Live Review: Tex, Don & Charlie, The Ahern Brothers

The Ahern Brothers bring vivid images of James Taylor and Simon & Garfunkel to mind from the moment the duo begin. The lustrous harmonies meld phenomenally with one another, creating wonderful soundscapes of folk and soft guitar. While their sound may be a little more vanilla than their headlining counterparts, The Ahern Brothers set a wonderful tone for the night with the fantastic Bury Me Here and a cover of The Everly Brothers' All I Have To Do Is Dream.

A scattering of ethereal moon lights litter the stage and Tex, Don & Charlie make their way to the stage along with their extended bandmates. Redheads, Goldcards And Long Black Limousines kicks off the trio's set to uproarious applause, and it is immediately apparent that these men are still well and truly in their prime. "Thank you for the applause, but it was unnecessary," the super-suave Tex Perkins declares with a laugh, "we know it was good".

Unsurprisingly, considering their cumulative music credits, the band is totally on fire tonight. Don Walker's Cold Chisel days have fared him well as he tinkers effortlessly at the keyboard, while Charlie Owen still plays like he did when Beasts Of Bourbon formed. And Perkins, even with the few wisps of silver hair, is still the coolest muthafucker on the planet. Sitting back when Walker takes lead vocals and even stepping off stage for the solo venture of Walker's Here's As Good As Anywhere, Perkins remains the down-to-earth husky pub crooner he's always been.

Tex, Don & Charlie revel in one of the most enjoyable paradoxes possible in music: their skills are near unparalleled, yet even when the odd hiccup or bum note occurs it just adds to the perfection of their performance. The authenticity of the collective character of the band shines throughout, making the performance soar beyond complacency. Tex, Don & Charlie will never phone it in, and the crowd love them for it.

One Step Ahead Of The Blues awakens something lively in this otherwise reserved audience, who whoop and holler to Perkins' trademark drawl. Suddenly the "acclaimed concert pianist" Perkins (as Walker puts it) takes to the keyboard and Walker saunters to the front for Harry Was A Bad Bugger. From that first brilliant line, "Like a shark at a funeral," the punters scramble for their cameras to catch this meteoric performance as it unfolds before their very eyes.

The sound flowing from Thornbury Theatre tonight is indistinguishable from the band's beginnings over two decades ago. Hell, they've hardly aged much, either. Is this really 2017?