BIG REEF

Big Reef is known for its irreverent comedic edge, drawing influence from figures like Shaun Micallef and Chris Morris. How does this sense of humor shape your music and the overall Big Reef persona?

We integrate our humour into our music seamlessly. It can be dry, physical include parody or word play. This tends to give our music a lightness and reminds our audience of the freedom that can come with viewing things through an absurd lens.

‘The M.V.P.’ showcases a character with unwarranted confidence. How does this song fit into the broader themes you explore as a band, and what message do you hope listeners take away from it?

Some of our songs share this theme of a character who is entirely wrapped up in their identity as a personality. They're unenlightened to how others see them. It's not on the surface, but ideally listeners draw the conclusion that taking one self too seriously is a cardinal sin.

Your live performances are known for their entertaining stage banter and instrument juggling. How do you ensure that your shows are both musically tight and engaging for the audience?

We've invested a lot of time in tweaking the technical aspects of our shows. Our backing tracks and live visuals have never failed us and support us whenever either of us VERY RARELY muck up. We are very at ease with ourselves and each other on stage and we invite the audience into our family, as opposed to trying to entertain them or guess how it is they'd like us to interact with them. By that stage they're fully indoctrinated. They love it, im telling you.

The Patreon community you’ve fostered is an integral part of Big Reef’s success. How do you engage with your fans through this platform, and what role does it play in your creative process?

Fans send us messages through the patreon and this is where we announce exclusive offers - free tickets to shows, discounts on merch. It's a central point for some of our side projects and demos or alternate versions of singles too. Our regular podcasts are also available in full there. It's given us more reason to engage with and talk to other musicians about their creative processes. Those conversations can have great depth, width and height. It’s shocking and humbling to think that these cool people want to connect with us personally and they like what we’re offering artristicly enough to support us this way.

You’ve mentioned influences like Ariel Pink, Gang of Four, and New Order. How do these artists inspire your work, particularly in terms of songwriting and production techniques?

We generally don't consciously emulate other artists in any way - it's about embracing any idea we like and discarding those we don't. In this way, when we work in the studio, we stumble across some interesting blends of genres, across decades. Occasionally we can very clearly see that there is a reference point emerging that could be useful to compare against - to capture a similar energy. Everything we do has a sense of familiarity, but it's unique to our sound.

As brothers, you’ve built a strong work ethic and a unique creative vision. How do you balance the challenges of working so closely together, and what are the advantages of being a sibling duo in the music industry?

We respect each other's boundaries and make sure our relationship isn’t defined by the band. Our podcast exemplifies the range of topics we're interested in outside of music - comedy, film, human behaviour, our daily lives etc - by having other things to relate to with each other it enriches our musical relationship. I'm yet to see any benefits to being a sibling duo in the music industry, other than those implicit in a loving and trusting familial relationship.