Photo: Supplied.
BY JAN NARY
“Mum realised early that we had our own vocal qualities – Linda with a deep voice, my voice higher – and she taught us the principals of harmony, the musical intervals and the need to hold a strong melody line. Harmony is part theory and part instinct and we practised all the time, singing along with songs on the radio and singing with the TV commercials,” says Vika.
The sisters were destined to be singers. Vika went straight into the industry, originally as a receptionist, and Linda opted for arts and arts teaching at university. They kept singing. The big break came when a backing vocalist booked to record at Vika’s workplace lost her voice and Vika was asked to step in.
“Your opportunity comes along and you’ve just got to grab it – helped by a bit of supportive nudging from your friends!” she says.
That was the beginning of a career that saw the duo working with such front-liners as Iggy Pop, Billy Joel, Johnny Farnham, Paul Kelly and the late Archie Roach. They also played and toured internationally for seven years with Joe Camilleri, an association that proved invaluable.
“Those years taught us a lot,” says Vika. “Joe’s a really hard worker and that instilled a good work ethic into us and taught us showmanship, onstage and offstage. He was a really good boss but on stage we were a team. They were great years though working in pubs was hard because people smoked back then, we’d lose our voices, spend the next day getting them back, then move on the next town to do it all over again.”
Other highlights were singing for the King of Tonga’s 75th birthday, “…with Mum looking on to make sure we didn’t stuff up – the protocol was nerve wracking!”, singing for the 2016 AFL Grand Final and being inducted into the Victorian Music Hall of Fame in 2023. They put much of their success down to their unique sound; “We’re sisters and we come as a team.”
Their November 2 show at RPAC, with Cameron Bruce on grand piano, will be an intimate and memorable evening of songs and stories.
