Todd's return to Athlone

After the success of their last live performance at the Athlone Public Hall, Todd Cook and the Rufous Whistlers are returning for another live show on Saturday September 2.
"We had a successful night last time," said Todd Cook. "We're excited to come back and get in and have a great night."
Originally from Athlone, Todd has been making music for about 20 years. His band "Todd Cook and the Rufous Whistlers" formed after COVID-19, taking name inspiration from the Rufous Whistler bird. Native to East Gippsland, a Rufous Whistler found it's way into Todd's backyard after the Black Summer Bushfires, singing its song into the world.
"Hopefully we get a few bird nerd at the show too!" said Todd.
Martin Potts plays double bass for the Rufous Whistlers and Brent Hodgkins keeps the beat on the drums. All three band members sing together, creating folky melodies for audiences to enjoy.
Todd's music has an overall Celtic blues type of sound, emphasised by folk music style finger picking throughout his songs.
"We try and make our music sound like here, where we're from," said Todd. "We want to make songs that have a uniquely Gippsland sound."
One of Todd's Gippsland inspired songs is "Athlone" which he released at his last Athlone performance. The song is written like a love letter for his home town, immersing listeners in the country lifestyle through beautiful guitar melodies, the sounds of chirping birds and deep, heart warming vocals.
The September 2 performance will feature two sets of music, a barbecue and a selection of kid's music to kick off the evening.
"The first set is singer songwriter original music, it has a story telling element to it," Todd said. "The second set is a party and singalong set, people can get up and dance and have a good time."
The performance is a family friendly event, accessible for everyone to enjoy.
"There will be something for everyone," Todd said. "It's about getting people together after times where we couldn't. Music is the glue."
The Todd Cook and the Rufous Whistlers performance will begin at 5:30pm at the Athlone Public Hall, 895 Drouin-Korumburra Rd, Athlone. Tickets are available at https://events.humanitix.com/todd-cook-and-the-rufous-whistlers-live-at-athlone-community-hall-blc5erc7 for $20 or can be purchased at the door for $25 cash only. Audiences are encouraged to purchase tickets online to help with the organisation of the event.