Summer Sounds: Saije & Sabine Tapia

On Saturday, December 13, under the beautiful elm tree at Roto House, Saije, an award-winning indie folk duo, will fill the air with soulful harmonies, dynamic guitar lines, and percussive breakdowns that breathe life into heartfelt stories. Their songwriting is crafted from the depths, with stirring melodies bound together by graceful lyricism, and through their multitasking techniques, the pair create a full-bodied sound enriched by flavours from their travels around the globe.

After being awarded Folk Alliance Australia’s ‘Young Artist of the Year 2019-2021’ at the National Folk Festival, SAIJE has toured extensively in Australia, throughout Canada in 2020 and most recently two 50-plus-date Europe and UK tours in 2023 and 2024, playing a plethora of sold-out performances and festival appearances, including at Woodford Folk Festival (AUS), Blue Mountains Music Festival (AUS), Doolin Folk Festival (IRE), Tribal Gathering (CZ), Magpies Nest (UK) and an Official Showcase at Folk Alliance International (US). They continue to uplift both national and international audiences through their unifying performances and a warmth that fills small halls and overflows from large festival stages.

They will be joined by the stunning Sabine Tapia, a singer, songwriter, and double bass player based in Sydney/Eora, Australia. Join her and guitarist Harley Coleman as they celebrate the release of her new single Where Are You Going from her upcoming EP.

A virtuoso songwriter, upright and electric bass player, and collaborator, Sabine lives and breathes music. Her songs feel as though they’ve been carved out of those all-too-rare quiet hours – reflective, personal, and intimate. They capture characters, relationships, and experiences like entries in a diary, without ever becoming self-effacing. Her music is nuanced but never overworked – folk-like and familiar, yet edged with something entirely her own.

Moving steadily and quietly through the noise of the world, distilling its essence with a wise, unflinching eye, Sabine’s ability to articulate poignant observations and evoke deep nostalgia is perfectly captured by Triple J’s Nick Findlay: “This is the song form of running into an amazing friend that you haven’t seen in years.”