At Smith’s we love songs, and the songwriters that sing them. We host plenty of bands and we love them too, but every so often we’d like to strip the accompaniment away and hear the songs as they were written – one voice, one instrument, unadorned and vulnerable like a babe in the woods. For this third edition of Six of the Best, we have once again asked four very different song-writers to share six of their best songs with us. In order of appearance, we have...

Pete Lyon

Pete is a mild-mannered ‘enhanced local rock star’, a member of The Cashews and Jason Recliner. He’s fairly proficient on guitar, trumpet and bass and an excellent songwriter and musical chronicler of Canberra’s history and geography. His wry humour and relaxed manner of performing is as enjoyable as his cheeky grin is infectious.

Heya Gosper

Heya is a singer-songwriter with an uncompromising, raw and edgy aesthetic and a gutsy, rough musical style. Non-binary, trans, polysexual and social justice-oriented, she writes about her identity and current affairs that impact her intersections.

Dina Juana

Dina is a soft rock sad girl who explores her anxieties through lyricism. The Canberra-based indie artist blends bittersweet melodies and 2000s nostalgia to create her own unique sound. With evocative storytelling, raw instrumentation, and a voice that oscillates between rich vibrato and delicate clarity – Dina's music makes you feel all the feels.

Jeff Thompson

Jeff is singer, guitarist and song-writer for beloved local band, Jason Recliner. His songs explore, often humourously, such subjects as growing up Christian in a country town, lust (for a Commodore 64 and the sexual kind – in a climate change metaphor), local landmarks and many more.