The Pierce Brothers, Australian twins Patrick and Jack, recently celebrated their latest album reaching the No. 1 spot on the ARIA Chart. Next week, they will return to their roots by busking for spare change in Melbourne’s City Square on December 23, 2023. This event is not just a nostalgic trip down memory lane but a reflection of their journey from street performers to established artists with two ARIA #1 albums.
The brothers, now 35 years old, first garnered attention busking near Bourke Street Mall. They fondly recall their beginnings, with Jack pointing to a spot on the Elizabeth Street footpath where they first played. “We started busking just there,” he said, recalling the excitement of that initial experience. At the time, the pair were in their final year of university—Jack pursuing a double degree in commerce and communications at Monash University, while Patrick studied filmmaking at Swinburne University. Encouraged by musician friends, they decided to give busking a try.
In their first session, they earned around $600 within just 45 minutes. This success motivated them to continue, leading to the sale of over 50,000 copies of their self-recorded EP, which remains their most successful release despite not being ARIA accredited. Their recent albums, Moonrise and Everything Is Bigger Than Me, have further solidified their standing in the music industry.
From Humble Beginnings to Global Tours
The Pierce Brothers first picked up guitars as teenagers and secured their first paid gig at the Dorset Gardens TAB in Croydon. However, their early performance was memorable for unexpected reasons, as a bar fight erupted mid-set. “We sort of stopped and froze, and then the bouncer just looks up and goes, ‘No, you guys are great, keep going’,” Patrick recalled.
As they honed their skills through busking, they quickly learned the importance of captivating an audience. Within six months, they were performing in front of large crowds, including a festival in Holland with an audience of 10,000. This experience shaped their energetic performance style, characterized by crowd interaction and lively stage antics. Jack, who plays a standing drum kit, describes their shows as dynamic, emphasizing their connection to the audience.
Busking proved both lucrative and exhausting for the duo. They recall a particularly profitable Boxing Day, where they earned around $6,500. “We were playing six sets a day, five days a week. We were so fit,” Patrick reflected. Although they stepped back from street performances nearly a decade ago, they continue the tradition during the holiday season, donating all proceeds to charity.
This December, they will perform two half-hour sets in City Square, near the entrance to the new Town Hall station. “It’s fun and it reconnects us with a lot of our old audience in Melbourne,” Jack stated. He acknowledged the challenges of returning to busking, noting the added pressure of engaging with passersby compared to performing on stage. “Coming back to busking, it’s really hard. You have to give a lot more energy because it’s a scary thing to do,” he added.
The Pierce Brothers will perform on December 23, 2023, from 12:00 to 12:30 and 13:00 to 13:30. Following this event, they will embark on the Australian leg of their new album tour at the Port Fairy Folk Festival in March 2024. For more details, fans can visit their website at piercebrothers.com.
