act for the upcoming headliners.

Parsons mentioned her set featured a number of premiere performances of songs from her upcoming album, before diving into the emotive ‘I Got The Lonely,’ a captivating number that resonated through its heavy drums and 60s country vibe. ‘Tiny Days‘ showcased her hauntingly beautiful vocals, adding to both the depth and introspection of her lyrical talent, before the closing song ‘Far Away’ brought a thumping beat that could rival ‘Jolene’, infusing the crowd with lingering anticipatory energy.

The Teskey Brothers

It’s rare that a gig is ever exactly on time, but I should have expected nothing less of The Teskey Brothers, arriving perfectly on the dot of 8:30 p.m. as the stage lights dimmed before bright stage spotlights brought both the full collective band before the crowd to ferocious applause.

As the first notes of ‘Man of the Universe‘ resonated through the hall, I felt that exact sensation I had four years previously at Powerstation, just the sheer magnitude of raw talent instantly forcing a smile onto my face. Josh Teskey’s remarkable vocals immediately connected with the audience in a way that has – even after hundreds of gigs – never been replicated to the level he can seem to do with great, casual ease.

‘Carry You’ followed, with the stage drenched in sweet pink hues, the introduction to the song framing it as a narrative on supportive friendships. Through its mesmerising vocal peaks, the crowd began to stir in the uncomfortable awkwardness of a seated venue, before the relaxed atmosphere as ‘Oceans of Emotions‘ (from their upcoming album) showcased a softer, saxophone and trumpet-infused sound that managed to placate the audience through one more seated number.

But it was the following ‘Crying Shame‘ and ‘So Caught Up’, both with their fan-favourite, sustained energetic momentum, that began drawing the crowd to their feet, most of them swaying with the flailing inconsistency of an inflatable car-lot tube man and the cliche note-hands of early-2000s Mariah Carey. But even this couldn’t distract from Josh Teskey’s vocals and the absolute brilliance of the 8-heavy band, as the group soared in ‘I Get Up,‘ mutually guiding the song through its tranquil bridge to a powerful, full-volume conclusion.

Clearly I just can’t – and won’t – shut up about this man’s captivating voice, but it would be just as unfair to pinpoint a highlight from any member of the band’s collective, with every musician on stage consistently displaying their ability to effortlessly control both the tempo and rhythm of each song, harmonising in musical conversation without a moment of failure.. This was showcased magnificently in ‘Rain,’ a deeply emotive and painfully soulful song that both elevated Teskey’s voice and the collective prowess of the band in delivering a soulful, sustained, and deliberately measured performance.

As they introduced new songs like ‘Carry Me Home‘ and covered Ray Charles’ ‘Drown In My Own Tears,’ the crowd continued to groove and – occasionally attempt to – contribute with their own vocals, before ‘Paint My Heart’, with its introductory organs reminiscent of a Pink Floyd finale led the crowd into a soft, melodic embrace.

The highlight – as with ‘Honeymoon’ from their 2019 gig – was the stretched-out ‘What Will Be’ a vibrant, relentless performance of guitar, saxophone, trumpet, organ, and vocals, tied together beautiful with its thumping drums and a spotlight guitar solo that both myself and the crowd could have happily wallowed in for the entire evening.

The obligatory encore began with the serenading ‘Forever You And Me,’ that had everyone standing and swaying in unison, illuminated by the soft stage lights, before ‘I’m Leaving’ and ‘Hold Me’ closed out the night, the finale showcasing a delicate and intimate connection between the band and the audience, guided into a gentle, collective harmony.

It’s fitting that this should be the gig that marked my return to music journalism because, just as it did four years ago, last night’s gig demonstrated the power of live music and beautiful talent, reminding me that an authentic, raw performance and an appreciative audience can create something tangible and immutable by everything that exists outside of it; a celebration of music’s ability to bring us together and create a uniquely shared experience that touches the deepest recesses of the soul.

Oxford Lamoureaux

Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Michael Jeong:

The Teskey Brothers:

Mel Parsons:

The Teskey Brothers Setlist

Man of The Universe

Carry You

Oceans of Emotions

Crying Shame

So Caught Up

I Get Up

Rain

Carry Me Home

Drown In My Own Tears (Ray Charles Cover)

Paint My Heart

What Will Be

Encore

Forever You And Me

I’m Leaving

Hold Me