Busking, a home studio and a soul sound from Melbourne

The Teskey Brothers did not start on a big stage. Josh Teskey, who sings and plays rhythm guitar, and his brother Sam, the lead guitarist, formed the band in Melbourne in 2008 with bassist Brendon Love and drummer Liam Gough. They played in the streets and at parties first, then in larger venues, and record labels soon took notice.

Their breakthrough came in 2017 with the debut album Half Mile Harvest, produced in their own home studio. It reached the top 20 of the ARIA charts and went to number one on the ARIA Independent Album chart. The deals followed: a publishing agreement with Downtown Music Publishing in 2018, then in 2019 contracts with Glassnote Records, Ivy League Records and Mushroom Music Publishing. That July they won the Levi Music Prize, meant to help Australian and New Zealand acts reach audiences abroad.

In August 2019 came Run Home Slow, which debuted at number two on the ARIA chart. At that year’s ARIA Music Awards the band was nominated seven times and won three: Best Group, Best Blues and Roots Album and, for Sam, Engineer of the Year. “Carry You”, from the album, was certified Gold in 2022. They released Live at the Forum in 2020 and Live at Hamer Hall the following year, and paid tribute to INXS with a cover of “Never Tear Us Apart”, dedicated to Michael Gudinski.

In late 2022 Love and Gough left, and the Teskeys continued as a duo. Their third album, The Winding Way, arrived in June 2023. Their sound is rooted in soul, with jazz and rhythm and blues running through it, in the manner of Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding. It is a style with a long history, and the brothers have given it a home in Melbourne.