A Quick Chat With The Southern Dukes
Perth’s The Southern Dukes have arrived with a bang, making their debut with Free Man, a high-voltage country-rock anthem that’s out now. Formerly known as The Eagleton Brothers—already crowned WA Country Group of the Year—the band has rebranded and reloaded, bringing an edgier, alt-country sound to the table. Packed with twangy guitar hooks, driving rhythms, and gritty storytelling, Free Man is a heart-racing tale of a daring Alcatraz escape, blending the classic grit of country ballads with the punch of rock. Produced by lead guitarist Justin Gimm, the track spotlights the raw energy and tight musicianship of the group, from Brandon Poletti’s commanding vocals to Miles Gilbert’s relentless drumming. We caught up with The Southern Dukes to dive into their journey, their sound, and what’s next.
Can you tell us what this track means to you and what you want people to take away from it?
This song is about the escape from Alcatraz and the main person who orchestrated the escape, Frank Morris. Brandon, our lead singer, absolutely loved the Clint Eastwood movie growing up and he said this inspired him to write a song about the epic story. This is the first ever song that we've released and it's exciting to finally share our sound with the world and do it through a story that is immortal.
Who are some of your influences, and why?
Chris Stapleton, The Bros Landreth, Ariel Posen and John Mayer would be our biggest influences. Each of these bands have incredible songwriting skill but have a way to let their musicianship speak to their listeners as well.
What's the creative process for you, from writing through to recording?
Brandon writes the music and Justin produces it for us. They're a great duo and work well to bounce ideas off of each other.
What do you think makes a great song?
Great lyrics, a good melody and some nice production. Really those things feel the most important when trying to create something great!
If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be and why?
I’m pretty sure if any of us got offered to work with Stapleton, we’d quit our day jobs in a heartbeat.
When not working on music, what other creative outlet/s do you have?
More than half of the band are teachers so we don’t really have time for many more creative outlets! We're all great mates outside of the band so as well as making music we just enjoy hanging out, having a yarn and talking shop.
Who are some local bands we should check out?
Siobhan Cotchin is an awesome singer and songwriter - highly recommend her. Whisky Jack has also developed a really strong storytelling ability in his songs if you’re interested in lyrical genius!
Winter or summer and why?
I’m pretty sure we’d all agree on winter. Heat is hard to escape and the scenery of winter is hard to compete with. Unpopular Perth opinion!
What do you have planned for 2025?
We have 4 more singles that we're working on, which we'll slowly release throughout the rest of 2025 and early 2026. We're hoping to play plenty more gigs, a few festivals and just enjoy making music as a band.