With Wanderer Festival just around the corner (October 4–5 on the Sapphire Coast), two of Australia’s most beloved live acts – Pierce Brothers and Boy & Bear – sat down to flip the script and interview each other exclusively for Music Feeds. What follows is a candid, funny, and revealing chat about songwriting, live shows, gear quirks, shoey confusion, and the songs that have stood the test of time.
Here’s what went down when two festy faves swapped questions ahead of their sets at Wanderer 2025 next weekend.
Pierce Brothers – ‘Losing Friends When You’re Older’
Pierce Brothers interview Boy & Bear
PIERCE BROTHERS: Do you write with the live show in mind, or does the stage version of a track come together later?
Boy & Bear: We don’t actually. We do write music with the sound of the band in mind though, so generally our recorded songs feel like they belong live.
Pierce Brothers: Speaking of, we’ve found that some tracks just land better live, are there any of yours that surprised you that way?
Boy & Bear: Definitely some songs just tend to work better live. A song is always evolving really, so when a song has been played many times on tour it takes on a new life, and can feel like it’s really landed. It’s great when songs tend to play themselves, as in they translate really easily from record to stage (also makes it easier to rehearse, haha). Surprises for us are when an album track that you don’t often play live connects with the audience. That’s a great feeling.
Pierce Brothers: What’s one piece of gear or studio trick you swear by that’s become a staple in your sound (and I can’t promise I won’t use this advice in our next record!!)
Boy & Bear: If only it was one piece of gear! Haha. I think for us it’s keeping the studio environment collaborative and open minded, getting the right balance between organic sounds and live playing, with modern sound textures and production.
Pierce Brothers: When writing the new record, I’ve been going back through old voice memos going right back to 2014. Do you ever revisit old ideas, or do you try to go fresh when you’re writing a new record?
Boy & Bear: I think we always start with fresh ideas on a new record as that’s where the inspiration is being driven from. Having said that, there is always a time during the making of a new album where old demos surface and are reimagined — and they often make the cut.
Pierce Brothers: Are there any instruments that you didn’t expect that you added along the way in your journey?? For example, we just KEEP adding new shit to our stage. It’s getting a bit ridiculous!
Boy & Bear: You need to play on bigger stages! Haha. Our gear is pretty standard, although when we are checking in at the airport we get a bunch of looks and questions about our touring carpets. We take five Persian rugs with us everywhere.
Boy & Bear interview Pierce Brothers
BOY & BEAR: You’ve just released ‘Losing Friends When You’re Older’ – how did that track come about? Any key stories behind the song?
Pierce Brothers: This was one of the first tracks we wrote for the new album. I really wanted to harken back to that high-energy folk that we’ve often been drawn to in a live setting, but always too nervous to really follow the path down in the studio. I just kept on following wherever my “performance” side wanted to go, and this is where it took me. It’s a song about exactly what the title says — Losing Friends When You’re Older!
Boy & Bear: Is this a taste of a bigger body of work still to come?
Pierce Brothers: It certainly is! Our second single Alaska Alaska was just released on September 24, with more tracks coming out throughout the year from our next album. We have NOT said when it’s coming yet, but it’s on its way! SO excited for this one!
Boy & Bear: You celebrated the 10th anniversary of The Night Tree earlier this year – what was it like revisiting that work? Have any tracks slid back into constant rotation in the setlist since playing them again?
Pierce Brothers: Yeah man, we hadn’t played either White Whale or Tallest Teepee In Town for like 10 years, and both of those took a little learning curve to bring back to what we’re doing now. And now we LOVE to play them! I think they might even stick around for a few tours yet haha.
Boy & Bear: What’s something you’ve learnt over the last 10 years of your career that you wish you could tell your past selves?
Pierce Brothers: I wish I could tell myself to just write way more. Just finish the idea. That’s the most important thing. I used to ruminate over tracks, get stuck and then not finish an idea. I think I lost SO many decent ideas over the years simply by just not FINISHING the idea. Get a basic demo out, with lyrics, the whole way through. THEN you can put it in a drawer. But if it’s not finished, then it’ll be lost!
Boy & Bear: You played Wanderer back in 2022 – any memories come to mind from that festival? And do you have any tips for things to do around the area?
Pierce Brothers: Wanderer was SUCH a fun time back in 2022! I took my daughter to her first festival and she loved it! The setting and audience were electric as well, and the lineup was awesome. I’ve really been looking forward to coming back!!
Wanderer Festival 2025 Lineup
- Missy Higgins
- The Living End
- Saint Motel (USA)
- Boy & Bear
- Jacob Banks (UK)
- Cut Copy (DJ Set)
- Hockey Dad
- Magic Dirt
- Klaxons DJ Set (UK)
- Nikki Lane (USA)
- Lavern (NL)
- Pierce Brothers,
- The Vanns
- Grace Cummings
- Emma Donovan
- Folk Bitch Trio
- Johnny Cash Recordings W Henry Wagons
- O & The Mo (NZ)
- Jack Botts
- The Vasco Era
- Dug (IRL)
- Sylvie (USA)
- The Tullamarines
- The Bures Band
- Dust
- Bec Sandridge
- Lotte Gallagher
- Any Young Mechanic
- Cheeky Leash
- Radium Dolls
- Prodikal-1
- Mika James
- Mad.Day
- Groove Society
- Jimi The Kween
- Sixten B2b Benjamin
- Sunday Lemonade
- Val Moogz
- Lillian Mcveity
- Bega Sound Collective
- Wanderhaus Djs – Chicka b2b Rangz
- Darcy M. & Carlo T.
- Jai Cole b2b Kurtis Markwort
- Just Andrew
- Swell Records DJs
- Usual Suspects DJs
Wanderer Festival 2025
- Saturday, 4th October – Sunday, 5th October – Wanderer Festival, Pambula Beach, NSW
Further Reading
Port Fairy Folk Festival 2026 Line-Up: Iron & Wine, The Swell Season + More
PREMIERE: Pierce Brothers and Tash Sultana Unite for New Single ‘High & Unsteady’
Boy & Bear Share Two New Singles, Announce Opera House Forecourt Show
