Go hard or go home could be the rallying cry of indie folk power house duo Pierce Brothers. Renowned for their high energy acrobatic on stage performances, the Melbourne based duo are working just as hard off stage with a relentless tour schedule.
Coming off the back of an international tour of the US and Europe supporting Tash Sultana, twins Patrick and Jack Pierce are back on native soil just long enough to smash out a regional tour before heading back to Europe for another sojourn of sell out shows through September and October.
“The last three months have been especially hectic, we did six weeks in the States and then a couple of weeks off then 6 weeks in Europe…. Its been a a lot if time spent on a bus.” says Patrick.
With an exhaustive year thus far, an Australian regional tour almost feels like a holiday for the pair.
“When you’re touring in Australia you’re still at home. Its just so much nicer. Getting up to far north Queensland, it’s going to be brilliant. Everything is more comfortable. Home is only two hours away. So you’re there for the weekend and then you just fly back. This sort of touring is easy. It’s just like going down the street for us, it’s great!
Despite performing a slew of shows over August from Margaret River to Cairns the brief stint at home is a welcome reprieve.
“Being home at the moment has been the best thing ever. The six odd weeks we have at home has been very precious to us until we go again.”
Cutting their teeth busking on a windy corner of Bourke Street in Melbourne, the Pierce Brothers share history with fellow busking luminary Tash Sultana. They have have just spent the season supporting Tash throughout the US and Europe and reflect on their time busking.
“We were in Vienna a couple of weeks ago reminiscing about how much easier life was back then. We’d just wake up and be like, ‘ahh are we going in? Yeah lets head in’ There was no emails, no label to deal with, there was no touring. You would just wake up, go down and play for six hours, then go to the pub and then go home.”
“It was like the happiest time of our lives. It was completely carefree, you didn’t have to worry about numbers, about ticket sales, about import documents to get your gear over. You could just show up, and play music and have fun and try out new things and nothing mattered, you know?”
“It was one of the best times of my life.”
Jack and Patrick still try to get back to Bourke Street for a jam when their schedule allows
“We try and go back around once a year… around Christmas time. We’ve done a fundraiser the last two years and donate the busking money to charity”.
With their home base and music gear in Melbourne they help pave the way for emerging artists.
“All the stuff is still sitting in storage, so a lot of musicians that we meet who are coming to Melbourne, we give them free access”
“It’s there to be used, if we’re not using it, it’s there for new buskers coming through”
Fast forward a couple of years from their busking days and the Pierce Brothers have sold over 40,000 CDs, had over 7 million streams online and are selling out shows across the globe. Patrick credits some of their success to their on stage energy.
“All the jumping around and the flips it all sort of came from busking. We found that the louder and more obnoxious we were, the more CDs we sold on the street. That ended up working for us, it got us more and more festivals. We became known for that sort of live act.”
Punters can expect a performance from Jack and Patrick that will rival any gym work out.
“At the start of a tour you’re definitely out of breath. You’re fighting to be able to sing through the words because you’re jumping around so much. But like anything, by the end of the tour when you’re sprinting for an hour and a half and being able to sing through it. By the end of it you’re gig fit”
“It’s definitely a work out, you know dripping sweat after the show. Very high energy”
Flying off the back of their smash success 2018 album Atlas Shoulders, Pierce Brothers have boundless energy behind the scenes as well and fans can expect to hear some brand new stuff.
“We’ve got a whole lot of stuff in the works, we’re working on new music. Going to be trying out some new songs while we’re up there.”
Catch Pierce Brothers incredible live show at the Tanks Arts Centre Friday 16th August. Tickets on sale now.
Stacey Brown
Tickets available through Ticketlink
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