Pirra drummer Jeffrey Argent remembers telling his school mates he could play before he'd even had a lesson.
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It was about who could play the loudest and bring the most friends.
- Pirra drummer Jeffrey Argent
"We were in a tiny school and every year the high school had a really cool band," the 31-year-old said.
"I remember thinking in primary school I couldn't wait for high school. When we got there nobody could really play, but the school was really supportive."
The son of a drummer grew up on a dairy farm watching his father rehearse at home in the mid north coast town of Bowraville, alongside his twin brother and the band's bass player Curtis.
"Me and Curtis know each other pretty well, which can lead to being pretty brutal and honest," Argent said.
"Arguments can happen pretty quickly, and it can get personal," he said with a laugh.
With the sounds of Blink 182, Rage Against The Machine and Nirvana pumping out his stereo, for teenage Argent it was all about the true essence of rock music.
"We'd all just play a set and have our friends bands come, and we'd try to out do each other," he said.
"It was about who could play the loudest and bring the most friends. It did take a while before we convinced our mate to sing. He's an archaeologist now which is different."
The four-piece indie pop and roots group don't just share a house together by Maroubra Beach, but also a love of songwriting.
"When we rehearse Curtis and Jess know what they want. I look more at how the song is structured and focus on the rhythms," he said.
"It's all about how the song feels, I'm not so concerned about the chords or the lyrics. Living together makes it super easy, because we can talk about the band whenever we want.
"Our neighbours enjoy it when we rehearse which is relieving because I just assume people are going to complain."
The group's name means moon in the central desert language Luritja, and was suggested by Warumpi Band guitarist Uncle Sammy Butcher.
The Argents are joined by guitarist James Mckendry and vocalist Jess Beck, whose family is also from the central desert.
"I met James at music school in Sydney and Jess when she started dating my brother," Argent said.
"We are all from the country so we always try and book gigs outside Sydney. We're all pretty chill and it's nice to be close to your band mates."
The group has just released it's latest single Once, which Argent said is all about "stepping outside your comfort zone".
Pirra play Dulcie's Cottage on April 12 from 7pm, Tanja Market Day at Tanja Public School on April 13, and The Grand Hotel in Bega on April 13.
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