Call Me Sugarplum is a captivating Indigenous singer-songwriter on Ngunnuwal Country, who rocks the colour purple through striking vocals, strong lyrics, looping soundscapes on bass guitar and dynamic improvising. You’ll find deep and familiar journeys in her work. But her sometimes sad to in-ya-face indie-pop songs, touching on themes from mental health to sticking it to the system, still take you to happy, dramatic, defiant and even danceable spaces.

Alexia Kassionis is a soulful poet blending gently intriguing song journeys with delicate and beautiful guitar work. It’s a personal, deep but rich world she invites you to enter, drawing on all sorts of mythical and magical imagery, moody-bluesey vocal style … and always a hint of mystery.

Zoe and Sophia Santagostino Baldi are wonderful young duo with a great gift for songwriting, tongue in cheek good humour and wonderful vocals and harmonies. They’re teen with gentle pluck and attitude They’ve have featured at Hecate’s Daughters and are a very welcome return. They’ve also shared great sets at ‘Who’s NEXT’ our CANBERRAWAX Young Songwriters feature Concert, and our most recent Bar Fly’s event. You’ll want to catch them for the smile they’ll bring to your heart.

Molly Dookers are a fantastic debut for Hecate’s and Smith’s. Sometimes a duo, this time a trio, these women are great songwriters, beautiful players on dual guitars and bass, and vocal/harmonies to-die-for. We’ve happily lured them up from the South Coast/Bodalla way to play their fun, cheeky to heartfelt originals, inspired by their love of camping in the high country and travelling throughout Australia. But you’ll also journey through the truths, challenges and joys about country living. This is gunna be fun!

Inside the Song. Ever had a song stop you cold and wondered where on earth it came from? Here’s your chance to find out. This great trio are not just simply wonderful performers of their individual works, they’re great communicators of what makes a song and how it can live in the heart of an audience.

Lisa Richards has busked in Kings Cross and played New York’s CBGBs and The Bitter End. She brings thirty years, eight albums and stages from Telluride Bluegrass Festival to MerleFest and SXSW. Critics compare her to Edith Piaf and Janis Joplin. Ha, ‘they wish’. One listen to that fierce, soulful grit tells you why. Jo Evans is a dedicated and animated gift to the Canberra indie-folk scene. You’ll know her from Daisy Chain. She turns climate policy, Buddhist philosophy and deep ecology into songs that run from fragile acoustic ballads to driving folk-rock. Her festival appearances at Cobargo’s It Takes a Village, Quinty and Majors Creek have drawn warm praise. Come see why. Fiona Bolton is a gifted keys player with an eye for the extraordinary hiding in everyday life: quiet moments, stray thoughts, wry in-jokes. After years of sparse solo shows around Canberra, she’s now half of atmospheric indie duo Stonebird.

Our Guest Hecate Compere for this show is Liz Caddy, a very cool songwriter, performer, and theatre artist, who you’ll catch thrilling the crowds from great solo songster spots to a pop-up cabaret impro event. A mix of folk, indie, and pop featuring original storytelling about dating, family relations, growing up, and letting go. She’s sassy, angsty, and optimistic and will likely deploy all that in service of the great women at this Hecate.

Hecate’s Daughter is an on-going CANBERRAWAX Project initiated by The Australian Songwriters Association (ASA) ACT Regional Coordinator, ian paulin, to feature women songwriters in performance, but just as importantly to bring those writers and performers into a space where they can share and speak with each other about their songster journeys. CANBERRAWAX has been delighted to collaborate with Beth, Nigel and the Smith’s Alternative crew on this and many other great songwriter projects in 2026 … there’ll be plenty more in 2027. ASA is a national not-for-profit organisation nurturing and supporting Australian songwriters.