Summer Swells
with Caravana Sun, Spici Water, Grand Casual & The Michael Ward Trio
Indian Ocean Hotel (Scarborough, WA)
Friday, 31 January 2025 8:00 pm
Summer Swells returns in 2025 with even bigger artists to celebrate our amazing West Coast beaches, surf, sunshine and lifestyle. The Summer and Winter Swells series has seen a host of vibrant established artists to date with the likes of Steph Strings, Jordy Maxwell, Sunday Lemonade, Mitch Santiago & Gaudion to name a few. The 31st of Jan we'll celebrate again through live music, dance, and song to another year of coastal life.
Caravana Sun
Spici Water
Grand Casual
The Michael Ward Trio
Caravana Sun
Since 2011, Sydneysiders CARAVÃNA SUN have built a renowned reputation across the globe for their dynamic and energetic live performances. Their infectious grooves which progressively merge their surfy coastal lifestyle with elements of explosive rock, euphoric electronica/dance and rambunctious reggae/ska have earned the band slots on some of the world’s most coveted stages. Highlights include Boardmasters(UK), Boomtown(UK), Reggae Sun Ska(France), Bluesfest ByronBay, Summer in the City (Germany), Party in the Paddock (TAS), Woodford Folk Festival (QLD) and headlining Madnes (Netherlands) to name a few. They have also toured with iconic artists such as Madness, UB40, The Cat Empire and Fat Freddy’s Drop among many others. CARAVÃNA SUN also had success with their hypnotic track ‘WhaleSong’, which was featured in the global award winning documentary, ‘Seaspiracy’. The film featured in the top 10 most watched on Netflix across numerous countries upon its release, generating
significant traction on the issue of ocean conservation. This saw the band further secure their place on the world stage and brought with it a huge influx of new fans from far and wide.
Spici Water
Since 2017 our band Spici Water has been consistantly growing throughout the Perth music scene, playing gigs from Fremantle to Scarborough. After the 2021 release of our first single "Drunk Texts", the band has grown in popularity, with our music reaching not only outside of WA but outside of Australia. Our band consists of members AJ (vocals + rhymth guitar), Amber (drums), Fred (bass) and Kyle (lead guitar); who have been playing together since 2020. Our songs are about experiencing the highs and lows of life and love as a young person in Australia and just trying to push yourself through it.
Grand Casual
Esperance based three-piece Grand Casual seem a little unusual. It’s not all that often that three musicians draw together with boldly different personalities, influences and life experience to create music that perfectly reflects this fact. Matt Cooper is a window cleaner by trade though don’t let his day to day employment sway your perception of the man. Cooper is a tinkerer a perfectionist a partially deaf guitarist who’s search for exotic and interesting tones gives rise to an ever-evolving sound for the three-piece. Forever altering his musical tools, Matt occasionally leaves the pedantic vocalist and comedic drummer somewhat exasperated, though this exasperation quickly turns to delight when something fresh bends its way from a finely tuned Fender. Joe Franzone is the youngest of the three, a man caught between comedy, acting, ridiculous haircuts, social influencer, and finally where his true talent lies, behind a set of Pro Mark drum sticks he regularly pretends are wizards wands. And a wizard he is. To see the depth of concentration ripple across the lad’s visage as his explosive, and intricate drumming style ignites a Grand Casual live set, leaving the audience spellbound is something truly special. Wizardry abounds with revellers floored by the realisation that Joe is drumming one handed and taking the roll of bass player with his second hand, musicians favourite milk crates holding his second weapon of choice a novation Bass Station Synthesiser.
Kyron spent his younger years imagining how it would feel to perform as a solitary vocalist, allowed to move where an accompanying guitar would not allow, allowed to dance the way a smooth surface, wide open space, enthralled audience and lack of inhibition would allow. Able to drift vocals across music drawn forth by two of the most exuberant performers regional WA has produced. Finally he has that chance, finally he gets to channel Elvis, Jim Morrison, Johnny Cash, Keenan Maynard, heroes, legends enraptured by the bliss that is live performance. Kyron is pedantic, over organised, quick to stress, this persona fades away when Grand Casual takes the stage.
Michael Ward Trio
Raised on the salty coastal swamplands of Stratham in regional WA Michael has spent decades performing live music around WA and Australia. The acoustic singer songwriter delivers his fusion of alt country, gritty blues & roots with a supercharged energy whenever he's on stage. His love of touring and performing live has seen him currently elevated to one of Perth’s most prolific touring original artists. He's joined by full time professional jazz musicians Ryan Daunt and Adam Springhetti who add effortless detail and texture to the set.
Michael had a massive 2023 with many festivals and tours across Australia with artists such as The Waifs, Morgan Evans, Eskimo Joe, The Wolfe Brothers, Travis Collins, Steph Strings & Andrew Swift. In 2024 his tour is reaching all the corners of WA and includes a National tour of festivals (Perth Muster, Blossom Festival, Pinjarra Festival, Kalamunda Spring live music Festival, Mandurah Country Music Festival, Gidgestock, Wangarrata Rodeo & Music Festival, Fremantle Beer Festival & Winter Swells Festival.
The dedication to his music, live shows, touring and promotion has also resulted in Michael receiving nominations for the 2025 WA Country Music Awards for Male artist of the year, Alt Country Single of the year and Open Songwriter of the year.
"Love the energy and musicianship (my god that rhythm section!)”
Perth Blues Club 2024
“A 45 minute set of high octane Country rock originals and the occasional cherry picked cover thrown in. It was music that got you thumping and bumping… Michael’s infectious energy drove the set flying on top of some damn fine rock country”
Gidgestock Music Festival 2024
Caravana Sun
Spici Water
Grand Casual
The Michael Ward Trio
Caravana Sun
Since 2011, Sydneysiders CARAVÃNA SUN have built a renowned reputation across the globe for their dynamic and energetic live performances. Their infectious grooves which progressively merge their surfy coastal lifestyle with elements of explosive rock, euphoric electronica/dance and rambunctious reggae/ska have earned the band slots on some of the world’s most coveted stages. Highlights include Boardmasters(UK), Boomtown(UK), Reggae Sun Ska(France), Bluesfest ByronBay, Summer in the City (Germany), Party in the Paddock (TAS), Woodford Folk Festival (QLD) and headlining Madnes (Netherlands) to name a few. They have also toured with iconic artists such as Madness, UB40, The Cat Empire and Fat Freddy’s Drop among many others. CARAVÃNA SUN also had success with their hypnotic track ‘WhaleSong’, which was featured in the global award winning documentary, ‘Seaspiracy’. The film featured in the top 10 most watched on Netflix across numerous countries upon its release, generating
significant traction on the issue of ocean conservation. This saw the band further secure their place on the world stage and brought with it a huge influx of new fans from far and wide.
Spici Water
Since 2017 our band Spici Water has been consistantly growing throughout the Perth music scene, playing gigs from Fremantle to Scarborough. After the 2021 release of our first single "Drunk Texts", the band has grown in popularity, with our music reaching not only outside of WA but outside of Australia. Our band consists of members AJ (vocals + rhymth guitar), Amber (drums), Fred (bass) and Kyle (lead guitar); who have been playing together since 2020. Our songs are about experiencing the highs and lows of life and love as a young person in Australia and just trying to push yourself through it.
Grand Casual
Esperance based three-piece Grand Casual seem a little unusual. It’s not all that often that three musicians draw together with boldly different personalities, influences and life experience to create music that perfectly reflects this fact. Matt Cooper is a window cleaner by trade though don’t let his day to day employment sway your perception of the man. Cooper is a tinkerer a perfectionist a partially deaf guitarist who’s search for exotic and interesting tones gives rise to an ever-evolving sound for the three-piece. Forever altering his musical tools, Matt occasionally leaves the pedantic vocalist and comedic drummer somewhat exasperated, though this exasperation quickly turns to delight when something fresh bends its way from a finely tuned Fender. Joe Franzone is the youngest of the three, a man caught between comedy, acting, ridiculous haircuts, social influencer, and finally where his true talent lies, behind a set of Pro Mark drum sticks he regularly pretends are wizards wands. And a wizard he is. To see the depth of concentration ripple across the lad’s visage as his explosive, and intricate drumming style ignites a Grand Casual live set, leaving the audience spellbound is something truly special. Wizardry abounds with revellers floored by the realisation that Joe is drumming one handed and taking the roll of bass player with his second hand, musicians favourite milk crates holding his second weapon of choice a novation Bass Station Synthesiser.
Kyron spent his younger years imagining how it would feel to perform as a solitary vocalist, allowed to move where an accompanying guitar would not allow, allowed to dance the way a smooth surface, wide open space, enthralled audience and lack of inhibition would allow. Able to drift vocals across music drawn forth by two of the most exuberant performers regional WA has produced. Finally he has that chance, finally he gets to channel Elvis, Jim Morrison, Johnny Cash, Keenan Maynard, heroes, legends enraptured by the bliss that is live performance. Kyron is pedantic, over organised, quick to stress, this persona fades away when Grand Casual takes the stage.
Michael Ward Trio
Raised on the salty coastal swamplands of Stratham in regional WA Michael has spent decades performing live music around WA and Australia. The acoustic singer songwriter delivers his fusion of alt country, gritty blues & roots with a supercharged energy whenever he's on stage. His love of touring and performing live has seen him currently elevated to one of Perth’s most prolific touring original artists. He's joined by full time professional jazz musicians Ryan Daunt and Adam Springhetti who add effortless detail and texture to the set.
Michael had a massive 2023 with many festivals and tours across Australia with artists such as The Waifs, Morgan Evans, Eskimo Joe, The Wolfe Brothers, Travis Collins, Steph Strings & Andrew Swift. In 2024 his tour is reaching all the corners of WA and includes a National tour of festivals (Perth Muster, Blossom Festival, Pinjarra Festival, Kalamunda Spring live music Festival, Mandurah Country Music Festival, Gidgestock, Wangarrata Rodeo & Music Festival, Fremantle Beer Festival & Winter Swells Festival.
The dedication to his music, live shows, touring and promotion has also resulted in Michael receiving nominations for the 2025 WA Country Music Awards for Male artist of the year, Alt Country Single of the year and Open Songwriter of the year.
"Love the energy and musicianship (my god that rhythm section!)”
Perth Blues Club 2024
“A 45 minute set of high octane Country rock originals and the occasional cherry picked cover thrown in. It was music that got you thumping and bumping… Michael’s infectious energy drove the set flying on top of some damn fine rock country”
Gidgestock Music Festival 2024