SummerSalt festival review: Missy Higgins, Kate Miller-Heidke, Xavier Rudd and Dulcie amaze at Castelli Estate

Two nights of back-to-back performances by Missy Higgins, Xavier Rudd, Kate Miller-Heidke and Dulcie rocked the SummerSalt festival at Castelli Estate.

The property, which is located just outside of Denmark, had a massive turnout of more than 4000 people across both days.

Perth indie band Dulcie was the first to take the stage and trio Ashleigh Carr-White, Saskia Brittain and Timieka Denton quickly proved they were the perfect show to kick things off.

Their pop sound, catchy lyrics and impressive harmonies got the crowd into the right mood for the evening.

Classically trained Kate Miller-Heidke followed with her vocal work and funny anecdotes between songs and was a stand-out on the night.

Perhaps most impressive though was Heidke’s spontaneity, as technical difficulties meant she had to throw out a song, replacing it with one requested by a fan on Instagram.

And for her performance of Caught in the Crowd, she invited a young fan up on stage to sing with her and her husband, earning the trio a thunderous standing ovation.

As the sun set, the third and perhaps most anticipated performer of the night, Missy Higgins, took to the stage.

Higgins performed a range of songs, including a song from her upcoming album You Should Run as well as fan favourites Scar and Futon Couch. She introduced the latter with a short anecdote about how she met her husband which inspired the song.

Higgins’ performance didn’t disappoint — it was exactly what you hoped and so much more.

Multi-instrumentalist Xavier Rudd was the last musician to take to the stage with his iconic folk-bluesy sound and smooth lyrics rounding out the night.

Despite putting on a great show, Rudd’s set was slightly underwhelming and would have been better suited to a more intimate setting rather than a festival to be fully appreciated.

Ultimately, the SummerSalt Festival was a success, with a great crowd turnout and stunning performances by all the musicians across both days.

The verdict

Four stars