The Milford Street Shakers' music is not what you would call genteel.
The Milford Street Shakers with Soulphonic
The band takes its audience back to the 1960s with the sound that was ringing out through dance halls as gospel, rhythm and blues and jazz music merged to create soul.
Soulphonic at the Regal Theatre in Subiaco on June 16 will deliver a vibrant performance of what band leader Dom D'Leno describes as a "rich authentic sound of howling horns, pulsating rhythms and stunning vocals".
Lead vocalist Ayla Woodland performing at the Regal with the Milford Street Shakers
The expanded line-up of regular musicians in the band to include a four-piece string section will give the 15-piece soul orchestra an even richer, authentic sound to take audiences back into the heartland of Sixties soul.
The string section features two violins, a viola and a cello.
It's not music you can just sit in your seat and tap your feet to,
Dom says this is music that demands you get up and dance, with dynamic renditions of much-loved soul and Motown classics that make it impossible to sit still.
A horn section helps create the powerful sound of the Milford Street Shakers
Band members include Ayla Woodland, lead vocals; Yara Neto, guest vocals; Ashton Lake, backing vocals; Alicia Selkirk, backing vocals; Liana Yusof, backing vocals; Robbie Bresland, trumpet; Jeremy Trezona, tenor sax; Mark Sprogowski, baritone sax; James Vinciullo, bass; Dominic D'Leno, drums; Imogen Thomson, percussion; Jackson VanBallegooyen, keys; and Jon Matthews, guitar.
The concert at the Regal starts at 7pm with tickets selling for $69 for adults, concessions $35 and groups of six $379.
Lead vocalist Ayla Woodland says the authenticity of the music from the 1960s is compelling, where the instruments were real and there was none of today's computerised production.
Guest vocalist Yara Neto
She joined the band around eight months ago and has performed with them at Venues including the Quarry Amphitheatre, Ellington Jazz Club, Perth Blues Club at the Charles Hotel, and the Duke of George in Fremantle.
As well as their authentic sound, Ayla says she loves the way the band dresses to impress as they deliver music from performers like Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, James Brown and Etta James.
Ayla will be joined by long-time vocalist with the Milford Street Shakers, Yara Neto, who has performed with the previous iteration of the band Stratosfunk before leaving to start a family.
The Milford Street Shakers have been stirring crowds with their brand of soul for several years, performing over the length and breadth of Western Australia.
Milford Street Shakers, ready for action
In 2017 at the Summerset Arts Festival, the band won a nomination for a Fringe World Music and Musicals Award and has played at several Fringe festivals.
They have entertained audiences of thousands for shows that have included Music Under the Stars Concert at ECU Joondalup, Fringe World Summerset Arts Festival, a sold-out twilight concert at the Parkerville Tavern, entertaining post-show audiences for several years at Leeuwin Estate Winery concerts, two shows at the Wheatstone Gas Project in Onslow, a Regal Theatre show, the Nameless Jarndunmunha Festival in Tom Price, the City of Perth New Year's Eve Celebration in Northbridge, and many more.
Dom says the hits of the Sixties Soul and Motown era appeal to a wide range of audiences of all ages, with music that people want to dance to.
