Live Review: Matt Corby, The Teskey Brothers

For the final show of his Rainbow Valley tour, beloved Australian singer-songwriter Matt Corby delivered a chilled-out night of mellow tunes. Attendees had been blessed with a gorgeous if slightly cold autumn evening. Hundreds of people were already scattered across the greens of Kings Park when support act The Teskey Brothers took to the stage. The Melbourne-based band are undoubtedly making a name for themselves, supporting the likes of Xavier Rudd, The John Butler Trio and Missy Higgins as well as joining the 2019 Splendour In The Grass line-up. Their old school Motown sound, along with the lead singer’s raspy, soulful voice, captured the audience’s attention long before the main act. As Corby said, “They’re too good. We’ll return the favour and support them soon.”

Matt Corby took his place centre stage, launching into the opening track from his latest album Rainbow Valley, the tender and soothing Light My Dart Up. This was followed in quick succession by No Ordinary Life and All That I See. He was accompanied by a seven-piece band, consisting of two back-up singers, two keyboardists, a drummer, a bassist and a guitarist. Occasionally the flute or the bongo drums would be thrown into the equation. 

Towards the end of the show, Corby apologised to the audience. “I’ve been pretty sick, so my voice isn’t up to scratch,” he said. If his voice wasn’t up to standard, you couldn’t tell. Corby has incredible vocal talent, displayed countless times in his performance. Not only is he an incredible vocalist, but he is an astounding multi-instrumentalist. Corby’s versatility on the instruments was evident, with him changing between the drums, guitar, and flute during his performance.

There were a few songs that stood out from the rest, including All Fired Up and Monday. Corby’s 2011 hit Brother had people dropping what they were doing and running to re-join the crowd. Maybe Corby has played it one too many times for his liking, but for what is arguably his most popular song, it fell decidedly short of its potential. Despite this, when it came to an end it was met with riotous applause. Fortunately, crowd favourite Resolution managed to hit the mark that Brother just missed.

In the tradition of toasting their last show of the tour, Corby and the band shared a shot of tequila on stage before concluding the set with Souls A’Fire from his Into The Flame EP. Quickly, the chants of encore began. “You knew I was going to come back for one more,” Corby chuckled as he returned to the stage. He proceeded to play his latest single Miracle Love. This passionate and soulful song is a highlight of the album, and it provided the perfect close to the night.