Date: June 8, 2003 Author: Paul Stewart Publication: Sunday Herald Sun Headline: Goading twins thrive on a red cordial rush

PUNK twins Tegan and Sara are glad they have been less successful than another Canadian, Avril Lavigne. "We are underground unsung heroes and we like it like that," Tegan said recently when promoting the duo's new album, If It Was You. "The two us have been playing for seven years now. We would rather travel a lot . . . slower than Avril and build up our credibility, rather than have massive, instant fame." Tegan said she was not surprised Lavigne had not heard much about the twins, as she confessed on her recent Melbourne visit. "Avril is actually from the other side of Canada from us, which is a long way away," she said. Music observers have noted a special feature of the twins' act is the spontaneous on-stage banter and the ever-present possibility that "friendly bickering may suddenly erupt into bloodshed". The 22-year-olds have been described by one critic as "having more attitude than a four-year-old on red cordial". "No, we never actually hit each other," Tegan said with a laugh. "But we do goad each other . . . this developed because when we first started playing we only had five songs, so we had to fill up the show with a lot of chat." Tegan said that while her sister lived in Montreal, she resided in Vancouver to keep things between them "fresh". The twins have pulled off some impressive support shows, appearing with Neil Young, the Pretenders, Nelly Furtado, Ryan Adams and Rufus Wainwright. Tegan and Sara hope to tour Australia in August.