Contagiously energetic garage punks Cammy Cautious and the Wrestlers, originally from the Blue Mountains and now based on Gadigal Country in Sydney, consist of Sarah Rheinberger (guitar/vocals), Will Cooke (drums), and Callum Dyer (bass). Starting out recording in their lounge room on GarageBand, the band released their first EP in 2020. Since then, they’ve put out a series of self-released tracks, a cassette through Warttmann Inc., and, in 2024, their much loved CCATW EP, on 7-inch, recorded with Straight Arrows’ Owen Penglis. Ready to rumble for your attention and pin you down with their catchy hooks.

When did you first know that you wanted to play music? 

WILL: Growing up, we had an AC/DC live VHS, and when they played ‘Hells Bells,’ a huge wrecking ball swung down and smashed the stage. I remember thinking, ‘Damn, that’s awesome.’

CALLUM: Mum and Dad were working musos, so there was no choice.

SARAH: Same sorta thing, the house was empty without music, so when mum wasn’t home I had to fill the gap and teach myself a thing or two.

What was the first song you remember loving? 

CALLUM: ‘Robots’ by Flight of the Concords.

SARAH: ‘Pizza Angel’ by Larry the Cucumber (VeggieTales) .

WILL: ‘Joker and the Thief’ by Wolfmother. 

Who are your musical heroes? Why do you think they’re ace? 

SARAH: II love Amy Taylor because she is doing everything I wanna do and saying ‘fuck you’ to everything that I say ‘fuck you’ to.

CALLUM: I love Peter Walker. I love his music and his ethos behind it. If you know you know. 

WILL: I love Shogun. Royal Headache was the first Aussie album I loved as a teenager. 

What initially brought Cammy Cautious and the Wrestlers together? You started the band in Grade 12, right? And, it was just you two, Sarah & Will? How’d you meet?

WILL: Sarah and I met through mutual friends. We are all from the Blue Mountains, which is a small space. Not many people were into music, etc., so we started hanging out and making music together! Then I met Callum at a party when we were young because he spotted me wearing a King Gizz shirt, haha!

SARAH: Callum had been stalking what we were doing as well, tehe! 

Your band name has something to do with your brothers, right Sarah?

SARAH: Yes. Will and I were recording our first EP during lockdown, so my family of seven were all home, and in our recordings, you can hear the bangs and clangs of my three brothers getting mashed-wrestling.

What are the best and worst aspects of the Gadigal Country/Sydney scene you’re a part of? 

SARAH: We have been playing a few years now so the venue circuit is getting a bit repetitive.

WILL: The best are the people. We have made so many sick friends from playing shows, so super grateful!

In August you released the CCATW 7”; what did you love most about the process of making it?

SARAH: It was super fun to punch it all out in a day, and by the end, we had a tangible copy of all this rock that had been living in my head.

WILL: It was a super hot day, and Callum and I did all of our bass and drums in 40 minutes. Then we sat and drank tequila while we watched Sarah work the rest of the day, which was fun, haha!

You recorded your first EP back in your lounge room on GarageBand in 2020 and now your latest release was recorded with Owen Penglis; what was the experience like for you having someone else record you?

WILL: It was super fun. Owen is a legend, and he got us sounding good. We are all big fans of him and his work, so it was super cool to work with him! It was a scorcher of a day, so we were hot and sweaty, which I think rubs off on the recordings.

Do you have a favourite song you’ve wrote? What’s it about? 

SARAH: I’m really loving some of the new stuff that I’ve written for our next album. It’s always fun witnessing songs develop from what I’ve written at home to what they become when the boys add their flavour. In terms of released tracks, though, I’d say I’m rather fond of ‘Want It,’ as it’s always a hoot to play. It’s mostly lyrical nonsense, apart from one reference to my Pop’s adoration of coal trains: ‘my lady’s cooler than a coal train.’

What kinds of stuff have you enjoyed writing about lately? 

SARAH: I’ve been writing a bunch of tracks for our new album recently and have been enjoying the range of substance lyrically between these songs—dipping from love and pain to lunch innuendos and utter nonsense. I like that sometimes, when I write, I have something I want to express, and I enjoy doing that somewhat poetically. Other times, I just put words together that sound cool, which is poetry in itself anyway, I suppose.

What’s your preferred way to write? Is there anything you find hard about songwriting? 

SARAH: I don’t think too much about writing; it just happens when it does and can happen anywhere. Sometimes in small fragments over a while, and other times all in a matter of minutes. I do sometimes challenge myself to write about random things, as I find it’s easy to fall into patterns topically, so I try to freshen things up with a bit of absurdity. ‘Feet Up’ is a song I get asked about frequently, as people are curious about the lyrics. I’m just talking about feet and stroking on meat. Take that as you will.

You’ve been a band for four years, since around 2020; What has been your proudest moment during that time?

SARAH: I remember the day that I made the choice to keep going at this whole Cammy thing. Will and I were in year 12 when the two of us started it up, and I remember when he would call me about gigs, I was so, so anxious about being perceived on stage that I was always hesitant to accept the gig offers. But I remember one day being like… care less, queen. Just send it, hey. Reflecting on what we’ve done since then makes me proud of younger me, who managed to mash those fears.

WILL: Just that we have continued to have fun and move forward, it doesn’t feel boring. i’m still excited to play and write 

What’s been the most influential live show you’ve seen?

WILL: When I first moved to Sydney, I remember watching Satanic Togas the night before my 20th birthday. It was as COVID was wrapping up and shows were back. I turned 18 and 19 during COVID, so I never got to watch live music until I moved, and I just remember thinking, ‘This is the best thing ever.’

CALLUM: Bill Callahan or Melbourne Drone Orchestra—Bill was just breaking hearts with a 3/4 nylon, and the MDO was a sensory experience that haunts my dreams to this day.

Can you share with us what you’ve been getting into lately?

WILL: I’ve been reading Into the Wild, which is interesting. Watching the first season of Underbelly, which is hilarious. And loving, the Protex album Strange Obsessions.

CALLUM: I’ve been getting into some light category theory and reading lots on additive synthesis. Spending lots of time on acoustic spectra at the moment too.

What’s next? 

WILL: A few more shows, then lots of writing and maybe some relaxing. We’ve had a cool year, but it’s been super busy, so we might kick our feet up for a bit and finish our album.

Follow @cammycatiousandthewrestlers and LISTEN to them HERE.