Review and photos: Greg Phillips
It’s been an incredibly active summer for music fans across Australia. While some festivals and tours haven’t been able to get over the line, most of the concerts I’ve attended in the last few months have been very well attended. I guess there’s only so many punters to go around and they’re quite particular about what they want to see. Another eight thousand music fans had come to Mornington Racecourse on a Saturday afternoon to get their fix of quality Australian music courtesy of the Summersalt music festival and a line up that included Josh Pyke, The Waifs, The Whitlams, Fanning Dempsey National Park, Missy Higgins and John Butler.
Due to the traffic crush and the extensive lines to get in, I heard most of Josh Pyke’s set from outside of the venue. It did however provide a pleasant soundtrack to my baby-steps through to the entrance gate. It’s been over two decades since Josh first emerged with his cleverly penned melodies and he’s built quite a back catalogue in the process. Beginning with one of his earliest hits, Memories and Dust, those getting settled inside offered Josh an enthusiastic welcome. I guess for the talent on hand, that’s the bummer of any music festival, someone has to play first and not always to a full house. Sew My Name was introduced as a tune which has become an unofficial wedding song for many couples, and it’s no surprise why, it’s a beautiful piece and delivered with heart at Mornington. By the time Pyke got to thanking his band and launching into Middle of the Hill, a large majority of the audience had made their way in, claimed their lawn territory and got to enjoy Pyke’s set.
The Waifs, featuring sisters Vikki and Donna Thorn, along with Josh Cunningham then took to the stage to deliver their organic brand of folk rock. For many it had been while or even the first time experiencing this band live. With all members living in different parts of the world and life getting in the way of them creating music for many years, it’s was wonderful to see them enjoying their stage time together. Donna told the crowd it had been over two decades since she wrote their classic song London Still and twenty three years later it still resonates well with a crowd. Introducing Done and Dusted from their 2017 album Ironbark, Donna suggested that it’s her latest break up song. With its catchy “sing, sing sing” chorus, it motivated many to rise from their chairs for a cheeky jig. Vikki, who’d spent much of the set belting out hot licks on the harmonica, took to the mic to take the lead on the poignant Bridal Train. Ending the set with one of their most popular tunes, Lighthouse, the audience was left in a contented frame of mind as they headed back to the bar for a refreshment top up
The Whitlams, led by Tim Freedman opened with the jaunty Thank You (For Loving Me At My Worst), then followed up with a stirring version of You Made Me Hard. It became clear early on that this was a powerfully tight outfit and rightly so when you break down the impressive personnel on stage, including the fabulous Jak Housden on guitar, legendary percussionist Terepai Richmond on drums and a guy who earned himself best on ground performance for the day, bass playing, keyboardist Ian Peres but more of him later. To me, The Whitlams have always been the quintessential Sydney band, documenting that city’s political history in song at time when the Sydney-Melbourne rivalry was more apparent. Blow Up The Pokies was a fine example of this, released before the poker machine scourge had fully reached south of the NSW border. The song Melbourne was bookended by Year of the Rat, a song specifically about the city of Sydney. Freedman tells us he loves the place but compared to Melbourne’s cultural atmosphere, has found the Harbour city at times to be boring. I wonder if he reverses the sentiment depending on where he’s playing? Of course receiving the biggest reception of the day was the band’s biggest hit No Aphrodesiac, with the audience finally finding their voices. You Sound Like Louis Burdett gave the band the opportunity to jam out together before finishing with Tangled Up in Blue, in celebration of the new Bob Dylan movie.
The Fanning Dempsey National Park project and their debut album The Deluge has turned out to be quite a successful venture for Powderfinger’s Bernard Fanning and Something for Kate’s Paul Dempsey and the guys are quite clearly enjoying the ride. It was only a few weeks ago that Australian Musician presented Paul Dempsey ‘in conversation and song’ at the 2025 Melbourne Guitar Show, a gig in which Paul declared that there will most likely be a follow up album from FDNP at some point. Kicking off with Strangers from their album with keyboardist Caroline Schofield in charge of 80s inspired synth beats, the band got off to a rockin’ start, with the linear style lighting effects adding authenticity to vibe. Drummer Dave Williams and Bassist Matt Engelbrecht added much girth to the keyboard beats, creating a substantial all round sound. Dempsey reminded the audience that he was performing on home turf, having grown up on the Mornington Peninsula and playfully informed us that walking around nearby Frankston earlier in the day he encountered some interesting characters. Bernard piped in to tell us a crew member had also encountered such characters including one brandishing a meat clever. Meat clever guy became the butt of a couple of jokes throughout the day.
Black Star, a new track which doesn’t feature on the album went down well with many in the crowd already familiar the lyrics. Ramona Was A Waitress, the Something For Kate track was the FDNP’s first foray into their past lives, followed by Wish You Well from Bernard Fanning’s solo career. At this point the crowd were on their feet and giving their vocal cords a fine workout. The refreshments were kicking in too. Wouldn’t It Be Good, the Nik Kershaw track from the 80s was a surprise inclusion and and had me and my gig neighbour Patrick wracking our brains as to who originally released the song … Howard Jones? The Korgis? We were in the ballpark but Kershaw’s name evaded us. Monsters, one of Something for Kate’s greatest songs was always going to set the audience alight, as did Bernard’s version of the Powderfinger song Pick You Up. Continuing the 80s jukebox theme, the guys then laid into the Freddie Mercury/David Bowie classic Under Pressure. Dempsey again admitted to the crowd that they were having the time of their lives up on stage and thanked everyone for supporting live music. The dramatic electronic strings intro to Eyes Wide Open from the FDNP album kept the crowd on their feet and the rockin’ tune closed a fun, quality set by two of Australia’s most respected artists.
Easing into her set with Secret from her 2007 album On A Clear Night, Missy Higgins found most of her audience already out of their seats and singing along. Set Me On Fire was up next and it became obvious that for many in the crowd, irrespective of performance order, Missy was their headliner. Missy’s voice was strong and clear and amplified into the crowd by a pristine sounding PA system, which has become the trademark of these great concerts presented by Face to Face Touring.
It’s fair to say that Melissa Morrison Higgins has been through a lot over the last few years and her latest album The Second Act chronicles that significant personal period in her life. The first offering from the album was Craters, a simple melody which expresses so much sorrow. Missy admitted to the crowd that recent events had led to the creation of many sad songs and that she’d try not to lay too many on a crowd intent on enjoying a joyful, sunny evening. The audience however were keen to hear whatever honest life stories Missy wanted to perform for them. During Watering Hole, Missy encouraged the crowd to get in touch with their inner animal and shout out any wild noises they chose to make. A Complicated Truth is a song from the new album in which Missy tries to explain to her kids why she and her partner had separated.
“Sometimes happiness is the hardest thing to choose
But I’ll always love your daddy
‘Cause together we made you”
In one of the most poignant moments of the day, after singing those final words, one of her kids came rushing to the piano to give her a hug. It’s the sharing of her life journey that has earned Missy Higgins such a large and loyal fanbase and it’s moments like this that anyone can relate to, especially those with kids. At the pointy end of the set, the hits came out and so too did the mass singalong … Special Two, Steer and Scar. A special set from Australia’s contemporary music queen.
Not unlike Missy, John Butler has been through a demanding personal period in his life too. Beginning with covid and then the care and eventual death of both his father and father in law within 40 hours of each other and trying to record and engineer an album on his own (as outlined in an interviewed we did with John late last year Watch here), he wasn’t sure if he wanted to make music anymore. So it’s with much gratitude that we saw John returning to the stage and presenting his amazing musical skills to us again. Beginning in familiar territory with Treat Yo Mama and Used to Get High, John got off to a rockin’ start. But clearly there were too many monumentally negative things happening in the world which needed addressing. With Wings To Fly, he began to rap both dispiritedly but poetically, freestyling his thoughts but about Gaza, Israel, Billionaires and greedy corporations and politicians, John was angry and rightly so.
Thankfully for us, out of John’s hiatus came new music, a trilogy of albums in fact. King of California was a new tune offering a great view of his current musical direction. Old faithful Betterman kept the good vibes coming, with a stellar rhythm section ramping up the mood. Featuring two percussionists, Michael Barker and Michael Boase and Ian Peres returning from his stint earlier in the day with The Whitlams to lend a hand on bass and Keys, John has put together an accomplished band.
Butler then asked us to pray and be hopeful at a time when the world is spinning out of control before launching into the epic Ocean. It’s always the jewel in any John Butler concert but on this night, in this mood, the version of John’s legendary instrumental masterpiece that he presented to the Mornington crowd was off the charts. Revealing a musician with freakish skills and a golden heart, here was a man in despair trying to find answers by way of the power of music. It was breathtaking. In fact after the song had finished, I didn’t want to hear any more songs. I didn’t want to hear anything, just wanted to collect my thoughts and reflect on what I’d just heard. It was a concert moment I’ll never forget and so thankful that I was there to experience it. Of course the gig hadn’t finished and John slid into the sleazy slide guitar tones of Wade In The Water, and soon after a spirited Zebra but my mind was still in the Ocean!
These Summersalt and Lookout Festivals, plus Red Hot Summer tours that regularly feature at Mornington Racecourse really are a punters dream. Ok, the food and drink could be cheaper but you’ll find that issue at any event in Australia. In terms of staging, the artist lineups, the quality of sound and comfort at these gigs, they can’t be matched in my humble opinion.
https://summersaltmusic.com.au/
