How did Sparrow-Folk come together?

We were thrown together in an improvised musical show and started creating outrageous songs together on the side. Then a friend challenged us to enter the ABC Exhumed competition and we went on to win for the ACT. From that point we were stuck together and people kept asking for more, so it’s a bit of a life sentence now. Our first hit, ‘Ruin Your Day’ (a cheeky song about breastfeeding in public) went viral around the world so I guess that means we have no choice but to remain friends.

How would you describe Sparrow-Folk to those who aren’t familiar with your sound?

We are essentially the lovechild of Doug Anthony All Stars and Madonna. Think Kath & Kim satire, mixed with Jewel’s sound and Lady Gaga’s costumes.

Your new album and show, SuBIRDia, says it’s “bringing sexy back to suburban Australia”. What’s so sexy about the suburbs?

People can be so disparaging about suburban life when in reality it’s the chosen lifestyle of the majority – so why can’t it be sexy? We wanted to turn this sort of thinking on its head, creating songs that celebrate and add spice to the everyday, and comedy is the perfect platform for this.

All your track names are interesting in their own way, but what’s the idea behind ‘Accidental Genital Attention’ in particular?

Most of our songs have been inspired by our real-life experiences, and unfortunately this track is no exception. One of us had a rather embarrassing accidental interaction with a popular radio presenter and the song was created as a form of therapy. ‘Accidental Genital Attention’ is all about “bumping bits” unintentionally – think crowded lifts, turning suddenly without looking, grabbing for what you thought was your phone…

Do you find music festival or comedy festival audiences more receptive to what you do?

We’ve been lucky enough to draw a crowd at both, which is possibly a result of us being as focused on creating music as we are comedy. Tim Minchin once said, “I’m a good musician for a comedian and I’m a good comedian for a musician,” and this is something we can relate to as Sparrow-Folk.

Sparrow-Folkperform atFactory Theatre (as part of Sydney Comedy Festival 2015),Tuesday May 12 – Saturday May 16.