Big Scary: Twin Rivers

Fade in: start the scene. The setting is 2006. Melbourne. Duo Tom Iansek and Jo Syme, armed with just acoustic guitars and egg shakers, start playing songs together in the living room of Jo’s parents’ house. After a bit of a break, the two reconvened in 2008, this time, with an arsenal of instruments—electric guitars, drums, piano, mandolins and ukuleles—and a bolder, more expansive vision. What began as a few rainy-day acoustical ballads in their first incarnation soon grew into an all-encompassing, genre-defying sound. Before long, the newly named Big Scary were writing whatever they damn well pleased—fuzzed-out garage rock; piano-led pop; intricate, pastoral instrumentals—each piece imbued with an effortless pop sensibility and lightness of touch that would quickly see the duo attract a strong following.

These gifts translated onto the stage where, from the outset, Big Scary proved themselves a remarkably fluid and compelling live act, capable of not only bringing their songs to life, but also of adapting their set to suit the moment.