Having just returned from tour with Tones and I and the NRL Grand Final, the Perth-based reggae rockers are next set to tackle the Queenscliff Music Festival.
To most, the idea of being in a band solely with your siblings sounds like a living hell. I imagine heated arguments, major creative differences and the occasional fisticuffs.
For the Fisher brothers of reggae-rock band Coterie, however, this is their reality, and by all accounts, they’re loving it.
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Having just arrived back in their home of Scarborough, a beachside suburb in Perth’s north, lead guitarist Conrad Fisher is still reeling from the past month.
“We have just been touring with Tones and I. It’s been absolutely crazy. She is just the best human. We met her on a plane after we played a festival with Macklemore in Darwin.
“We just sat next to her on the plane and within an hour we were all deadest keen on working together. Then she said, ‘You guys should come on my tour.’”
The tour, which spanned mostly arenas and large venues, was something of a step up for the Perth four-piece. But, by the sounds of it, they rose to the challenge with ease.
“Last weekend we also did the NRL Grand final with Kid Laroi. We were on for the women’s NRL. I actually think playing a smaller crowd is harder because if you mess up, everyone notices.”
Born to muso parents, Conrad and his brothers, Tyler, Joshua and Brandford were somewhat destined to be musicians. “We listened to the classics – Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix – from the early days. We had either a rugby ball in our hands or a guitar.”
After their musician parents moved from South Auckland to Scarborough, the family settled in Perth’s northern beaches, where the relaxed sensibility became a part of them.
Later becoming immersed in surf culture, the brothers had an idea to fuse their interests and create a band.
Wanting to create a sound that reflected their chilled-out environment, they leaned into inspirations like Bob Marley and Ocean Alley, creating their distinct Pacific reggae/rock sound by jamming in their garage. But it was only in the late years of high school that the brothers started taking it more seriously.
Needing a name for a gig, the brothers landed on ‘coterie’ in a random conversation. “It’s an old French word,” Conrad says. “It just means when a group of people are working together towards the same thing.”
Cutting their teeth in the Perth music scene, Coterie played every venue that would take them. After a period of grafting, they began to improve significantly and even sold out a show. “El Grotto was our first big one. It’s this little Mexican bar in Scarborough. It was 150 of our mates and cousins.”
After supporting a number of bands across tours, they were scouted by an A&R representative from a major label, but they left soon after signing.
“They just didn’t vibe the music, so we left and within a month released Cool It Down independently. The label said it wouldn’t work, but we just thought to stick to our guns.”
The song, written as a love letter to the band’s heritage, catapulted Coterie into a different stratosphere of success. Going double platinum in New Zealand, it found a home among reggae rock audiences. Due to its success, the brothers got the opportunity to record their debut album Coterie in 2022.
Two years on, they’re now hard at work on the next. “We’re working towards another probably in the next year. We’ve been writing heaps between all the shows. We have something new to say and a new vibe coming. Different producers, different features – even some UK features.”
As for whether any sibling fights broke out during the process, Conrad concedes, “All siblings fight and all bands fight. We have both dynamics. When we were 13 or 14 years old it was mayhem. Now we’ve chilled out, it’s definitely better.”
Despite it all though, the brothers remain good friends, set to perform at Queenscliff Musical Festival on November 23.
“We’re so keen for that one. I love going to festivals like that and supporting a bunch of local acts. People like Xavier Rudd and Marlon Williams, they’re big vibes.”
Despite their successes, the Fisher brothers appear refreshingly grounded. Always keeping each other in check, there certainly appears to be no room for big heads in Coterie. Plus, as Conrad puts it, “We’re the same boys, we’re just not in our garage anymore and more people are listening.”
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