Ben Salter

Ben Salter is one of Australia’s most highly regarded performers and songwriters. He makes eclectic, esoteric music that defies easy classification, drawing on elements of indie rock, folk, jazz, electronica, country and beyond whilst maintaining a coherent and inimitable melodic style that coalesces around Salter's powerful and emotive voice.

Salter has written and/or collaborated with artists including Marlon Williams, Vika & Linda Bull, Gareth Liddiard (The Drones/TFS), Emily Wurramara, Robert Scott (The Clean, The Bats), Mike Watt (The Minutemen, Porno For Pyros, The Stooges), Tim Rogers (You Am I), Liz Stringer, Bernard Fanning (Powderfinger), Julien Wilson, Mick Thomas (Weddings, Parties, Anything), and Dan Kelly. In June 2021 legendary Australian performers Vika & Linda Bull released Salter’s ‘My Heart Is In The Wrong Place’, as one of two singles from their sophomore album “The Wait”. It was written by Salter specifically for the duo.

Over the past two decades Salter has toured extensively throughout Australia and across the world, performing at venues ranging from the Australian High Commission in London, to outback pubs, Icelandic community halls, Japanese garages, Honolulu dive bars, Breton sheep farms, Swiss lounge rooms, and many more besides. Salter has supported a number of international touring acts including Built To Spill, The Counting Crows, Cat Power, J Mascis & The Violent Femmes. He has performed at festivals across Australia and the world including Dark Mofo, Queenscliff MF, Brunswick MF, Port Fairy, Queensland Music Festival, Binic and The Great Escape.

For the past two years Salter has been semi-permanently installed at Museum of Old & New Art in nipaluna/Hobart, writing, recording, collaborating and performing in his own studio within the museum, entitled Ben Salter Import Export. He has just concluded his second stint, which saw him spend 161 days over 9 months in total in the space, and record over 150 songs. He has thus far released eight albums worth of material recorded at the studio including last year's twenty-one words for happiness and recent releases Mayday and pierres. These are in addition to the thirty + albums Salter has already released both as a solo artist and with his various projects including The Gin Club, Giants of Science, The Wilson Pickers, The Young Liberals and Hownowmer.

The lyrics to Salter’s songs “West End Girls” & “You Me & The Sea” make up part of a permanent installation in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley Mall along with songs by The Saints, Railroad Gin and The Go-Betweens.