BESTIES are the kind of band that immediately grabs your attention with their raw energy, infectious hooks, and unapologetic stage presence. Fronted by Max Pasalic and joined by Nat Sherwood, James Venites, and Brenton Rakebrandt, their sets balance fun, fire, and a little bit of cheekiness, making them one of those acts you can’t help but want to see live again and again.

BESTIES: Live at BIGSOUND 2025 | 3 September 2025 | Credit: Sakina Indrasumunar (@kindravision)

We first came across BESTIES earlier this year where they opened for Grayscale’s Canberra show, and they completely blew us away. So when we heard they were on the BIGSOUND lineup, there was no way we were missing the chance to catch them live again—twice, actually. Their set at Wonderland Upstairs, while sharp, felt slightly rushed, but the energy never wavered. Their Alligator Club show, however, was on an entirely different level. The room was already thick with heat and anticipation, and the moment BESTIES hit the stage, the atmosphere shifted—electrifying, pure fire and chaotic—all in the best possible way. Out of the two, the Alligator Club set definitely takes the cake!

Their live take on “Two Wrongs” hit especially hard, made even better by the disco ball spinning overhead, though honestly every song landed just as good live. Max even slipped in a hilarious, but heartfelt PSA about how we should all be allowed to smoke weed at our jobs—a moment that got the whole room agreeing with laughter and perfectly captured the band’s cheeky, unfiltered charm.

We had the chance to catch up with BESTIES at BIGSOUND. Keep reading to find out what the band has to say about their creative process, their set and what’s next for them.

BESTIES: Live at BIGSOUND 2025 | 3 September 2025 | Credit: Sakina Indrasumunar (@kindravision)

I first saw you play at The Baso in Canberra when you opened for Grayscale. Your set completely blew me away. What do you remember about that night, and how do you think your live shows have evolved since then?

Nat: Thanks so much for coming out early and checking us out! That was a fun weekender! We’d just spent a few days writing in an airbnb in Melbourne and drove from there on the day of the show. It was a bittersweet show as that was the last show Brenton played drums for us. He’s now switched to Bass, and honestly it’s so much more fun watching him go hard on stage. The man has some serious moves! It’s a lot more fun performing as a 5 piece now, it’s criminal that James was stuck on bass for so long as it is.

Max: I’d just driven solo from Melbourne to Canberra for the day and had been listening to a Star Wars audiobook so I felt refreshed and Zen before we went on. Colin from Grayscale watched our set too which was really sweet. Hopefully we play again with them one day. Our sets have probably gotten tighter since then, and arguably dumber too.

Your punk/punk-rock energy hits hard, but it’s paired with such a strong visual aesthetic. How important are visuals to BESTIES, and how do they feed into the world you’re creating on stage?

Max: Yeah I do all the visuals and design for the band myself. I have a really clear vision of how I want it all to feel and look to an audience, and what I want them to take away from it. We’re not trying to be cool or serious on stage, I think enough bands do that. We’re the opposite, we want you to leave laughing, instead of crying.

BIGSOUND is a whole new platform for discovery. For people catching you for the first time here, what do you hope they walk away saying or feeling?

Nat: I hope our light-hearted nature comes across. Live music is all about having fun and not taking things too seriously. We love having a lot of fun, dumb stuff littered in between the more serious moments in the set and luckily we’ve been able to preserve a couple of them in our much tighter, shorted BIGSOUND set.

Max: Showcases like this can be really difficult from a band perspective. You’re meeting new people all the time, running around to meetings, mixers and events. I just want the crowd to understand that we’re who we say we are — we’re 5 idiots who have half a brain cell to share between them but we, somehow, make it work.

The Sydney scene has a pretty diverse mix of sounds right now. How has coming up in that environment shaped who BESTIES are as a band?

Nat: Yeah I’d say it definitely has! We’ve got a real love for that nostalgic feel of 00’s tracks that I really want to shine through our music with a modern twist. I’m really excited to continue to refine that in future releases.

Max: Everyone in Sydney is really good, so it pushed us to come out the gate strong with a live show that could back up the studio tracks. What you hear on Spotify is exactly what you’re going to hear on stage.

The name “BESTIES” feels cheeky, but your music has real grit and rawness. What’s the story behind the name, and how does it tie in (or not!) with your sound?

Nat: When Max and I first started the project it was off the back of him wrapping up his “Up Late” artist project. I think it was around the time of the JJJ unearthed DIY super group challenge that we ended up coming up with the name. To be honest, I think it came together through a conversation with my close friend Somber Hills where he just called us all besties making music together haha. It just felt right when we first pitched it and it just stuck.

Max: It was the first name Nat came up with and we never changed it. I honestly forget what it means sometimes, I’ve stared at this name for so long I associate with anyone else but us.

Before you step on stage, what’s usually spinning in your ears or hyping you up?

Nat: Honestly, probably just throwing down plenty of water and caffeine and frantically double checking all my gear is working haha..

Max: Yeah I’m probably listening to myself have a panic attack tbh. I get really weird before we go on stage. I really like this song by Salem, it’s called Sears Tower. It puts me in this weird state of calm but also focus. If I just want to ride my panic attack and go into the show really guns blazing I’ll listen to Bullet by Misfits. I love that band.

If you had to capture the essence of BESTES in just three words, what would they be?

Nat: Beats, Bars, Battlestar Galatica

Max: Dumb, dumber and dumbest.

What’s next for you after BIGSOUND - new music, shows, or any big plans your fans should know about? Perhaps an Asia tour?

Nat: We got a couple things in the works, we’re looking to have a pretty big year next year after spending a lot of this year preparing for it. That’s not giving too much away, is it?

Max: World domination.

Would you rather have a headphone that licks your ear when the battery is low or one that moans every time you adjust the volume?

Nat: The first one? Lmao

Max: How much for both?