Date: August 21, 2003 Author: Danielle O'Donohue Publication: Herald Sun Headline: twin attitudes rock

TEGAN and Sara aren't your average pop act. For a start the young Canadian twins started out punk, went acoustic folk and have only now settled into a rocking-pop sound that is loaded up with sass and plenty of attitude. Forget Avril, these girls really do talk the talk. But happily for Tegan, there's still a long way to go before the girls match the success of Canada's other punk pop princess. "I very rarely run into people who know who I am but when I do they're like, 'Weird, why are you here?' and I'm like, 'It's Safeway. I'm shopping for groceries.' "Then they're on the Internet the next day, 'I saw Tegan buying groceries. Isn't that weird.' And I'm like, 'What are you talking about?" Unlike most other young pop stars, Tegan and Sara aren't the creation of some anonymous svengali. These sister really are doin' it for themselves. "At first, people didn't really like that we weren't just dumb girls sitting on the couch going, 'Thanks a lot. We love music. We've always wanted to play music."' "We were there going, 'OK. We need this much to tour and this is how much were making right now. We know what were doing.' We've always had a lot to say," Tegan says. But that doesn't mean the twins always agree. "We try to do the clashing among ourselves and not in the public eye," Tegan says. "Anything anyone else sees is usually fairly controlled, subdued or pre-meditated. "But there are definitely clashes." "I'm trying to convince Sara to extend her trip to Vancouver so we can shoot the video and she's like, 'No, I can't do it. I've got tickets to a concert that night.' "And I'm like, 'You f . . . ing bitch. You have to come.' So there's definitely clashes." If It Was You (Shock) out now. Tegan and Sara, Corner Hotel, Wed, $25+bf, Venue 9427 9198, Gaslight, Greville, Polyester.