With little more than some trusty chords and diary-entry lyrics, Alex The Astronaut has evolved into one of the country's most endearing contemporary singer-songwriters.
It's on full display in the early hours of SummerSalt (28 January), which has shifted up the road this year from its original Wollongong home of Stuart Park to Thomas Dalton Park in the neighbouring suburb (and wonderfully-named) Fairy Meadow.Her flourishing indie folk is bolstered by an airtight rhythm section, adding rollicking urgency to cuts like 'South London' and 'I Think You're Great', while her between-song banter remains unique and hilarious.
A would-be punter that's scaled up a tree to watch the show is lovingly dubbed "Tree Man", and her joke-telling occasionally rivals that of her song-singing ("Why can't dinosaurs use computers? Because they're dead!"). A neurodivergent joy of a person, and a performer on top of her game right now.
Middle Kids are up next, nearly two years removed from the release of their excellent second LP 'Today We're The Greatest', but still with plenty in the tank.
The crowd, who were sparsely spread out, begin to gather close to the stage – allured, no doubt, by the band's rousing, heart-on-sleeve indie rock.
It's easy to be swept up in it, too: The steady crescendo of 'Questions', the rollicking 'Never Start' and the spirited lovers' ode 'Stacking Chairs' are just a handful of excellent cuts highlighted from across the Sydney trio's repertoire during the set. As The Who once said: The Kids are alright.
After such an impressive one-two combo to open the show, The Rubens comparatively fall considerably short in contrast. Put bluntly, the Menangle natives – who are now locally based, between Wollongong and Camden – make music that is all head and no heart.
The musicianship is occasionally impressive, certainly (special mention to William Zeglis on the bass), but the band offer such little substance in their light pop-rock that if you were to scratch beneath the surface of any of the band's biggest hits you'd fall through to the other side.
Thankfully, the band's performance turns out to be the sole low-point of the festival – sweltering weather aside.
Onto the international cavalry, and a man who is responsible for bringing some of the elder millennials to this family-friendly event: Dallas Green, who first performed in Australia as City And Colour almost 15 years ago.
Though he's still playing an open-air festival today, the gentle crowd of SummerSalt is a far cry from the hustle and bustle of Soundwave.
City And Colour - image supplied
Still, don't think Green has mellowed out performance-wise – the hirsute Canadian's voice is strong as ever, now with a trusty backing band to expand his electric AOR into widescreen.
Throwback cuts like 'Waiting' and 'Hello, I'm In Delaware' are as tender and emotive as they were upon release all those years ago, while even the more straightforward cuts like 'Lover Come Back' are given both a warm reception and a hearty sing-along.
No doubt Green will be match-fit when the rest of his Alexisonfire bandmates rock up down under in a few weeks time.
For all of his time at the helm of an ensemble backing band like the Innocent Criminals, it's easy to forget that Ben Harper is a solo troubadour when stripped back to his bare essence.
Watching it unfurl in realtime, however, is a key reminder of just what the man is capable of with not much else aside from his smoky, soulful voice and a guitar. . . well, alright, several guitars. And a piano.
The point stands, however. Despite the audience stretching back for what feels like a couple of kilometres, Harper makes the festival feel like a warm and intimate gathering. He takes a flower crown from a woman in the front row, and gives a guitar slide to a young boy who says he's learning guitar.
Ben Harper - image supplied
Punters shout out for songs, and rather than directly acknowledge them he subtly adds them to the set list to perform well after they've been called for – in turn creating set highlights in the form of 'Welcome To The Cruel World' and 'Burn One Down'.
He's on stage for 75 minutes, longer than any other performer thus far, and yet it breezes by in an instant. An understated charm of a show from the one guy on the line-up who's been doing it longer than anyone else.
Though it may see a curiosity to have an Australian act headlining over two internationals, there are a handful of acts that have put in enough work to justify such a move.
Angus & Julia Stone happen to be among that echelon – despite not releasing any new music in awhile, they maintain a drawing power that has only grown stronger over their 15-plus years of performing alongside one another.
Mixed in with some tried-and-true staples like Hottest 100 #1 'Big Jet Plane' (which is played, funnily enough, not long after the 2023 countdown ends) and 'Private Lawns', the siblings and their stellar backing band take to some spirited covers.
Angus & Julia Stone - image supplied
The Go-Betweens' 'Streets Of Your Town' is given a hearty reworking, while Sam Smith's 'Stay With Me' is tenderly performed before a rocking take on 'Uptown Folks' by Dope Lemon – a band whose lead singer looks eerily similar to Angus Stone. Coincidence? You decide.
Rather than end on the bass-driven and wholly infectious 'Chateau', Angus and Julia instead option a heartstring-plucking acoustic rendition of 'Down The Way' album cut 'Santa Monica Dream' to close the day with.
It's a perfect move – after the heat has died down and the sun has set, the Stone's blood harmony rings out across the field and brings everything to a pitch-perfect standstill.
In spite of the sun's brutal and insistent presence, SummerSalt has made it worth sweating out and going the distance.
