Deep In The Bloodlines

It's been better than expected actually,” Acfield begins, when asked about the journey so far recording and performing under their sibling moniker. “It started off where we just thought we'd do a small tour together just for something different, then we thought we'd record a song so we could sell something together, then that turned into three songs, the tour went really well and so we thought we'd do an EP and just keep going, and that's what we did.”

The EP in question is Turning A Page, a collection of tunes recorded up here in Brisbane that's bridged the gap between Hannah's folkie, country side and Dan's rock background, although he admits with a laugh that he leaves the electric at home these days. But even though they're currently working under a single banner, the pair still stay geographically distant: Hannah in Melbourne, Dan rooted here in the Queensland capital. However, twin bases does have its advantages for the touring band on a budget; “All we need is a member in Sydney and we've got all three [east coast cities] covered,” he chuckles.

Go a bit This Is Your Life, though, and you'll see that this brother-sister pairing was a likely stop on their individual journeys.

“We were always a very musical family,” Acfield says. “Our mum writes songs, so she was even writing before we started. Dad also [pens tunes] – his are more political. Also, our grandfather was a bass player in the Adelaide Channel Nine jazz band – they had one based in each city. So we've got musical ancestry, I suppose. It was normal just to pick up a guitar and play. And we didn't have a TV either so it was a very creative environment.”

As with all typical siblings, tension can bubble to the surface at times, but listening to Acfield talk, it's clearly seen as just part of the territory.

“We both know each other pretty well but we do fight,” he confirms. “We had a [barney] just before our Melbourne show actually because there was a mix-up with our setlist and we had to change it around. But five minutes later we're over it and it doesn't matter. Hannah's usually very patient with me because I can be, um... I can really tell her what to do – I'm a bit bossy I guess. But she knows when to tell me off.”

To get the foundations for Turning A Page together without spending a fortune on flights up and down the east coast, the Acfield's worked autonomously, setting concrete dates to reconnect with each other over Skype where they would then share their skeleton songs to build into something more.

“That's the way we both need to work, otherwise we just procrastinate on it,” he tells. “If we don't give ourselves the deadline we won't write enough songs. It sounds like a stale way to do it, [but] we can't come together, to band practice, to jam on an idea – we don't have that luxury.”

Acfield says these small challenges the pair have gone up against throughout the last 12 months have only helped to make the end result a whole lot more rewarding, and the good times that have spilled over only sweeten the deal further.

“We have so much fun together,” he beams. “And that's the best part of the project – we get to hang out. We always have a great time. But I always enjoy working with someone else – you never know what you're going to get. That's the beauty of making music.”

Dan & Hannah Acfield will be playing the following dates:

Friday 30 November - The Newsagency, Marrickville, Sydney, NSW
Sunday 2 December - Barsoma, Fortitude Valley, QLD