Forged in the Kimberley many years ago, the Gray Brothers will soon bring the North West to the South West.
Part of its SW tour, the group will visit Bunbury for one show at the Prince of Wales Hotel on Wednesday, April 18.
After their Bunbury gig, they head up the coast; stopping at hotspots including Mandurah, Geraldton, Coral Bay, Exmouth, Port Hedland, Derby and Broome.
Band members Albert Gray, Elwood Gray and Harry Jakamarra began their foray into live music after learning songs from Midnight Oil, Hank Williams, and Neil Young.
After settling in Broome, and playing their own solo shows, the ensemble came together to rock local pubs and street festivals in the region.
“The joke is that our mum wanted to have a family band and instead ended up with a whole bunch of front men [laughs],” eldest brother, guitarist, banjo player, and bassist Jakamarra said.
“We actually played a gig at Nannup Music Festival a couple of years ago and it just happened by accident.
“It was supposed to be Elwood’s solo gig but we ended up just having this big jam and the tent filled up with about 200 people, they were just loving it.
“We then thought: ‘Wow, we should do a WA tour as a family band’ and it kind of went from there.”
Since then, the group has produced a raft of EPs and albums while supporting big-names like Missy Higgins, Paul Kelly and The Waifs.
Now known for their signature alt-country and noir-folk-rock stylings, the band is immensely proud of its accomplishments.
Jakamarra was thrilled to bring a hint of Broome’s bustling music scene to the region.
“I played at the Prince of Wales a few years ago while supporting Dave Mann when he came through,” he said.
“It was a great crowd and I am really looking forward to getting back, playing there and rocking out at the Prince of Wales.”
While touring, the band lives off their love of music and zest for life. They even resort to powering their cars with used cooking oil from pub venues.
The multi-tasking band member is on a high, fresh from their tour of the east coast. While talking over the phone, Jakamarra exuded a warm enthusiasm for performing on stage.
“You meet some incredible characters along the way and there is just so much variation,” he said. “One gig might be terrible and the next gig might be amazing and you have a great time.”
