From teenage jams to festival stages:
Sam + Sam to bring two decades of unstoppable energy to Grounded
Sam + Sam has an effortless air of cool. A little artsy, a little rock ‘n’ roll. The kind of duo you just know will have a crowd on their feet.
But rewind a couple of decades, and they were just two boys with big dreams jamming in their bedrooms after school.
Ahead of their set at Grounded, Sam Ludeman reflects on how it all began.
Where it all started
Sam Ludeman and Sam Russell always knew they had a spark. It was evident from the first time they played together.
They first crossed paths as kids, but their friendship really took root in high school after being cast in a local theatre production together.
Soon enough, the two found themselves side by side through long rehearsals and discovering they had more in common than they thought.
And music soon became the glue of their friendship. Hours spent after school in their bedrooms swapping riffs, learning covers and dreaming of one day performing together on stage.
‘We were just kids who loved playing music together,’ Sam says. ‘Back then, it was just about having fun, getting a gig and seeing where it went.’
At 17, they booked their first show: a local pub gig in Shepparton with borrowed gear and no idea that it would mark the start of a two-decade journey.
‘Growing up, I never really believed you could make a living just singing songs,’ Sam admits. ‘I thoughts it would be more like sport is for most people – something you do on the side, while you’ve got your real job.’
Looking back now, it almost feels surreal.
More than twenty years on, the duo have played hundreds of shows (including the AFL prelim grand finals at the MCG and the Boxing Day test), toured across Australia and topped charts with their original music.
For Ludeman, who many will remember as a finalist on The Voice in 2012, and Russell, who went on to carve out a name in the music tech world, the ride has been anything but predictable.
“Honestly, it’s exceeded our expectations,’ Sam says. ‘To be here, 23 years later, feels pretty special.’
The journey to now
In 2020, as live music struggled through the pandemic, Sam + Sam found themselves blowing up online.
Armed with livestream gear they’d invested in just before lockdowns, they began streaming shows from their living rooms.
Within weeks, tens of thousands of people were tuning in.
‘It was the silver lining of a terrible time,’ Sam says. ‘The streams gave us this fan base that actually wanted more.’
The surge in momentum paved the way for their debut album Evolve, which hit #1 on the iTunes alternative album chart, #3 on the ARIA Country Album chart and #9 on the AIR Indie Album chart.
Now with new music on the horizon, including their latest single One More Song, the duo are embracing a fresh sound, blending their trademark energy with a more pop-driven edge.
Why Grounded brings out the best in Sam + Sam
Audiences will be lucky enough to catch Sam + Sam this year in person at Grounded.
For the duo, the quarry is one of their favourite places to play.
‘Two years ago, when we played Grounded at the quarry, it was one of our best gigs,’ Sam says. ‘Everything just worked – the setting, the sound, the energy. There’s something so special about that place.’
This November, they’re set to take it up a notch with big grooves and full-bodied energy.
‘What we want to bring is an energy that gets you out of your seat - sweaty, laughing, happy, sore voices,’ Sam says. ‘That’s always been our goal.’