A Day On The Green @ Peter Lehmann Wines, Tanunda SA 10/1/2025
It was a cracking day at Peter Lehmann Wines in the heart of Tanunda in the Barossa Valley for the next installment of A Day On The Green. The weather was scorching hot and no doubt the big walk up the hill in to the venue would have tested a few. Slip, slop, slap, seek, slide was the order of the day for those there early to soak up the atmosphere and all that this picturesque location has to offer. This installment of A Day On The Green was well curated with a line up boasting The Teskey Brothers, Band Of Horses, Sierra Ferrell, CMAT and Charlie Needs Braces offering something a little different for everyone.
First up was exciting proposition Charlie Needs Braces who despite the intense heat brought colour, splendour and a really energetic pop vibe to a crowd that was building. Charlie Woods and her sister Miri are both proud GuriNgai women, and direct descendant of Bungaree and Matora. Probably disingenuous to describe this as a project with their second album NYAA WA they are a bonafide act and I’m not sure we’ll be hearing a lot more about them this year. Like a well woven tapestry the way they are able to weave stories and language together to create something quite unique is clever.
Irish singer song writer CMAT (aka Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson) was an an absolutely hot and she well and truly endeared to this crowd and seemed like she had her own cheer squad as well. Opening with Aw, Shoot! CMAT asked the crowd about her “Aussie” accent talkin’ about how “freezin’ init!” thinking it was back home in Dublin. Her band were fantastic and full marks for product placement and promoting CMAT merchandise with the band wearing CMAT shirts. With two albums in the kit bag they are definitely worth seeking out. Loads of great songs featured with the likes of Lonely, Whatever’s Inconvenient, Have Fun! and I Wanna Be a Cowboy, Baby! going down well like a drop of Peter Lehmann’s 2012 Stonewell Shiraz. My only criticism was not being able to see more but hopefully this has opened the door for a return visit sometime soon. CMAT’s set was topped off with the single Stay For Something.
Hot damn! Sierra Ferrell was fantastic and it feels like a long time since her last SA appearance here at The Gov back in 2022. I have to say that her set was absolute class and her new album Trail Of Flowers which featured prominently in her set was absolutely gold. Fusing elements of folk, bluegrass, gypsy jazz, and Latin styles such as tango and calypso music her music is definitely attention grabbing. Touting that this would be the “greatest Friday of your life” it was the likes of Silver Dollar and Bells Of Every Chapel that captivated hearts and minds… well, my anyway! Sierra commented on how hot it knocking down a couple of bottles every suggesting that we should “say something sweet to it before you drink it”. Why’d Ya Do It, Chittlin’ Cookin’ Time in Cheatham County and Far Away Across the Sea were great moments. The set was littered with positive affirmations such as “don’t give up on love, that’s all we have left”. Sierra also spoke of all the bird life she has been checking out in between shows. Kris Kristofferson cover Me and Bobby McGee was a stand out as was American Dreaming, Dollar Bill Bar and set closer Fox Hunt.
Band Of Horses! So good! They were definitely worth the ticket price and the drive alone plus having only toured a few times here I was not missing this one! Albums Everything All the Time (2006), Cease To Begin (2007) and Infinite Arms (2010) are some of their finest albums and hearing songs from those was absolutely sublime. Forty five minutes or so just didn’t seem but what we did hear was brilliant from the likes of The Great Salt Lake, Is There A Ghost and Laredo. Lead singer Ben Bridwell didn’t say much apart from the occasional thank y’all letting the music do all the talking and more. To be able to sit in the relaxed surrounds of Peter Lehmann Wines listening to the Band Of Horses was pretty incredible and something even now I feel like pinching myself as I thought that would never happen in a million years. Highlights reel included includes Marry Song, No One’s Gonna Love topped off with their final song The Funeral. Brilliant!
The Teskey Brothers headlined this iteration of A Day On The Green and brothers Josh and Sam and band keep going from strength to strength proving to be absolutely world class worthy of top billing. With the sun having set and the temperature dropping slightly to a more comfortable level it was time for ninety minutes of class by one of Australia’s finest. Right from the get go they had the crowd in the palm of their hands and there is something truly captivating about their music. Pain And Misery tugs at the emotional heart strings and that was second song in. Josh thanked the crowd saying “thank you for keeping this alive, it is a beautiful thing.” Big tick for Man Of The Universe followed by one of many stand outs Crying Shame. Take My Heart took on a little extra meaning being about “all the little things” and dedicated to all the parents sharing with the crowd he became a dad in 2020. So Caught Up and I Get Up followed but it was Rain that was next level taking on a majestic feel enhanced by the lighting on this one.
Going in to acoustic camp fire songs it was a stripped back version of Carry Me Home followed by one they haven’t played live in six years in Shiny Moon. London Bridge was stellar but another big moment in the set was Paint My Heart with a big organ intro and the smoke gave that smouldering feel building in to something epic later morphing in to What Will Be. Returning for an encore The Teskies once again tugged away at those heart strings once more with Forever You And Me followed by I’m Leaving and Hold Me. A Day On The Green has delivered again.
Live Review By Rob Lyon