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​The Sit Down with The Wolfe Brothers

With 10 x Golden Guitars under their belt and a further 2 x Countrytown Awards, Tasmania’s The Wolfe Brothers, are in the final countdown to their 7th studio album, Australian Made. Produced by Nick Wolfe and Rod McCormack, the ten track album celebrating their home nation features collaborations with fellow Australian country artists Kaylee Bell, Lee Kernaghan and Zac & George. We caught up with brothers Tom and Nick to find out more about it
 
Hello. How you doing?
N: Good mate, how are you?
Not bad, good to see you again.
T: Great to see you
 
From what I see across socials, it feels like Australia is having the same kind of country music boom that we are experiencing over here in the UK. More and more artists are coming from Nashville for headline shows and not just festivals and it’s really helping our homegrown artists too.
T: It definitely seems to be happening worldwide, which is super cool. It's cool to see the amount of sort of artists that are coming and touring over there. In the last, I'd say, two to three years, it's gone from, like, the odd festival to now it's like, it's a swarm. It's great, mate, it's great. If you'd said 10 years ago we'd have this many artists and access and stuff to music, being in Australia, you wouldn't have thought that was possible.
 
You guys have been doing this now for 15 years now. Does it feel like that?
N: Some days. Absolutely! No, look, Tom will agree that it's definitely the best job in the world. We absolutely love it. You know, it does get hectic, as you can imagine, as right now I think we feel like we're drowning! We've got the album coming out. We've got so much on. Tom's got three kids. I've got my life and whatever I have to do in my life, and you just have to juggle all the plates to make it all work, but it’s absolutely worth it. We wouldn't change a thing, for sure.
 
Do you ever look back at that first EP that you put out?
T: Yeah, you know, I had someone randomly come up to me, long story short, I ended up going to a death metal gig, recently, with a friend who invited me to come and check out the genre. I'm an open-minded guy. I thought, sure. I'm at the death metal gig, and I thought, no one's going to know me, so I'll be pretty safe. Then, randomly enough, this guy comes up and he's like, you're Wolfbrothers? Yeah, yeah, mate. He said, that first EP, he's like, that song is like dance, my baby, and I'm like, are you talking about Save Me? He's like, yeah. He's like, I put it on to go to sleep every night.
N: That is about the last thing you expected to have a convo about at a death metal gig, I'm sure!
T: Mate, there was people on stage screaming and stage diving and being thrown around. I'm having this conversation with this guy. I'm like, what? Where am I, right?
N: Did the guy look very metal?
T: The guy did not look like a Wolf Brothers fan, let's put it that way. He did not look like he'd buy tickets to our show, but he loved it. He genuinely loved it. I was like, well, there you go. Random the people you meet.
 
Is that weird to kind of hear those things that, 15 years on, people still listen to it. I guess for you guys, you probably don't even play songs from that anymore and won’t have played some of them for many years!
N: Last year, actually, we did a show with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, which was just a bucket list experience. For that one, we actually sort of did a bit of a walk through our career and started right back in the start. We played a song off that very first EP, Everywhere. Man, that was surreal to think I remember when we were writing that in mum and dad's house, in the spare bedroom, and not knowing what we were doing and not knowing what we were getting ourselves into. Then to think, 15 years later, we're playing it with the state orchestra. You know, it's pretty, pretty surreal and very, very cool.
 
You next album Australia Made, is now just a few weeks away. How does it feel to know that it is so close?
T: It feels good. I feel like there's an end in sight. This is the seventh time we've done this. I feel like there's so much work to do, never enough hours in the day, no matter how ready you are for an album release. I feel like it's intensified lately with content too. Now, whether we like it or not, we have to be content creators and that's totally fine. We have fun with it. We do what we've got to do. I was thinking back only today about when we released our first album and we were like social media gurus because we could post a photo four or five times a week and people were like, God, you guys are good on the socials! I was like, man, think about it now. So, yeah, really cool. Really, really cool and I'm excited. I love the album. I actually got the CD and a bunch of merch stuff delivered here to my house the last week and I got the CD, put the CD player in the car and listened to it. I've been so involved in the behind-the-scenes work. I actually just drove around and listened to the songs. I was like that's bloody awesome. That's really good. I feel really good about it. I know it's us. I'm extremely proud of it. It'll be out to the world very soon, you know.
N: I think I actually need to put it on in the car and vibe to it again because as you know, Tom, we've just been so busy and so flat out and making content and you forget that the main thing we do is play music and write songs. I know it sounds ridiculous but last weekend we just shot videos the whole weekend. You just have to now. If you don't do that, well, you may as well not exist. It's like everything we do gets broken into these 30-second bites and there's good things about that and there's bad things about that but that's what's happening. We're trying to have it all in the can. We do have a lot of fun with it, that's for sure.
 
You're going to launch it live on release day at Gympie too which is quite cool.
N: Yeah, we are. We're the ambassadors for the Gympie Music Muster which is a big festival over here. It's been going for a number of years now. It's way out in the bush outside of Gympie. You drive into this forest and you're thinking, am I going to be abducted out here? Then all of a sudden you hit these gates, enter the festival site and it's unreal. It's a natural amphitheatre on a hill, big stage, there's music everywhere, the vibes are just unmatched and it's awesome. That's going to be just such a nice place to be the day it comes out. We'll be at Gympie in country music heaven and it's going to be great.

You actually started the build-up to this over a year ago now. Was this always your timeline or has it kind of been delayed in areas?
T: No, we first released Little By Little over a year ago and at that point we were coming back to ABC, our record label ABC Music, and we just wanted to have fun. We wanted to have no barriers. We didn't want to box ourselves into the album's going to be called this, it has to do this. We didn't want to do any of that and box ourselves into any of that. If we wrote something or recorded something or played something we really like, let's put it out. We thought Little By Little was a great place to start and a good return to ABC. We said we'll come back but the first single was Little By Little because we just thought that was a statement. It's back to our roots, country rock and then we just chased it from there, what we were feeling and enjoying and then it sort of became pretty clear that this album was Australian made and that it's an album of us and it's a bit of a statement piece too. There is nothing wrong with being Australian made in this huge country music boom that we've talked about. We just want to wave the flag for what we do. We're Aussie boys growing up here down here in Tazzie and you know it's okay to write songs about Australia and where we're from and make it country. It doesn't have to be about going down to Tennessee River. A lot of blokes do that and it's awesome that that would not be us being our authentic self. It feels good. I feel really, really good about this one.

You've already won awards for songs on this album before it’s even released! You won the  Golden Guitar with Kaylee Bell for Beer in a Bar and the obviously you’ll be eligible with the album next year!
T: That's right, yeah. That, again, that wasn't part of the plan but here we are. Hey, we'll take it. We'll take it. I haven't thought about Golden Guitars or Tamworth or any of that because we've been so day to day in the grind. That's exciting. We'll see where we end up. You never know.
​
Australian Made has got multiple collaborations including the Kaylee Bell one, as there’s also Lee Kernaghan and another Australian duo in Zac and George.
N: It's been so nice to do all the collabs. It wasn't something we really set out like we're going to do a duet album or anything like that but the songs called for these moments. With Country's Coming to Town, when we wrote that, we were like, wow, this really feels like a Lee Kernaghan song. I think he's got to be involved. Zac and George with How Many One More Times, we wrote that song with Zac and George, no other writers, just us in a room. We were all over in Nashville and we all had a cancellation one day and we thought, hey, let's hang out. Best case scenario, write a song. Worst case, have a couple of beers and chill out because we're all pretty burnt out. I think that was probably my favourite song of the whole writing trip. I think because we were all mates, we could let our guard down and just say those ideas that maybe you'd hold back if you were writing with some sort of big shot or something like that. We just went for it and it came very naturally. Beer in a Bar with Kaylee, we've always been massive fans and great mates with Kaylee. It's great to see her having her recognition over the last couple of years. She's always been awesome and I'm glad the rest of the world's finally realised that. It's fantastic to have her on a track. We love the whole Australian country scene, so any chance we get to collaborate with someone, we will. We love it.
​
You've got a massively busy end of year. The album's out and you've got so many festival shows and your own show is announced. Is it just going to be non-stop end to 2025?
T:You know what? It's been so busy this year getting this album ready and as Nick mentioned, I've got three kids so it's just like chaos from the moment we wake to the moment I go to sleep or try to sleep! This year we haven't played as much as we normally have and it's been weird. Honestly, it's been weird. I'm really missing it. The back half of the year is busy and my only hope is 2026 is even busier. I need to be on the road. I love it. I live for it. I live for the gigs and for me, that's my main thing about it. It's that connection and when it all lines up and the band's connected and the audience in there, that's the best feeling of it all.
 
Tom, this one's probably for you. The Wiggles. Are your kids old enough to know the Wiggles? Are they in their Wiggles era?
T: Mate, Nick will tell you when we were going to Sydney to record with the Wiggles, me and Nick were driving out to the HQ and Nick's like, what's wrong with you? I was so nervous because the Wiggles is daily in my house. The only way I can do my daughter's hair is I'm like, here's the phone and then they're like, Wiggles. So I put the Wiggles on and then I can do their hair, you know. So that was so cool. I think Nick will agree the best part was, you know, obviously you see them on what you see on TV and online and they're the nicest people and then you meet them and they're that. They're even nicer. They're so welcoming, so kind. It was just the most pleasant experience doing that with them. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. 
​
What was the kids reaction when it came out? Or is it now just cool Uncle Nick and Dad's just sad?
T: No, they loved it
N: That’s the case anyway! Yeah.
T: As soon as Uncle Nick's around, I'm not cool anymore. It's like, go away, Dad. The other day, Evie and Nick were in this little office and we're setting up for Nick and I to record some vocals and I've popped my head in. I'm like, hey guys, it's all good. She was like go away, Dad go away from us. I'm like, oh man, I'm already uncool. My little girls go to daycare and they've been telling everybody that Uncle Nick and Dad are at work with the Wiggles. So I got some pretty high credit in the daycare centre. Let me tell you, I'm top notch there. It was such a great experience.
N: It was really cool in Tamworth actually, we got the Wiggles to come along to our show and we did two shows actually. One show we got them up for Hot Potato, that was pretty good to jam about a bit of Hot Potato with the Wiggles. Then we did Dorothy Dole and it was a different vibe in the over 18s environment, but nonetheless, it still went hard. Great song.
 
At Glastonbury this year we had Primary School Bangers, all the songs you would sing in assembly when you're seven years old and there was 20,000 people in a field for it!  
T: Over here, the OG Wiggles get together and do 18 plus shows and they sell out massive theatres. People go out and drink and party and sing all the Wiggles songs. Isn't that not amazing? I want to go.
 
Between Living the Dream and this release, there was such a short cycle between the music.  Do you think you're now going to sit on this for a while before starting the next project?
T: At this moment right now, no more!!
N: Yeah. No, sorry, Tom. We're rolling again. It never stops. No, we love it. We made a bit of a pact after Living the Dream that we want to keep it up, keep the music coming out, keep things interesting. Often in the past we've recorded and then due to dates or due to whatever boring stuff, it has to sit around for one, two years and then it finally comes out and we're waiting on certain things. By the time two years pass, you're a different person. What I've really liked about this process in pre-releasing a lot of the songs is they're fresh to us. We hear them a million times in the process of recording and writing and doing a video, doing the content. It's got to be fresh to us. I think that's the best thing about the way modern music is rolled out. It’s more of an instant, you could record something and put it out tomorrow if you wanted. I really like that aspect. We haven't thought too much about the next album, but there are songs started already. I'm looking forward to getting into the studio. Studios are my favourite part of the whole deal. I actually can't wait just to get back in and start working on those songs and writing more and hopefully we can get back over to the States and do a bit more co-writing and write with guys here. Who knows? That's the funnest part of it all for me and playing live.
T: I do fully share all of that sentiment with Nick. I just feel like I want three weeks once this album's out to just not think about it and then I know I'll be like, okay, let's do another one. It's the best. What else would we do? This is the best job ever.
 
You co-produced the album as well, did you enjoy doing that to make sure it is your sound? It is how you want it to be with your stamp on it
N: Absolutely loved doing that. We co-produced it with Rod McCormack. Rod is just our guy. We finally found our guy. Love all the stuff we've done previous to Rod and wouldn't change a thing, but we’re on the same page with Rod. We'll be in the studio and open your mouth to suggest something and he's already kind of doing it. It works. Really excited to get back in there. Like Tom said, I think we need at least two weeks, maybe three at a stretch just to get this one out first.
​
Are you looking ahead to 2026 tour plans or anything yet? Or is it now just get through the release, get through festivals and then go from there?
T: We've got some big plans ahead. I say this a lot, but I feel like we're only just got good at this. I know that sounds silly, but I feel like I know what we want to do. Lately we've been putting a lot of work into the live show and rebuilding the live show and taking it to new places. It's exciting. I get so excited about it. It's like wanting to make everything better from the songwriting, from the recording, from the content, all of it. There's a real drive within both of us to just take this up another notch. It's been really fun that we both share that. None of us are really interested at this point in taking it on easy street, I guess. We're very fired up, very determined to take it to the next place.  2026 is going to be a big year for us.
 
The Aussies are beginning to find their way over here too, Fanny Lumsden is touring, Kaylee Bell is doing a few shows and Josh Setterfield has been over. Never forget there’s a beer with your names on it in London
N: Mate, I can't wait for the opportunity for the stars to line up and get over there. It'd be a bucket list dream for us to go and play there. It'd be awesome.
T: Really, really would be. We'd love it. I've been to the UK with my wife and I just loved it. Absolutely loved it. It's a great part of the world, take me back. Let's make it happen. I'm going to put it out into the world. It's going to happen. Let's do it.
 
Well, thank you so much for today, guys. I really appreciate it. It's always awesome chatting to you two.
N: Thanks so much. Really nice to chat with you again.
T: Really hope we can do it in person sooner rather than later
 
Be sure to follow The Wolfe Brothers in all the usual places
Official Site | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | TikTok

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