Having toured the globe as Elle King’s backing band, The Bretheren are gearing up to release some music of their own. Moving away from their usual country stylings, the band have most recently toured the UK with Midlake, with their upcoming debut album featuring vocals from plenty of acclaimed artists, including King, Britt Daniel, Ben Bridwell, Hamilton Leithauser, and Michael Shannon. Yes, twice Oscar-nominated actor Michael Shannon. I asked The Bretheren ten questions to understand how they’ve navigated stepping into the spotlight.
THE ARGUS FAR FIVE
How would you describe the sound of The Bretheren?
Groove-oriented cinematic indie rock with elements of shoegaze.
What are your biggest non-music influences?
David Lynch, Andy Warhol, Japanese Art, Indian Textiles, Paul Thomas Anderson, Stanley Kubrick.
If you had to cover any song and put a The Bretheren spin on it, which would you choose?
We’re planning to do a cover of Dillard & Clark’s version of ‘Don’t Let Me Down’.
What is your earliest memory of music?
Hard to pinpoint just one but I remember asking for a guitar for my 7th birthday after hearing Guns and Roses.
What does 2026 have in store for The Bretheren?
We’ll be releasing our first full-length record featuring an array of our favourite singers, including Ben Bridwell (Band of Horses), Britt Daniel (Spoon), Neil Finn (Crowded House), Michael Shannon and Sharon Van Etten to name a few. The album was written, produced, and mixed by the Bretheren at our studio in Nashville.
THE BRETHEREN FIVE
Is it The Brethren or The Bretheren?
The Bretheren, although I foresee a lot of misspelling in our future.
You’ve toured the globe as Elle King’s backing band. What’s been the most surprising place you’ve played?
We have been very fortunate to play some amazing places but the ones that stand out the most are the iconic Hollywood Bowl in LA opening for Heart and Joan Jett, and Madison Square Garden with Cyndi Lauper for her final tour.
How has it felt to step out from being a backing band and into the spotlight?
I think we were all a bit surprised at how good it felt to be on stage playing our own music. It’s been a great opportunity for us to come together and express our own voices and build upon our time together supporting other artists.
As individual members, you’ve worked with plenty of other musicians, as varied as Nick Cave to Dawn Richard. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve learned from working with these musicians?
You have to know people as well as you know the music. It’s important to always read the room and be able to adapt to the needs of each artist that you’re working for.
You’ve been supporting Midlake on their UK tour this year. How’s it been to play your new material in front of an audience?
It’s a big challenge performing songs for an audience that has never heard you before and hoping that your music will connect with them. The response from the audience has been really encouraging and given us the feeling that we’ve found something special.
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