Teddy Swims

Teddy Swims & Matt Corby at RAC Arena, Perth 19 October 2025

RAC arena was adorned with swathes of Teddy Swims fans, who were keen to catch the lounge-king play the Perth leg of his I Tried Everything But Therapy tour.

Arriving and entering the venue wasn’t necessarily a smooth experience. With scenes reminiscent of James Cameron’s Titanic. The concertgoer queue had begun to snake its way up Roe Street.

With Matt Corby being set to play at 7.40pm, it was a mild annoyance for punters who found themselves at a standstill outside the stadium waiting to go in.

Thankfully, Corby had the grace to start his set at a later time. With the many punters now filing-in able to catch a glimpse of him as bums were not on seats. Corby did not disappoint with his dulcet tones and smooth, smooth vocal wails. Which he commanded with a funky fervour.

Leaning a little further away from the blues and roots style of music many would know him for from previous years. Corby delivered a funk infusion into much of his set. Playing it cool, and cycling through one track to the next. It was a lovely soundtrack to bop to; with many punters letting his dulcet tones ease them into night of festive moods.

Playing popular well-known hits like ‘brother’ and later on ‘Miracle Love’. Honestly, the most fun parts were seeing Corby break out into more jazzy genres, and seeing his new stylistic direction emanate and be carried by the sound acoustics of RAC Arena.

There was a brief intermission before Swims, and was mildly entertaining listening to the genre-inconsistent soundtrack. Which included a trap song, and Drake diss track from Kendrick Lamar. The strangeness of the song-selection was made even peculiar with an errant smoke machine ‘gone rogue’. With fake smoke billowing out the centre of the general admission area like an SOS signal on a desert island.

Despite all this, the anticipation for Swims was high. And the lead up to his set including the set-up of an ominous curtain. Which fell to screams from adorning fans. With his backing band in tow, Swims appeared on a large, descending ramp. Lit up by decorative iconography which matched the stylistic aesthetic of his facial tattoos.

There was something for everyone with Swims providing a genre-spanning set list. Pleasing soul, country, R&B and rock fans alike. Swims sung and lyrically explored themes of heartbreak, facing adversity and navigating his own ups and downs.

The show was an exciting watch, with frequent set changes that matched the mood of what Swims was singing about. Showing Swims commanded a degree of imaginative, as well as vocal, talent. With the stage appearing as a dreary rain-scape one moment, and a flying saucer with retro synths to the next. With the visual shifts in style being just as exciting as the musical shifts in genre.

This sentiment was further explored with Swims’s own wardrobe changes. Something not seen enough with male performers. Starting off the night with a leather waist-coat and shorts (basically Tony Galati meets Bikey gang aesthetic). To late in the night wearing a sequined gown inspired by Joseph’s Dreamcoat.

The real highlight (outside of the music) was just how personable Swims was. Whether it was showing gratitude towards the punters. Letting the backing vocalists take duet roles in his songs. Or displaying a newfound love of fatherhood with his newborn son. Ultimately, the guy is impossible to hate.

Finishing off with an encore of ‘Bed on Fire’, ‘Goodbye’s Been Good to You’ and ‘The Door’. Thematically, the only door Swims guided the punters through was the door – to their hearts.