WATCHING a documentary about how lonely it can be for musicians constantly on the road brought a pair of North Tyne brothers together behind the decks.

The documentary Between the Beats: The Martinez Brothers followed the DJing siblings from America, and the piece really struck a chord with Colwell’s Ridley (24) and Lewis Browell (19) who were starting to make names for themselves as solo DJs.

The 15-minute film was about more than the music The Martinez Brothers have become famed for, but also the mental and physical strain of flying from airport to airport for gigs, especially when on their own.

And it was something the Browell brothers, who grew up on the family farm in Colwell, could relate to, the close friends deciding to pool resources and play music together under the collective name of & Sons.

The duo are certainly creating a buzz in house music circles, securing a headline slot at London’s award-winning We Are FSTVL over the last May Bank Holiday.

What is important to them too, is that they’re enjoying the success side-by-side.

Lewis said: “Watching the documentary together, we got thinking that if we were ever to get somewhere with our music we would want someone there with us, and we both get on so well.

“I think we can go far with it, and there’s something nice about going along with your brother to play a gig and then coming back to the quiet farmhouse in Colwell with the music ringing in your ears!

“It’s so much better playing with Ridley than on your own. We spin off each other, and if I do a good mix, he wants to better it and we bounce off one another!

“We are always testing each other and seem to have that click to know what the other is doing, and we are getting positive feedback and are now getting regular bookings.”

The reputation of & Sons is huge in the North-East, and slowly but surely is growing throughout the country.

The duo recently got accepted to go on a DJ roster which means that their stock will continue to increase, with the roster opening them up to overseas gigs too.

Already & Sons have scored major gigs playing on the same evening as Blond, currently in the charts with a collaboration with Craig David, and Kris Kross, and have played in front of crowds of 2,000 on two occasions.

But nothing quite compares to the thrill of being chosen to play at We Are FSTVL, regarded as one of the country’s best dance events.

Lewis said: “During the day, we played in an ice cream van at the entrance and that was pretty cool! The windows were open and there was hardly any room so we had to DJ on our knees!

“We originally thought we were only going to play the VIP area but we had a lot of friends coming and we didn’t want them to come all the way down to London and not being able to see us play.

“We scored a place on the Local Hero Stage at Maya Maya Bar and it was just a small venue, but it was rammed with about 100 people including some friends and randomers.

“We’ve never had a better feeling of playing in a festival, and it makes you want to do it again and again.”

With a gig scheduled for Portugal in the coming months, it looks like & Sons are really going places.

Lewis said: “The goal, within the next three to four years, would be to have played in Ibiza, to have tracks out there and to have signed up to a record label.

“The main aim, though, is just to be well-known for making people dance!

“It’s like everything, you want to be the best in what you do and I really think we can go far with our music.”

The brothers are dreaming big and targeting world famous places, a million miles from their home in Colwell.

Growing up on the farm – the name & Sons was picked as they are just that of the family business J. Browell & Sons – they were always surrounded by music from father John’s vinyl collection.

But it was when they started to go to nightclubs in Newcastle when their interest in becoming DJs was sparked. We didn’t want to be the admirers any more, we wanted to be admired for making the music.”

As well as playing other people’s music, & Sons are producing their own sounds with five original tracks currently release.

Just this month, they put out a remix of Sonny Fodera’s track Feeling You , featuring Yasmine, and there is a lot more to come from the brothers.

Their music can be heard at www.soundcloud.com/andsons.