Locals Only #1 - South Australia
Our chats with South Aus-based musicians, emerging and established! Hear from rising popstar aleksiah, garage punk teens Ammonite, DIY indie-rock trio Pearly Stars, folk solo project short snarl and Australia’s next big thing Swapmeet.
Words Emily Wilson
aleksiah
What to expect: Expertly-produced pop with personality, humour, and well-worn made by aleksiah (25)
Image: Jess Gleeson
Hi aleksiah! You just dropped your first song for 2026, ‘Bullsh*t, Baby!’ What inspired this track?
I wrote this song about a relationship I was in some time ago, where the person I was with really didn’t care about me in the slightest. They had no interest in being together and I felt like they didn’t care if I lived or died (lol). It reminded me how frustrating that feeling can be, and how sadly common it is for young women particularly to find themselves in relationships like this, whether they’re romantic or even platonic.
The track is part of your forthcoming EP Good On Paper. How does this record depart from your previous output?
I would say this EP builds on [previous] songs I wrote, ‘Clothes Off‘ and ‘The Hit’. I really felt settled when I wrote those songs, they felt very natural to me. For years I was fighting the “pop girl” thing because I wanted to be “different” or “taken seriously.” But then my frontal lobe developed and I realised I should just make what I want and anyone that doesn’t take stereotypically feminine things [should] seriously look inward and deal with their own internalised misogyny.
Part of being an artist these days includes having a strong social media presence. You’re active on socials and often post personal things. How do you balance that with having the emotional energy to create art?
It's incredibly hard for me. As the world changes and the music industry changes, social media gets more and more important, much to the disdain of people (sometimes including myself lol). I’ll often [seperate] my writing days and content days separately so I can have time for both, because you definitely need to be in a different headspace for either.
What inspires you most in your day-to-day life?
My friends and poetry/art I find on social media!
What’s something you love about Adelaide’s music scene? What’s something you’d like to see changed?
I love that the Adelaide music scene is tight-knit and for the most part, everyone is trying to uplift everybody else. However, I would love to see a bit more love for [different] genres here! You see a lot of indie, punk, experimental and heavy music, but I would love to see more people getting around genres like pop, R&B and rap!
Ammonite
What to expect: Genre-bending tracks with high-octane energy, gnashing teeth, and flashing honesty made by Angie (19), Lily (19), Scarlett (18), and Finn (18)
Image: Spoz Spozington
How did Ammonite come to be?
We all had a passion for alternative music and were open to writing all sorts of styles, and luckily our tastes really clicked as well! We love rock music but we didn’t want to be boxed in by any specific style and I think it helped that we all listen to many different genres.
As for an origin story, our original drummer Scarlett and the bassist Eadie were friends from school trying to start a band together and I (Angie, singer) knew the guitarist Lily from school also; we’d actually tried to start a band a couple years ago but it didn’t work out. I was desperate to be in a gigging band and messaged Lily again who was like “yeah sure sounds good,” and eventually I connected with Scarlett through a mutual acquaintance. It was really funny because she and I then met up and it was a bit like a job interview but it went well and we realised we had all the necessary members for a full band! We planned our first rehearsal and all met up, jammed out a rough original song idea I had and we ended turning it into a full song in our first practice. We had great chemistry as musos and we all went home kicking our feet like we’d just been on a fun date. Since then our drummer moved for work and now Finn (Ammonite’s new drummer) has joined and fits in like he’s always been there!
Describe Ammonite’s sound, if you can!
Our music is rooted in emotions and experiences, but I also think we really just wanted to rock out and let loose. Someone we know described our music as being the equivalent of glitter spilt on asphalt and I think I love that description.
What is your favourite thing about playing together?
Everyone’s passion to make good music but also our willingness to share, listen and collaborate with each other. No one is the leader and we take turns in the driver’s seat. We take music seriously, but we also don’t take ourselves way too seriously. Everyone has their own style and skill to bring to the table, and we are all different from one another - our personalities, sense of style and demeanour - but we work really well together. We care a lot about what we do and we also have fun!
How do you approach songwriting? How collaborative is it and what does the process look like for you guys?
When songwriting, usually one of us will have a vision for the song and we follow through with that but we still approach songwriting in a really collaborative way so everyone has a bit of their own voice in there. Our music really does come from a deep and vulnerable place, our lyrics have always come from lived experiences of someone in the band and sometimes we like to be a bit tongue in cheek too. We’ve also got songs formed in jam sessions together when we were just playing around and went “hey that sounds good, record it!”
Do you have any plans to record and release music in the near future?
Yes! We’ve got an EP recorded at the moment and are working on getting that released at some point this year (in the near future!) For now we’re calling it The PPP EP as a joke and anyone who’s gone to our gigs enough times might be able to guess what songs are on the way…
What’s something you love about Adelaide’s music scene? What’s something you’d like to see changed?
We love the venues that want to support live music and their determination to keep doing so. Knowing there’s a place for young arty people to express themselves and connect with like minds has really made life worth it. The closeness between audience and performer, we love getting to know people who listen to our music, and we love all the awesome and varied kinds of music that are coming from local bands.
We wish we could change the scene’s openness to understanding and including women, people of colour, queer people and young creatives. The scene could be such a beautiful, rich community if we broke down the stereotypes around these groups. People from minority groups don’t need to be exceptional to be included, and we should all be allowed to grow and learn in creative communities without being shut down, bullied or belittled.
To be frank, although there are so many creative people from diverse backgrounds in Adelaide, the majority of musicians and people making decisions in the scene, at the band level or at gig organiser level, are cis, male, middle class, and white, and with that majority comes a lot of unconscious bias. I would love for the scene to be equally run by and made up of all kinds of people, but until that point, I hope that people in the scene can be more aware of their privileges and prejudices and make an effort to support people who are different from them. I’d want everyone who fits in with the majority to listen, respect and get to know people who are different from you, book them for gigs and collaborate with organisations run by minority groups, so that we can all share the stage and have an equal chance to be in the spotlight. Everyone deserves to be seen, to be given opportunities and to be treated with respect no matter your gender, sexuality, race or age!
Pearly Stars
What to expect: A unique blend of hazy, atmospheric indie-rock, fuelled by genuine drive and a DIY flare by Claudia (17), Fifi (17) and Cormac (18)
Image: Vivienne Gale, Fin Ryan and Pearly Stars
What is Pearly Stars’ origin story?
The band started as a school project with Fifi and Claudia, but quickly died out after one show. Many months later, we realised how much fun it was, so played a few gigs using a laptop with a drum machine backing track. Eventually, we recruited Cormac and since then, the three of us have grown incredibly close through constantly playing together.
What is your experience of the Adelaide scene as someone who is young and trying to make it?
The Adelaide scene is such a welcoming environment and such a tight knit community, especially the all-ages shows we love playing so much. It feels awesome to play a set and see just as many new faces in the crowd as other faces you recognise. We’ve played at a lot of venues across Adelaide and have found friends in each and every one of them. As a young band ourselves, the most important part is showing other people our age that they can do this too! It's so fun!
We’ve heard you’re working towards releasing an EP. What should we expect?
The EP has been in the works for a long time now and has gone through many iterations. We recorded it at Interim Studios over three days (shoutout to magic Matt [Schultz]!!) and had the most amazing time there. It was such an incredible experience to be able to record in what felt like a “fancy studio” and to feel like we’ve earned being there. We also spent a weekend recording some b-sides at Carclew’s Stables Studio and that was equally fun! The EP was inspired by a variety of different topics: regret, bad dreams, good dreams, gender dysphoria, scary movies, being lonely and of course, love!!!! <3
You have a reputation as a band that has a strong political conscience. Why do you think it’s important for musicians to be vocal about politics?
There are a lot of things wrong with the world. When people like us - who have a platform to share - are vocal about these issues, it makes a direct impact. Music has always been and will always be political, and it’s important that at the very least, we are bringing notice and awareness to what’s happening, even if we’re not being directly affected by it right now. If people aren’t listening, make them listen.
What’s something you love about Adelaide’s music scene? What’s something you’d like to see changed?
One thing we love: How easy it is for young bands to get a start in the music community, play with their heroes, book their own shows and make something more out of their passion projects!
One thing we wish we could change: The level of male aggression we see in crowds, especially hardcore shows. Have fun, go hard, but be considerate of others! Don’t spinkick random people without at the absolute very least apologising for it! Also, more female representation at every gig - we’re sick of all male lineups playing to mostly-male crowds - grrls to the front!!!
Short Snarl
What to expect: Poignant songs that that are groundbreaking in their capacity to waver between fragility and strength made by Thea Lucia Martin (25)
Image: Nash Blight
How did you come to pursue and fall in love with music?
I was one of those kids that just knew I wanted right out of the gates, and that was music. I've been playing violin since I was four after asking my parents for lessons for a year. I was fortunate that they were able to support, and have loved playing music in any capacity ever since. Moments throughout my life that have reaffirmed that love include; joining my first youth orchestra when I was 10, taking part in a collaborative composition project with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra when I was 14 where we recomposed sections of Stravinsky's ballet 'Petrushka', playing at a beautiful festival in Aotearoa called Camp A Low Hum and more recently, discovering the music of Pauline Oliveros and seeing the band Geese play live. Every experience I have in music, whether it's making it, listening, watching or learning, helps me to fall in love with my life as a musician over and over again.
You’re a music educator as well as a performer and songwriter. How do you think this informs the way you perform and write?
Working in education is the number one reason I was able to start my solo project short snarl. Prior to that, I had no confidence as a singer. Through music teaching, singing became an integral part of my job as I needed to sing to be able to best show up for my kids. I feel as though education freed my voice, both as a tool for teaching and reaching young people, and in learning from the uninhibited creative expression of the young people I have the privilege of working with. My own teaching approach emphasises connection with one's innate creativity, and that interesting sonic articulations can come from low resources, that all you need to make sound is yourself. Giving myself the same kindness and encouragement that I hope to model to young people has been helpful in developing my own creative stamina.
Do you think attending gigs during your formative years informed your current relationship to music?
Absolutely, although I think I was late to the game in this regard - I have so much respect for all the teens and kids I see out at shows. Immersion in the local scene is how I met my bandmates across all of the bands I've been a part of. In Adelaide, you're [often] playing shows to other musicians, which is great for your own writing as it pushes you to play better, to write in ways that are genuinely interesting and not just about what will be heard above the din of the pub, because you know that your recordings are going to be passed around to all of the other musos in the scene. I feel so lucky to have been accepted so wholeheartedly by the music scene of Adelaide. I never thought I'd be able to play violin in bands, and it's the enthusiasm of the musicians around me that has made that a possibility for me.
What’s something you love about Adelaide’s music scene? What’s something you’d like to see changed?
I love how people show up for each other. I had the privilege of playing WOMADelaide with my band Any Young Mechanic recently, and looking out to the crowd and seeing so many friends and faces from the scene, some of whom I never would've expected to be there for our show, made me quite emotional. It's a hard city to make music in, and I do believe that at the end of the day we all just want each other to be able to really give it a shot. One thing I wish I could change is the way that young musicians are paid. So many of your early experiences playing music will result in you effectively being paid in free drinks rather than genuine compensation for your work. Money is not a fun thing to care about. Money is essential for maintaining your instruments, booking practice spaces, getting a chance to record, getting to tour, and that's not even assuming that any of your payment for being an artist will go to your actual living expenses and supporting your community. I'm watching the Irish Basic Income for Artists scheme closely as an example that could counter the cultural and financial devaluing of the arts that we experience in Australia.
Swapmeet
What to expect: Bracing and playful indie rock, rife with emotion and energy by Venus, Maxwell, Jack, and Josh (23)
You just announced that Swapmeet is the first band outside of the US to sign with LA-based label Winspear. Congratulations! How are you feeling about it?
We are feeling so excited and incredibly grateful to be signed to Winspear. What we all dreamed of as teenagers has finally come true. Winspear always felt like the right fit from the get-go. We were already big fans of all the artists on their roster before discovering the label itself. It feels really special to be a part of a community we admired from afar.
‘I Know!’ is the first single you’ve released through Winspear. Why did this the best one to mark your new era?
We never had to discuss what our first single was going to be because ‘I Know!’ felt right from the moment we recorded it. We wrote this song so spontaneously, in-between jams and packing up before a show. ‘I Know!’ fell into our laps unexpectedly. The energy of this song captures where we are as a band at the moment. It serves as a bridging point from our previous work and how we produce as a band at the moment.
Walk us through your songwriting process.
When we first started writing songs the intention was to be heard live. Recording significantly changed how we arranged our songs, and how we treated certain moments within them. All four of us write for Swapmeet, so there is never a set way that we write our songs. Sometimes one of us can come with a full song, and other times it can be a simple riff. No matter how an idea forms, the recording is where we can be most collaborative. When recording, we are not restricted to our one instrument like we are in the live sense, so we can experiment and add as much as we like to serve the song.
What’s something you love about Adelaide’s music scene? What’s something you’d like to see changed?
The closeness between bands is something we will always be grateful for in the Adelaide music scene. Because the population is much lower compared to the big cities, it forces everyone into knowing each other and playing shows together. It creates a feeling we haven’t seen anywhere else. This ends up in bands from completely different genres doing shows together. We have found this has had a really cool effect on the music (including our own). If we could change one thing, it would be making Adelaide more of a touring destination for bands, big and small. When we talk to friends interstate, Adelaide often feels like a grey area on tour routes. It can be hard for bands to find the right lineup and venue that works for them. We’d love to see more artists adding Adelaide to their tours. With the way the scene is heading right now, we really feel like that could happen soon.
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