An Evening with The Red Tails at The Duke of George

Doors 6.00 pm, Band between 7 & 7.30 pm

Duke of George presents

An Evening with The Red Tails

The Red Tails return with a short run of shows through WA, including the Duke of George on June 13 - their only metro WA show.

The trio are a vocal powerhouse: a collaboration between Albany locals and neighbours Vikki Thorn (The Waifs, Thornbird), Simon London (The Spirits) and Tammy London – all remarkable vocalists and songwriters in their own right.

Persisting as a favourite side-project since their inception five years ago, the Red Tails resurface when the stars align and schedules allow, to revisit the shared joy of their combined voices bringing life to each other’s songs. The Red Tails are delighted to return to one of their favourite venues; the Duke Of George on Saturday the 13th of June.

The Red Tails are friends, partners and next-door neighbours. In 2020 on the south coast of WA, they got together to sing songs on the front porch as the world changed around them in ways that at the time, they could not control or comprehend.

When Vikki Thorn hunkered down in her beach shack on the WA south coast after a cancelled US tour, she reached out to her musical neighbours - Simon and Tammy London - about getting together to sing on the front porch.

From the first session they knew they were in the right place at the right time. Thus, The RedTails were born. 

Their blend of powerful voices create riveting big-soul harmonies. Writing together was a natural progression in light of the kinship between each artist and the times they found themselves in.  Sharing songs deeply rooted in the landscape, the people and the stories that they have returned to, they sing with a deep residing joy that proves good things can come from trying times.

On autumn afternoons as the kids kicked a footy around and a golden light settled on the olive grove, they found solace in joining voices – singing up – sending harmonies and laughter out over the bay that had shaped their respective childhoods. Those porch sessions became theatre shows and festival gigs and in between, they recorded an album.

Now their debut record is being released through all streaming platforms in June.

It is a collection 10 original songs from each artist and was recorded & mixed with James Newhouse (the Waifs, John Butler) in 2021 in a shed within site of the coastal bay where they reside.

All three artists wrote songs for the album and share lead vocals over 10 tracks, playing guitars, piano and harmonica. Denmark local Mark Gretton features on the drums while Ben Franz (The Waifs) added bass and pedal steel.

In the Red Tails, harmonies have always been the focal point whether over a piano ballad or full band country rock. The three artists are extraordinary singers and together their voices work seamlessly on the recording to create a compelling, moving fabric that weaves through all the songs.

Simon’s song Blue Boat is the album opener backed with soulful & heavy harmony from Tammy and Vikki issuing a warning; 

“Don’t go in the blue boat - Stop. Don’t you dare go”.

Things get rocking with the soulful collaboration Aretha - when Tammy London hits the high notes she tips her hat to the song’s namesake - the queen of soul. You can almost hear the roof lift.

Thorn’s song Crossroads offers a folky reflection on the concept of home. The song starts, sparse and intimate with just her vocal and guitar and at some point, a band enters the building and takes it from there to a rocking crescendo.

With over 50 years performing experience and songwriting craft between them, the Red Tailsshowcase their love of songwriting and their joy of shared voice and song that threads through an album of carefully crafted songs.

Join The Red Tails and their band for an intimate evening of song and celebration, to launch their album with shows at the Duke Of George on Saturday June 13th 2026.

Links:

The Redtails Facebook

The Redtails Instagram