Birdland: Seventeen-year-old Perth triplets to electrify Scarborough this weekend

Perth teen triplets Oscar, Francis, and Conrad Cvitan — the 17-year-olds behind indie-funk-pop band Birdland — are set to headline Groundswell Live at Scarborough Beach this weekend, performing to their biggest crowd yet.

Though identical in appearance, the brothers from Mt Lawley will each bring their own distinctive flair to the stage during a 40-minute set, with Francis on guitar, Oscar handling bass, Conrad on the drums and all three sharing vocals.

The trio, who have a huge online following with their catchy sound and viral acoustic jam clips, say they’re “super excited” to perform at one of the State’s most iconic beaches.

“Every time we visit the markets at the amphitheatre, I’ve thought to myself ‘This would be the coolest place ever to play a gig at’. I promised myself I’d say it in every interview I could, and now it’s happening, it’s honestly a dream come true,” Conrad said.

“We just love the Scarborough vibe. When you go there for the markets or other events, there’s this amazing energy, the beach, the sun, people dancing and eating, just enjoying the night, it’s really special,” Oscar added.

The brothers began playing together in 2019 as kids but have already made a mark on the Perth music scene, earning a nomination for the 2025 WAM Song of the Year with their track ‘Seven Months Ago.’

Last month they released their third official single, ‘Middleground’, but with 368,100 TikTok followers, more than 14 million likes and 139,000 Instagram followers, they’ve already built a global fanbase.

Oscar believes their online presence has helped create opportunities that might otherwise have been out of reach for them at this stage of their career.

“Being underage, it’s hard to get gigs at some venues, but our TikTok following has opened doors to festivals and shows we wouldn’t have been able to play otherwise,” he said.

“A lot of bars wouldn’t let us play, or if we did, we had to have a guardian with us and leave as soon as our set was finished. Some venues just didn’t allow it at all.”

According to Francis, fans are in for a fun-filled, feel-good performance on Saturday afternoon.

“We like keeping the energy high and surprising the audience,” Francis said.

“There will even be a surprise collaboration with a special artist, but we’re not giving that away yet. It’s going to be really exciting.”

According to Conrad, their bond as brothers adds a unique energy to their shows, one that fans will see on Saturday.

“Because we’ve been playing together for so long, we’ve developed ways of communicating on stage that aren’t always verbal,” he said.

Groundswell, now in its 12th year, is a free two-day festival hosted by the City of Stirling featuring surf, skate, BMX, and 3x3 basketball competitions alongside lifestyle and wellness activities, all around the Scarborough Beach precinct.

The festival’s live concert line-up also includes country-pop sensation Emily Joy, who’s lit up stages from Boston and Nashville to Tamworth, award-winning Noongar/Wongi rapper Flewnt, and 2024 Triple J Unearthed High winner Mariae Cassandra.

Although they’re focused on their Year 11 ATAR studies for now and practising daily for Groundswell, Birdland are looking ahead and dreaming about what could be next.

“Music is something we all want to pursue. School is obviously important, but once that’s done, we’ll be putting all our energy into it and fully chasing our dreams,” Francis said.

“We hope to do a tour one day once we have enough music out. We just love being on stage, writing, and recording music, it’s our passion,” Oscar added.

Birdland will hit the Scarborough stage at 4.10 pm on Saturday, October 11. For more information, visit groundswellfestival.org/live.