My Kind of Scene

Closer Than My Closest Friend (Part 1)

• Cara Diaria • Season 1 • Episode 9

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WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners should be aware that this episode contains the names, voices and words of people who have died.

My Kind of Scene uncovers the past and present of Australian music. Australia has a tremendous legacy of musical siblings. In this two-part episode, we're going to take a stroll through the streets of sibling-spawned Aussie music.

Find the episode playlist on the Spotify Cara Diaria artist page.  Send questions or compliments to mykindofscenepod[@]gmail.com.

My Kind Of Scene acknowledges and pays respect to the past, present and future Traditional Custodians and Elders of the nation many of us call Australia.

Sources:

Intro  00:00

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners should be aware that this episode contains the names, voices and words of people who have died.

Welcome to My Kind of Scene, where we uncover the past and present of Australian music.

I'm Cara Diaria, indie musician and music nerd, bringing my unique perspective to the hits and misses, the movers and shakers, the goodness and greatness that makes the Australian music scene, My Kind of Scene.

In our "Under Cover Down Under" episode, I mentioned the first time I saw burgeoning soapie star, soon-to-be global pop superstar, Kylie Minogue, sing was with her sister Dannii on a Young Talent Time live special. They performed a cover of "Sisters are Doin' It For Themselves" and their young, bright voices blended perfectly. I was thrilled!

Since revisiting that childhood memory, I've been thinking about what other great musical siblings this country has produced. And once you start thinking about it, it's hard to stop. There's more than a few! So, in this episode, we're going to take a stroll through the streets of sibling-spawned Aussie music.

W hat is it about musical acts with siblings that makes them so special? Is it the shared upbringing steeped in common musical influences? The ability to find perfect rhythm together through some kind of sixth sense and be in synch like no other humans can? Or is it the almost miraculous harmonic blend that siblings can achieve when they lift their genetically similar voices together? Probably a little of each.

Australia has a tremendous legacy of musical siblings. Of course, our obsession with siblings all started with a pair of brothers in crime: Ned and Dan Kelly, the most famous Australian bushrangers. More books have been written about the Kelly Gang than any other subject in Australian history, and you can probably picture them now, in their famous homemade suits of armor, fashioned from plough parts. Although the Kellys were criminals and outlaws, Australia loves an underdog, and the pair have achieved legendary folk hero status, inspiring art and pop culture since the 1870s. 

While not musical siblings themselves, many songs have been written about the Kellys. One of the earliest ones, bush poem "Stringybark Creek," was illegal to sing and offenders were fined. American country artists Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings have released songs about them, as have local artists, including Paul Kelly (no relation), Slim Dusty, Powderfinger, Midnight Oil, The Whitlams, and Redgum. 

AC/DC  04:30

One of the best-known sibling acts in Australian rock history also happens to be one of the best-known acts in Australian rock history, period.

AC/DC were formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers and guitarists, Malcolm and Angus Young. Raised in a musical family, the last two of 8 siblings, the brothers cut their rock 'n' roll teeth in a band with older brother George Young, and his musical partner, Harry Vanda, who had together taken the 60s by storm with their British-invasion inspired band, The Easybeats. Malcolm Young actually played the guitar solo on the Easybeats' lead singer Stevie Wright's solo hit, "Evie," in 1974.

Releasing their first album, High Voltage, in 1975, AC/DCs lineup stabilized to the Young brothers – Malcolm on rhythm guitar and Angus on lead – drummer Phil Rudd, bassist Mark Evans, and fellow Scottish immigrant, the charismatic and rebellious Bon Scott, who hit high notes that took AC/DC's sound to the next level. The band gained local popularity, releasing several Australian top 20 albums through the late 70s. 1979's Highway to Hell, was a major international breakthrough, reaching number 17 in the US and 8 in the UK, and firmly placing the band in the upper echelon of hard rock acts.  The band went to work on their seventh studio album, when tragedy struck. Bon Scott died in London in February 1980 – officially a "death by misadventure" after a night of hard drinking.

That could have been the end of AC/DC, but Scott's family encouraged the band to continue, saying Bon would have wanted them to. Honoring their wishes, the band recruited Brian Johnson, who matched Scott's high range and brought his own flavor to the sound. The album Back In Black went on to top the charts in Australia and the UK, and reached number 4 in the US. 

Across four decades, AC/DC had 10 studio albums in the Australian top 5. Their popularity has been incredibly enduring – their most recent album, 2020's Power Up, hit number one in at least 10 countries.

I believe one of the main reasons AC/DC were able to survive and thrive through such a fundamental lineup change is the complementary DNA the Young brothers imprinted on every single AC/DC song. Malcolm's crunchy rock riffs laid the groundwork for Angus' blistering licks and solos – of course enhanced by his iconic, energetic live performance, complete with schoolboy uniform. AC/DC is a perfect example of the power of musical siblings.

Vika & Linda  09:19

This next group exhibited their sibling power in a very different way.

Vika Bull and her younger sister, Linda, came to prominence in the late 80s while singing backing vocals in Joe Camilleri's band The Black Sorrows. They went on to start a duo, Vika & Linda, and across 13 albums and almost 3 decades, their signature tight harmonies have permeated the Australian musical landscape.

Vika & Linda were born in 1960s suburban Melbourne. Their mother was one of the first Tongans who immigrated to Melbourne. Tonga is a Polynesian archipelago nation and the last Pacific monarchy, and in fact, Vika & Linda have performed for the King of Tonga. As they were growing up, Vika and Linda's parents made sure they were connected to their Tongan roots, taking lessons in traditional song and dance, and traveling there to experience the culture first-hand. The sisters performed together from a young age at local dinner dances and their Tongan church, which ignited a deep love of gospel music.

The Bull sisters' mother taught them to sing harmonies, with Linda usually taking the low part and Vika layering above. Vika aspired to be a professional singer, while Linda pursued an interest in visual arts at university. Through the 80s, Vika sang in various bands, with Linda eventually leaving uni in '87 and joining her in the band Sophisticated Boom Boom.

In 1988, Vika and Linda joined The Black Sorrows, on the recommendation of drummer Peter Luscombe – himself a member of Melbourne music sibling royalty. We'll come back to Peter in a few minutes!

The Black Sorrows was a blues-rock group that formed out of the ashes of singer & saxophonist, Joe Camilleri's band, Jo Jo Zep & the Falcons, which had several hits in the late 70s into the early 80s. The Bull sisters' distinctive harmonies and occasional lead vocals were part of the special sauce that propelled singles liked "Hold On To Me," "Chained to the Wheel," and "Never Let Me Go" up the ARIA singles charts. 

During their time with the Black Sorrows, Vika & Linda also provided vocals for many prominent Australian artists, including John Farnham, Hunters and Collectors, Archie Roach, Ross Wilson, and Deborah Conway. My brain is just now putting this together – of course all those rich 80s and 90s harmonies I grew up with were supplied by Vika & Linda!

After two studio albums and a greatest hits, Vika & Linda left the Black Sorrows. In 1994, their debut, self-titled album was released, produced by none other than Paul Kelly. Is there any seminal Australian music this man doesn't have his fingerprints on? 

Our favorite drummer, Peter Luscombe, also played on the album, which featured songs written by Kelly, Camilleri, Stephen Cummings and Mark Seymour, who we also might hear more about later. The album peaked at number 7 on the ARIA chart, and earned them an ARIA award nomination, and single "House of Love" reached 32 in New Zealand. I'm surprised to learn none of the album's four singles cracked the top 50 in Australia – it seemed to me those songs were constantly on the radio and TV during that time.

Vika & Linda's second album, Princess Tabu, released in '96, was co-produced by 80s and 90s Oz rock giant Mark Lizotte, aka Diesel, and partly recorded in Tonga. Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, felt the album was a <quote> "purer reflection of the cultural strains and rich diversity of their heritage". <unquote>

Third album, 1999's Two Wings was co-produced by Paul Kelly and Australian jazz, soul and R&B queen Renee Geyer, who has, by the way, sung backing vocals for such luminaries as Sting, Chaka Khan and Joe Cocker. Their fourth album, Love Is Mighty Close was Vika & Linda's last album of original music for almost 20 years, before The Wait finally landed in 2021. In between, there were gospel albums, live albums and a chart-topping anthology, Akilotoa, which in 2020 made them the first Australian sister duo to top the ARIA albums chart.

While they haven't birthed any single humungous chart hit, for the past almost four decades the distinctive voices of Vika & Linda have remained a consistent, essential, and rich part of the fabric of Australian music. The siblings were inducted into the Music Victoria Hall of Fame in 2019, and in 2022, were awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the performing arts. 

The Veronicas  18:39

The mid-2000s gave rise to another formidable Aussie sister duo. Identical twin sisters, Lisa and Jessica Origliasso, were 80s babies, born in Queensland to Italian-Australian parents. Like Vika & Linda, the Origliasso twins started performing from a young age, gracing the stages of awards shows and sporting events as early as five. During their teen years, the sisters apparently released three albums under the name "Jessica and Lisa," that have since disappeared into the ether.

Although you would think singing identical twin teens would be a no brainer score for a major record label, they were first noticed as songwriters, getting a writing deal in 2004. They were then signed to a Sydney-based independent record label, which afforded them the chance to travel and write demos with other songwriters. This trip spawned several co-writes that were released by artists including Australian Idol stars Casey Donovan and Kate DeAraugo, and Russian duo t.A.T.u. (All About Us). At the end of 2004 Lisa and Jessica went to the U.S. and signed a reported $2 million deal with a subsidiary of Warner Music. The Veronicas were born.

The duo's name was inspired by a line from the movie Heathers, but its association with Archie Comics resulted in Warner being sued for trademark infringement. Ultimately it was settled and there's clearly no bad blood, since the sisters have since appeared in the comic books multiple times.

The Veronicas debut studio album, The Secret Life Of… was led by single "4Ever" – spelt "number four, E-v-e-r" – just a few years after Canadian teen emo-pop powerhouse Avril Lavigne kicked off the trend of numerals replacing words in song titles. If you need a reminder, "Sk8er Boi" is spelled "S-k-number 8-e-r, B-o-i."

"4Ever" was produced by hitmakers Max Martin and Lukasz Gottwald, who the previous year had produced American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson's mega hit "Since U Been Gone." You can hear the parallels, can't you? The Veronicas' debut single was a number 2 hit in Australia and charted in several other countries. A few film and TV placements helped the song get attention in the U.S., but it didn't crack the Billboard Hot 100.

Three top 20 singles followed, sharing "4ever's" softer-edged power-pop sound. The Secret Life Of… spent a year on the ARIA album chart, peaking at number 2, sold 4 times platinum, and won best pop release at the 2006 ARIA awards.

The Veronicas, or at least their label, did their best to capitalize on the twins' marketability, during the time of an emerging internet, with releases like Sessions@AOL (yes – remember the days of dial-up and AOL?) and an MTV.com live EP, as well as modeling for Calvin Klein and releasing a clothing line for Target.

The Veronicas' second album, 2007's Hook Me Up, showcased a more mature, electro pop sound, nowhere better than on its title track and lead Australian single, which made it all the way to the top of the ARIA chart – their first number one. But it was second single, "Untouched," that really blew the Veronicas up globally. Don't you just love that string intro? I should probably add here that I'm appreciating this much more retrospectively. At the time, during the mid-2000s, The Veronicas were not to be found on my iPod. I mean, I appreciated their international success, but at the time, I was into art rock outfits like The Dears, Feist, and Arcade Fire. Commercial pop tracks by identical twins were not making it on to my annual year-end mix-tapes.

Anyway, "Untouched" made it to number 2 in Australia, and did much better than previous tracks overseas, reaching 8 on the UK singles chart and 17 on the US Billboard Hot 100, drawing many comparisons to P!nk and Avril Lavigne. I swear, it's the numeric song titles!

Unfortunately, the Veronicas train came off the rails a little after this. Their third album experienced a number of delays and finally in 2013 the band split from Warner.

The Veronicas' 2014 self-titled comeback on new label, Sony, was quite a departure, but it connected with the Australian public. "You Ruin Me" became the sisters' second number one, holding the spot for three weeks. It again landed them the number 8 spot in the UK. The twins had their third Australian number one single in 2016 with "In My Blood," – no relation to Canadian singer Shawn Mendes' 2018 song.

It was another 5 years before the Veronicas birthed their next studio album. In fact, fittingly, it wasn't just one baby – it was twins. Two albums, 5 weeks apart. First, "Godzilla," and then "Human." The albums were critically well-received and respectively reached number 7 and 5 on the Australian album chart. Leaving Sony, the twins released separate solo singles in 2022.

As all commercial pop stars with any longevity do, The Veronicas have successfully evolved with the times and undergone several reinventions, while – maybe more than most – retaining a thread of identity throughout their catalog, thanks to that special sibling sauce that allows listeners to almost instantly identify a Veronicas track.

Sister2Sister  27:53

Of course, we shouldn't forget the Veronicas' immediate precursors – Christine and Sharon Muscat, sisters who came to prominence at the turn of the millennium as Sister2Sister, or S2S – and yes, that's a numeral 2.

The Muscat sisters also started singing and performing at a young age, and were talent scouted by chart-topping pop songstress Tina Arena, whose then husband and manager signed them to his management company and label. Sister2Sister had two Australian top-5 singles, with "Sister" – which won an ARIA for best independent release – and "What's a Girl To Do?"  Their album One peaked at number 3 on the ARIA albums chart.

S2S went on to do some very early-2000s things like supporting Britney Spears on her Oops! I Did It Again U.S. tour, and becoming MTV VJs. They opened a singing school in 2004 and pretty much disappeared into obscurity. But fear not, sibling band fans – Sister2Sister are back! They released a single in August 2022, "Nothing's Gonna Bring Us Down Now," and, speaking of numeric band titles, in November are joining the nostalgia train with fellow millennial boy-band 5ive, of course, spelt "number 5-i-v-e," on their Greatest Hits tour in Australia.

Jet  30:25

AC/DC weren't the only Aussie musical siblings who ruled rock 'n' roll. We should probably mention the brothers from Dingley who gave us this worldwide phenomenon… <"Are You Gonna Be My Girl">

Jet was formed in Melbourne, Victoria in 2001. For most of the band's tenure, it consisted of lead guitarist Cameron Muncey, bassist Mark Wilson, and brothers Nic Cester on vocals and rhythm guitar, and Chris Cester on drums and vocals. The group sold 6.5 million albums worldwide.

The Cester brothers were raised on a diet of classic rock from their parents' record collection, but were also inspired by 90s nostalgia-infused alternative rock act You Am I, who showed them you could be a guitar band without being quote-unquote "grunge".

The brothers started playing shows while Chris was just a teen, but realized it wasn't worth the effort to play badly to empty rooms. So, they decided to take some time to hone their craft, before bursting onto the Melbourne pub scene, quickly attracting management thanks to their polished live show. Riding the wave of overseas guitar-driven rock bands like The White Stripes, The Strokes and the Arctic Monkeys, Jet quickly became poster boys for the early 2000s garage rock revival. The resulting EP was endorsed by the international press and a bidding war ensued between labels with dollar signs in their eyes.

US label Elektra won out, whisking the boys to Hollywood to record their debut album, Get Born. I love this description of the chart-topping record from music site Tone Deaf: 

<quote> "For a raw, “balls-out” record, Get Born is remarkably polished in its production and its arrangements. While many of the songs are what you might call “big, dumb rock songs”, the band’s use of key changes, dynamic shifts and catchy hooks is far from dumb.

In 50-odd minutes, Get Born employs all the pop tricks in the book, piling melody upon melody over its fever-inducing rock guitars." <unquote>

The band drew criticism for its heavy appropriation of influences, including Iggy Pop, and fellow sibling acts, AC/DC, and Oasis. But, people love what they know. The record was a smash hit and remains one of the most popular Australian rock records of all time. It was the highest selling Australian rock album of the naughties and is certified eight-times platinum in Australia. It also went platinum in the UK, the US and Canada.

Lead single "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" was voted number one in the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2003, and was featured on video game and film soundtracks, and in major global ad campaigns, helping it reach number 7 on the US singles chart. It was nominated for 3 MTV Music Video Awards, winning Best Rock Video, and the album and single won 6 ARIA Awards.

Subsequent Jet albums Shine On and Shaka Rock didn't have the impact of Get Born. Perhaps ironically, for a band whose appeal relied heavily on nostalgia, Jet have become a heritage act in their own right. After announcing their breakup in 2012, they reformed 5 years later celebrating the 15th anniversary of their breakthrough album.

The Wolfgramm Sisters

By the way, guess who sang backing vocals for the sibling-led band, during these revival shows? It was the Wolfgramm Sisters. Who are they, you ask? The Wolfgramm Sisters are soulful sibling singers Kelly, Talei and Eliza Wolfgramm, whose harmonies have graced many an Aussie stage. 

They appeared dozens of times on the beloved SBS music trivia show, RocKwiz, and have provided backing vocals for artists including Wolfmother, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Leo Sayer, Ross Wilson, Renee Geyer, Tex Perkins, Tim Rogers, Dan Sultan and Paul Kelly. The Wolfgramm Sisters toured with the Countdown Arena Spectacular show and have played the Australian Rules Grand Final at the MCG. 

Like Vika & Linda, their mother taught them how to harmonize, in this case to avoid fights over the lead part. The similarities don't end there though! Guess who was instrumental in getting the sisters exposure and involvement in gigs like the Countdown tour and the RockWiz Orkestra? Our favorite drummer again, Peter Luscombe! Good ear, that guy!

Have a listen to this incredible live version of the Beatles classic, "A Little Help From My Friends," led by singers Dan Sultan and Ella Hooper. By the way, ding ding ding – another musical sibling! Ella and her brother, Jesse Hooper, burst onto the scene from Violet Town in regional Victoria in the late 90s with their band Killing Heidi, scoring a number one album, Reflector, and three top 10 singles.

Anyway, listen to Dan and Ella perform the epic Joe Cocker arrangement, with consummate support from the RockWiz Orkestra – listen for Peter on skins, and, of course, those beautiful backing vocals by the Wolfgramm Sisters. I encourage you to check out the full version on YouTube!

Peter and Dan Luscombe  37:59

Since he's come up a few times, I thought this might be a good time to learn a bit more about drummer-around-town, Peter Luscombe, and his brother Dan.

Full disclosure, the Luscombe brothers are second cousins on my mother's side, and while we didn't really know each other growing up, it’s always made me feel super proud to see them find success and recognition on the Australian scene.

Peter's rock-solid drumming has formed the bedrock for so many quintessential Australian rock bands, including, as we mentioned earlier, The Black Sorrows, and Vika & Linda, and also Rebecca's Empire, Stephen Cummings, and Paul Kelly with his various outfits, including Professor Ratbaggy, Paul Kelly & the Boon Companions, and Stardust Five. A couple of these Paul Kelly outfits have given Peter the opportunity to work with his younger brother, versatile guitarist Dan Luscombe.  

Dan has also built up a pretty impressive résumé over the past couple of decades, being a core member of The Blackeyed Susans, Rob Snarski & Dan Luscombe, Dan Kelly and the Alpha Males, Spencer P Jones & the Last Gasp, and the Drones. He's also been a touring band member with Mick Harvey, Ariel Pink and Courtney Barnett to name a few. Speaking of Courtney, Dan also co-produced her debut album, and has produced albums for several other Australian artists.

Both Luscombe brothers have won ARIA awards for their work on film soundtracks: Peter for 2001's Lantana, and Dan for 2006 feature Jindabyne. 

Triple Siblings: INXS & The Bee Gees  41:31 

The Wolfgramm Sisters aren't the only Australian band of note to feature 3 siblings. Let's not forget INXS, whose lineup featured the three Farriss brothers – keyboardist and main composer Andrew, drummer Jon, and guitarist Tim. In fact, the Farriss Brothers was the original name of the band when they formed in Sydney in 1977, with Garry Gary Beers on bass, Kirk Pengilly on guitar and sax, and of course, magnetic singer Michael Hutchence. Eventually they settled on the name INXS, and worked the pub scene on Sydney's northern beaches, landing a record contract in 1980. Their first couple of albums charted modestly, until 1982's Shabooh Shoobah, was propelled to number 5 by two top 20 singles and their first number one – "Original Sin."

From there, it was on. From 1984 through 1990 INXS had four consecutive Australian number one albums, with hits like "What You Need," "Need You Tonight," "Never Tear Us Apart" and "Suicide Blonde" racing up Australian and international charts. The legendary lineup of the three Farriss brothers, Beers, Pengilly, and Hutchence was rock solid for around 20 years, until Hutchence's death, and all three Farriss brothers are active members to this day. Who says siblings can't work together?

Another classic triple-sibling band is the Bee Gees – featuring brothers Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb ­– whose signature tight, falsetto harmonies put a defining stamp on the mid-to-late '70s disco era. The brothers, who emigrated with their family from the UK to Queensland in the '50s, started performing together as teenagers, and later cited Australia and its music scene as incredibly formative. Some of their first gigs were performing on the back of a moving truck at the Redcliffe Speedway, with punters throwing money onto the track for them. The Bee Gees started to find success in Australia and abroad through the mid to late '60s with singles "Spicks and Specks," "To Love Somebody" and "I Started a Joke" – their first Australian number one. But it was the evolution of their sound through the '70s, with a lead vocal shift from Robin's clear tenor to Barry's high falsetto, that pushed them over the top.

It's hard to overstate the Bee Gees' global success – they're one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with 9 US number ones, 5 Grammy awards, and a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction under their rather tight, hip-hugging belts. They've also written songs recorded by some of the world's greatest artists, including Janis Joplin, Elvis Presley, Al Green, Barbra Streisand, Dionne Warwick, Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers, and – this one I am just learning now and is blowing my mind – Frankie Valli. That's right – Barry Gibb was responsible for the opening song of  the hit musical Grease, performed by the lead singer of the Four Seasons, an American sixties group themselves famous for their tight falsetto harmonies.   

And if we need to up the ante on the Bee Gees sibling sensation, we have a bonus fourth brother – Andy Gibb, who sprinted along the trail his brothers blazed, having eight singles reach the US Top 20, three of which went to number one, including the Aussie number one, "I Just Want to Be Your Everything."

Outro  47:43

Okay, we are going to pause here in our exploration of Aussie musical siblings. I hope this has whet your appetite, because there are so many more great stories to tell next time.

If you want to hear the songs we played again, check out the Cara Diaria page on Spotify – you'll find a playlist featuring all the tunes, plus playlists from previous My Kind of Scene episodes.

And of course – I'd love to hear from you! What musical siblings I should cover in part two? Send me an email at My Kind of Scene Pod [@] gmail.com.

Thanks for listening to My Kind Of Scene. This episode was written, recorded and produced by Cara Diaria. Theme music by Cara Diaria. Source links are in the episode description. If you enjoyed it, please rate and review us, and tell your friends.

Out-take  48:51

Riding the wave of overseas, guitar-driven rock bands like The White Stripes, The Strokes and the Arctic Muchie– [chuckles] The Arctic Munchies!

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