York-born duo The Robinson Brothers to play Newdegate Machinery Field Days

Brothers Dennis and Ron Robinson will put on a lively performance of classic 70s and 80s at this year’s Newdegate Machinery Field Days.

The pair are well-known on the rural scene as The Robinson Brothers and play at shows and events in regional WA nearly every weekend.

It is their first time playing at the Great Southern’s biggest agricultural field day and the pair have plenty of “golden oldies” up their sleeves.

Dennis described their style as “baby boomer music”.

“Our songs include Paul Kelly’s To Her Door, as well as songs from the Eagles, The Monkees, and Neil Diamond,” he said.

“We will go through a great set list with a lot of crowd-pleasers.”

The York-born brothers started playing music professionally when they were in their late teens, with the pair making their maiden performance at the old York Hotel.

Because they were under age, they were escorted to their first few years of shows by their parents — who helped connect them with venue managers.

The younger of the pair, Ron, said he first remembered his brother picking up a guitar at the age of seven while he took a little longer to “warm up to the idea of singing”.

Now a glazier in York, Ron was 15 when he bought his first drum kit and taught himself how to set it up by watching music shows on TV.

“I started singing when I was about 15, and Dennis had his licence so we thought we’d drive around and do a few shows,” he said.

“Mum and Dad got us a gig down at the local pub. We used to play until 3am, or until we were told to go home.”

During the past few decades, the pair have played in various bands before forming The Robinson Brothers about three years ago.

He and Dennis were the founding members of popular Wheatbelt cabaret band Travis.

“People can expect a fun and lively performance featuring backing tracks we have recorded,” Ron said.

“This is our first time at Newdegate. We’ve heard it is a good show so we are really looking forward to it.”

Dennis lives in Perth and is a former radio announcer for stations 94.5 and 92.9. He now owns TV commercial and online video production company Red TV Productions.

“My playing is really my day off, I really enjoy it. Our original band Travis performed more than 1000 cabarets in 10 years, and now we often play a couple of times a week.

“I enjoy it so much because we do this as a hobby. It is really great travelling to the different regional areas.

“It is good playing to different crowds, and we enjoy the travel.”

The Robinson Brothers will perform at the Newdegate Machinery Field Days Food Court Area from 11am until 1.30pm on Wednesday, September 1, and Thursday, September 2.

They will also perform at the Newdegate Hotel on the Wednesday night.

Read the full Newdegate Machinery Field Days program here.