We are honoured to premiere the new track and video for ‘Beer Song’ from Kaurna/Adelaide folk band Sturt Avenue. It’s a gentle, anthemic song delivered over delicate tendrils of guitars, with deep yearning vocals. Melody and harmonies combine to create a melancholic blush, enhanced by strings and picking banjos. There is a deeply antipodean air – elements of The Waifs, Redgum, Paul Kelly and even The Triffids thread throughout the track, with an edgy spine.
Singer/songwriter Bryn Soden says of the track:
The track was originally written for a short film my sister made about her winter spent shaping surfboards in the desert. It grew into a mainstay of our live set, and once Gina and Lou joined on violin and banjo, it became clear it needed a full band version. Lyrically, it’s about holding on to the joy that comes from friendships nurtured over long years of silly nights and misadventures.
The lyrics drip with a delicate poignancy and nostalgia:
High school put you through hell
Yeah we both still bear some scars
But the times that we shared back then
They made us who we are
The result is something quite enthralling and ethereal, and the accompanying video, directed by Alexander Robertson, captures the joy of the band’s performance with a self-deprecatory touch as crochet puppet figurines of the band (with an added joyous whoop) add to the delivery:
‘Beer Song’ is out tomorrow and can be download and streamed via all the usual sites and at the band’s Bandcamp site.
You can catch the band live this Sunday at the The Three Brothers Arms to celebrate the launch of the single with a bluegrass set from Smug Drugglers in support The event starts at 2pm, and tickets are on sale now here. The band will also be appearing at the Cullulleraine Music Festival 2026 – details and tickets here.
Sturt Avenue is an indie folk/Australiana band led by SCALA award-winning singer-songwriter Bryn Soden. The band also features John Soden on mandolin and slide guitar, Gina Nott on violin, Lou Howard on banjo, Dave Thompson on Accordion, Isaac Kerr on bass, and Bryce Lehmann on drums.
Feature Photograph: Alex Robertson
