There aren't many better places to spend a long day of live music with friends than Glenelg Beach, South Australia, as summer starts to taper off.
SummerSalt's Adelaide stop leaned right into that setting (21 March). Barefoot concert goers on the sand, salty breeze in the air, and a line-up that never felt rushed.
It unfolded slowly, allowing time at least to drift between the bar, the waterline (sort of) and the stage without feeling like you were missing something.
Seaside opened things in a relaxed lane, easing people into the day without demanding too much too early. Le Shiv followed and immediately shifted the tone. Their set was a raucous, unrefined indie rock burst, driven by the chaotic energy of their frontman.
Le Shiv - image © Mike Lockheart
He twisted himself around the mic stand, occasionally dropping into a deep southern American drawl between lines. Whenever he ditched the guitar, things really loosened up. It felt unpolished in a way that worked.
Mid Drift brought a different flavour again. More electro-pop leaning, but backed by solid musicianship.
The sun-soaked melodies and woozy guitar lines sat easily in the open air, and there was a sense of a band very much on the rise. Most people might not have known them coming in, but plenty were paying attention by the end.
Babe Rainbow were a highlight. Their set felt like a gentler, slightly reworked version of what they usually bring. Drums gave way to bongos, instruments swapped around, and songs drifted into these dreamy, swampy passages.
They started early, casually rolling into 'Johny Says Stay Cool' before their slot had properly begun. 'Long Live The Wilderness' and 'Love Forever' floated by in that same hazy lane, some tracks slowed right down until they barely resembled their recorded versions. It was easy going, almost disarmingly so.
Babe Rainbow - image © Mike Lockheart
They held back on some of the humour and chaos that can define their live shows, but it worked here. It felt like floating through it rather than being pulled along.
There is something about Babe Rainbow where even when they subvert expectations, it still lands. Cheerful, humble, a little strange in all the right ways.
With The Grogans stepping in for Allah-Las, the afternoon took on a slightly more straightforward indie rock feel. Less dreamy, a bit more direct. It grounded the line-up nicely before things started to stretch out again.
Skegss hit just as the sun dropped into that golden-hour pocket. The light did a lot of the work for them, casting a warm glow across the entire crowd. Their set built in waves; not always precise, but full of crescendos that tipped into chaos.
There was banter, cheekiness, and a real sense that the crowd was with them. For 45 minutes it got properly loose. All of it led into Ocean Alley.
They make a lot of sense in a setting like this. There is something about their sound that feels tied to Australian summers. Groovy, bluesy, laid-back but still sharp enough to cut through a big outdoor space.
As the air cooled and the light dropped out, the crowd shifted. For the most part, people felt welcomed to move closer and others stayed back, dancing in small groups on the sand, an endearing and charming sight.
Image © Mike Lockheart
Their guitar work was a standout, with soft, easy going lines on the surface, but with a real brightness and precision underneath. Nothing overplayed, everything sitting exactly where it needed to.
Paired with that unmistakably smooth vocals of Baden Donegal, it created a headline set that was easy to sink into, just like the sand below our feet that day. Tracks from 'Love Balloon' slotted in naturally.
'Confidence', 'Love Balloon' and 'Tangerine' were the clear peaks, drawing the biggest reactions of the night. You could feel how much those songs meant to the audience. People weren't just listening, they were fully in it. Singing, swaying, dancing without much in the way of self-consciousness.
Ocean Alley - image © Mike Lockheart
What stood out most was the spread of the crowd. It was not one type of audience. Groups of younger fans up front, older couples further back, people off to the sides just moving at their own pace. Ocean Alley seems to cut across all of it.
SummerSalt has never really been about overwhelming you. It is more about creating the right conditions and letting the day play out. At Glenelg, with that line-up and that setting, it landed exactly how it should.
