Their fusion of indie and rock sounds, woven together with a culturally rich and diverse bed of influences, has forged a naturally dynamic set of performers out of the five-piece. Three successful EP releases to their name – first with Merlin’s in 2021, followed by Creatures and Tales Of The Yeti in 2023 – are testament to South Summit’s consistency as songwriters and musicians. Moreover, they demonstrate the band’s hunger to be chasing new horizons, pushing themselves to elevate with each record released.
For right now though, South Summit chose to drop something a little different on their fans and community: a documentary that provides further insight into their life and behind the scenes craziness, Climbing The Summit. Building on the strong love for music and connection to community that South Summit established early in their journey, Climbing The Summit captures the band at a particular creative career peak, inviting fans to take a look at life at the center of the chaos.
Filmed between Sydney and Melbourne during a period of down time South Summit had while on tour with Beddy Rays, Climbing The Summit was directed by Elliott Brown, and produced by Vincent Trease. The documentary serves as a perfect time capsule of South Summit: a young band doing what they do best, and rightfully reaping the rewards of their hard work.
“The band were a pleasure to work with. It’s been such a great experience creatively and we got to witness South Summit at a pivotal time in their career as musicians. In such a time of division the message of unity that runs through this doco is in my eyes a great example of reconciliation.”
VINCENT TREASE, PRODUCER
“I wanted to capture the way that music brings people together, and show that it doesn’t matter where you come from or what you believe in, it’s all about just playing some tunes and having a good time. …I firmly believe that South Summit will one day stand among the greatest Australian artists. I aimed to capture their beginnings, a moment I hope people will look back on in the future.”
ELLIOTT BROWN, DIRECTOR
For South Summit, completing the Climbing The Summit project has put a nice cap on what has been a life-changing chapter of their lives as individuals and as a group of friends embarking on this wild ride together.
With a tour of Australia and New Zealand in support of Tales Of The Yeti still to come this summer, Climbing The Summit is a reminder of the power in their messages, and the fun that comes with a South Summit live experience.
“This documentary gives us an opportunity to tell our stories, share our messages, and showcase what we do behind the scenes on this crazy journey. We feel like this documentary lets people understand our journey with music, and what we want to be known for. We represent proud cultures throughout the band, but this is not the reason why we are here today. We are here for the love of music. The process was made super cruisy for us by the two guys who made it all happen. Big shoutout to Vince and Elliott for having the vision for the doco and all their hard work to make it happen!”
NATHAN OSBOURNE, SOUTH SUMMIT
To date, South Summit have accrued over 2 million streams across platforms, as well as widespread industry acclaim for their steadily growing body of work. Named as “ones to watch” by triple j in 2022, as well as “indie role models for reconciliation”, South Summit were quick to cement their reputation as a formidable champion of Australian rock music, off the back of multiple sold out shows on the West Coast, and an impressive entry to the East Coast and national festival circuit, performing at the likes of Falls Festival, BIGSOUND, NYE on the Hill, Springtime Festival and more.
Along with music, South Summit remain dedicated to the empowerment of First Nations peoples and communities, dedicating efforts to community outreach, including visits to schools, prisons and youth detention centres during NAIDOC Week; their music and activism work remaining intertwined in a natural way.