Having heard of the heritage listed Astor Theatre’s rich history and revered acoustics, I was excited to finally see it for myself when Teddy Swims and special guest Mia Wray were set to land in Perth.
With crisp clean sound hitting yours ears no matter what position you took up for the night, Mia Wray’s rich opening vocals reached deep into your soul and ripped it out, shattering it along your skin creating goosebumps. She had a beautiful melody that felt like it swirled around your feet, slowly tangling up your limbs until you felt it everywhere.
Mia took you to some deep places of strength with her song ‘Never Gonna Be The Same’, and shared intimate songs about depression and sexual assault. But it was her story of finding love and its inspiration that bought out all the dreamers in the crowd, who were eager to hear her story had a happy ending. Although Mia had a tentative stage presence, it was full of honesty and genuine warmth as she pumped up the crowd for Teddy.
Teddy came in larger than life with a playfulness that said he was here to have fun and didn’t take life too seriously. His use of the whole stage meant everyone got a chance to see his antics or feel apart of the show, which added to that playfulness and pulled you into his arena.
His voice was vibrant in the incredible acoustics of The Astor, and his amazing cover of ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ was like he knew exactly what the crowd needed to tip them over the edge. Teddy bought you into his current and past relationships struggles, with both humour and sentiment which only deepened the connection.
As the tune for ‘Lose Control’ started, it was as if the crowd held their breath in anticipation and excitement, Teddy coaxing the crowd into the chorus with a huge smile on his face. But it was ‘Simple Things’ and a song yet to be released ‘Some Things I’ll Never Know’ that delved deep and pulled out long ago buried feelings. Between Teddy’s incredible voice and the crispness delivered by the Astor made this the perfect venue for a night like this.
GALLERY by Shotweiler Photography
MIA WRAY
TEDDY SWIMS
