Sydney’s intrepid electronic duo talk tennis, club bangers and their "turbo" set.
Bag Raiders’ Chris Stracey is standing in a Sydney laneway, wearing what can only be described as the biggest smile I’ve ever seen. I’m not even joking; he literally looks like he’s just eaten a slice of the sun. Soon, he’s joined by his bandmate, Jack Glass and both are suitably electric for this interview.
And for good reason – the electronic duo will soon be performing at AO Live, the Australian Open’s very own musical offering. If you look at the stellar lineup, “musical offering” might not even be a fair summation. Describing it as one of Melbourne’s best summer music festivals would probably be more apt.
Keep up with the latest music news, features, festivals, interviews and reviews here.
Set to perform on Saturday, January 25, alongside Kesha and Armand Van Helden, the duo is very excited. “We’re playing this set live… I think,” Glass notes with a furrowed brow, which quickly smooths out.
“We have a new live show that’s sick. It’s quite turbo, I’d say. There are no real lulls. It starts fast and hard, then just gets faster and harder.”
Having played at AO Live a few times before, the duo agrees that the 2025 lineup feels different. “We’ve played the tennis a few times before, but this is something else,” Glass observes. “Like, it’s a properly fat lineup. I’m not even sure people are going to bother watching the tennis, to be honest.”
Stracey nods in firm agreement. “I mean, it’s not really my thing, but I think I could watch anyone do anything if they’re at the top of their field.”
While the pair may not consider themselves tennis aficionados just yet, they’ve been diligently educating themselves in preparation for the performance.
“I just watched Challengers last night. It was pretty fun. I watched it on my laptop, though, and I just think it would have been way better at the movies,” says Stracey. “Maybe Chris and I can act out a Challenger’s-type situation with Benson Boone,” quips Glass.
At ease with each other to the point where they barely need to speak, Bag Raiders’ instant chemistry is palpable. Performing together for nearly 20 years now, the pair first met in high school while performing in the orchestra.
“We began trading music and stuff like that. Then, after school, we started hanging out and making bootlegs and edits. Our friends in Sydney had these club nights, which we went to. We made stuff for them to DJ. Then we started DJing. Then we started playing our originals.”
From there, Bag Raiders was born. Describing this time as ‘rogue,’ Stracey recalls, “making something in an afternoon, burning it onto a CD, then taking it to the club and performing it. The parties were really loose.”
Now, 18 years later, the duo has fleshed out their rogue partying into a fully-fledged music career. Best known for hits like Way Back Home and Shooting Stars, the duo has performed at raves and parties alike. When asked what else they have in store for 2025, they both look at each other with an all-knowing glance.
“We’re doing two back-to-back festivals in the snow in Japan. It’ll be the best – literally raving in the snow. Then we’ll also be doing some New Zealand gigs,” Stracey says. “I reckon we should try to go to Hawaii again,” Glass adds with a half-smirk.
The duo has also been spending a lot more time in the studio. Aiming for a steady flow of music to be released throughout the year, they’re gearing up for a particularly big 2025.
“We’re working on some new singles. We just want to have a constant stream of music out,” Stracey says. “But really, we’re just going where the wind takes us. Lots of touring, putting out singles, fun club stuff and kicking on, kicking on.”
As for what this new music sounds like, the only response I get is Stracey dancing with the frenetic movement of a rave attendee. Where words don’t suffice, rave motions do.
AO Open Live 2025 features Benson Boon, Kaytranada, Channel Tres, Kesha, Armand Van Helden, Bag Raiders and more. Tickets can be accessed here.
