Want to know how to stay on top of the pop game? CAMILLA JONES talks to PETER HUME from EVERMORE and discovers it’s as easy as caring about your fans, doing even the crappy gigs and, oh yeah, writing amazing songs.

Sure they’re New Zealand’s hottest export since Russell Crowe. Sure they’re the kind of threesome squealing schoolgirls will clamour to get a piece of. But do you think on top of all this, an Aria Artist Of The Year nomination will go to the collective head of Evermore? Not on your nelly. In fact, Peter is endearingly tight-lipped about the whole thing, only managing a coy, “It’s cool. It means a bunch of kids like the music obviously. But…well we’ll see what happens…”.

The coveted nomination is no surprise really, with the boys amassing fans left right and centre; not only for their music, but also because you’ll still find them getting up close and personal with the audience after gigs. Peter says it’s all par for the course, “It’s something we’ve always done, like ever since we started. We’ve never understood why bands wouldn’t go and talk to people in the audience. I’ve always thought it’s a big part of it. You go talk to people and it’s not about having big egos it’s about just talking to people. When we’d support other bands, we’d make more fans just by going out and talking to them than the bands they were there to see. We’d steal their fans!” he laughs.

Committing to building a name the old-fashioned way wasn’t such a difficult decision for the three brothers, but more of a necessity says Peter, “We didn’t have a house, we didn’t have anywhere to live so we just toured. And we didn’t have any jobs or money so we’d kind of do these support tours and we’d do high schools during the day.”

Not the most auspicious start to glittering pop careers. Even less glamourous were the early pay-checks, “We’d get gold coin donations at like regional high schools,” says Peter, “I remember we’d didn’t know how to spend these huge amounts of gold coins, we’d have to pay petrol money with these like giant bags of gold coins. I think people thought we’d just ripped off a vending machine or something.”

Although they can look back and laugh about it now, Peter admits there were times when Evermore almost became ‘nevermore’. “We were pretty young and we really believed in the record so we were really willing to work until it worked, but there were a few points where we were like, is this worth it? Shouldn’t we just go back and have a real life or something?”

Ironically Real Life is the name of their second album, the recording of which has seen the youngest Hume writing up to a song a day. On Dann’s prolificacy, Peter says, “He’s someone who really understands songs. He kind of studies them and says like ‘Oh, that’s a great middle eighth’. Actually, he’s kind of caning us in terms of songwriting at the moment.” But Peter believes a little healthy sibling rivalry can go a long way, “It’s good though, when you’ve got your brother who’s a gun pop song writer, you really have to lift your game.”

Evermore play the Coke Live & Local Festival on Sunday November 5 at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, with The Veronicas, End Of Fashion, After The Fall and The Hot Lies. Real Life is out now through Warner.

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