Sure, New York City boasts an influential music history and glut of live venues but it could always do with a little more Australian music in its diet.
Enter the Aussie BBQ, a mini-festival that transforms a slice of NYC's iconic Central Park into an escape Down Under - no passport necessary - with a line-up of established and up-and-coming acts complete with food vans offering meat pies and sausage rolls.
Taking place as part of NYC's long-running SummerStage festival, the Aussie BBQ's third New York edition brought out an impressively diverse and sizeable crowd on Saturday (17 June).
Friends splayed out space on picnic rugs, others relaxed on bleachers that formed a perimeter around the green Rumsey Playfield grounds. It was an idyllic scene where children (and even a few pets) frolicked amid the more dedicated festival-goers.
Chatting to the crowd revealed it to be a mixed bag: Some had come for one particular act (diehard Peach PRC fans were easy to spot down front with their fluffy cowboy hats and fabulous glitter), a healthy sprinkling of expats, and others were just curious and wandered in to see what this free gig had to offer.
Back home, we're fully aware of the strength of our homegrown talent. But does that translate on the other side of the world?
Judging by the surprised faces of folks discovering something new, punters, performers and organisers alike walked away from the Aussie BBQ satisfied in the belief that our country's music is world class.
Following a wonderful cultural exchange between Chief Curtis of the indigenous Lenape people and didgeridoo performer David Williams, L-FRESH The LION began turning the heat up early with his agile set.
Cultural identity is a central part of the MC's smart, charismatic bars, whether its repping his Sikh heritage or South West Sydney roots, and he was clearly enjoying the chance to flex that on this outdoor stage.
Though some of the cultural specifics of his lyrics might've been lost to some Americans, his passion and presence weren't lost in translation, particularly when pairing rattling beats with universal sentiments like 'Why blend in when you're born to stand out'.
Backed by an energetic DJ/singer and sporting a Tupac Shakur tee, L-FRESH also debut an empowering new song, 'Fly Above It', and paid tribute to NYC's rap titans, mixing Wu-Tang Clan's 'C.R.E.A.M.' with bars from 2Pac's 'Changes'.
It was a fitting nod given New York City is currently celebrating 50 years since the birth of hip hop. L-FRESH only demonstrates how far it has come as a global force, bringing it back to the place where it all started with his own distinctive spin on rap culture.
The audience grew by early evening, taking full advantage of the sprawling circular set-up that makes it dead easy to enjoy the performance from all angles.
It never got too crowded either, feeling full enough for a party but with plenty of space to wander up closer for a dance or mosh before escaping for a chat, a drink or a nibble.
Providing the perfect accompaniment to the early evening warmth is Budjerah and his feel-good R&B and vintage soul.
Having already enjoyed success at home (to the tune of two ARIAs, a NIMA and a sold out Sydney Opera House performance) Budjerah is just beginning to branch out overseas.
He's played North America before but the milestone of this performance isn't lost on him.
"It's not often you see a little Aboriginal boy onstage in New York City," he noted onstage.
"Actually, we've got three little Aboriginal boys on stage," he adds, referring to his backing band consisting of extended family members.
Taut as a tent rope, the four-piece provide a little more grit and muscle to Budjerah's sometimes-clean studio recordings and a sturdy foundation for the 21-year-old Coodjinburra man to flex his undeniable set of pipes.
It's a delight to see onlookers react to hearing him open his mouth, racing onstage to sing the first sky-scraping notes of 'Higher'. One group of women fan themselves, another rallies their picnic-bound friends for a closer look at the action.
Budjerah is coming into his own as a showman as well, whipping his arms and body to the punctuated rhythms of the music, running call-and-response routines with the audience and charming them with boy-next-door banter.
The soulful, easy-to-grasp grooves of 'What Should I Do' and 'Ready For The Sky' encourage plenty of movement while he elicits whoops of appreciation every time he scales another acrobatic vocal run.
He might make it sound effortless but the veins on his neck as he reaches for the next climactic money notes shows he's a classically physical singer, working up the necessary soul and sweat like he really means it.
The swaggering 'Therapy' - one of the year's most streamed Australian singles (partly thanks to a recent tour with Ed Sheeran) - sparks some recognition from audience members who mouth along to the words.
There's also the first airing of 'Video Game', a lovelorn ballad co-written with Meg Mac that allows Budjerah to slow down a little and stretch his pipes into dramatic shapes.
By the time he departs, he's certainly won over new admirers.
By early evening, clouds roll in and begin lightly weeping over a crowd who had only prepared for a balmy night. Sadly, it kills the event's momentum somewhat as folks retreat under cover or simply leave. That is except for the dedicated followers of queer pop fairy Peach PRC.
A legitimate TikTok sensation (2.1 million followers and counting) Peach's online popularity clearly translates into bodies at shows. Even this far from home, she's inspired fans to travel from interstate - as far as Washington D.C. and Alabama - for a chance to see their beloved pop idol and "sing more gay songs" as she jokes at one point.
Decked out in fairy wings and glass platform heels, she transforms the stage into her own pink paradise, performing selections from her chart topping Manic Dream Pixie EP accompanied by the kind of feverish screaming you usually get at a Taylor Swift concert. There's also the brilliant sight of someone hoisting a palm-sized Pomeranian above the crowd.
Filled with candy-coated choruses and frank accounts of toxic exes and sexual self-discovery, cuts like 'F U Goodbye' and 'Forever Drunk' hit with an enjoyably sugary rush while her popped-up take on Wheatus' 'Teenage Dirtbag' even brings some folks back out into the light drizzle.
Sharlee Curnow (as her passport reads) is clearly touched by the dedicated turnout and makes herself available side-of-stage after her performance to meet and take photos with her adoring followers.
As far as tonal shifts go, going from Peach PRC to 1300 is certainly a bold choice, but the Korean-Australian rap collective keep the crowd engaged with their bilingual bangers and confident stage presence.
Mixing the high energy attack of dance music with rap flair and an omnivorous approach to production, the visceral 'CARDIO!' and high-speed chase that is 'Woah Damn' are infectiously intense and offered a welcome energy boost as the evening transitioned into night.
Producer pokari.sweat held down the decks while MCs rako, goyo, DALI HART and Nerdie made spitting in multiple languages look easy, jockeying rhymes from bar-to-bar like an all-star basketball team.
They may be the youngest act on the bill but the "Spice Girls of Australian hip hop" are already earning a rep as a must-see act.
Just like their recent performances at Golden Plains and Spilt Milk festivals, 1300's Aussie BBQ show burnished their status as a surprise favourite on any bill they're booked for.
By contrast, Amy Shark is arguably the biggest drawcard of the line-up and an artist who's no stranger to American shores.
She's come a long way from first playing the Mercury Lounge six years ago, worried she was "never going to see your faces again" as she told the audience.
In that time, she's firmly established herself in Australia with indie-pop big enough to fill arenas and radio playlists but streaked with an angsty intimacy and relatable heart-on-sleeve honesty.
In the live setting, her chart-bothering anthems benefit from added edge - a little rougher and rockier. Special mention to her drummer, whose rapid-fire fills bring out the latent pop-punk quality to the fizzy 'Only Wanna Be With You'.
Working the crowd and cracking gags, Amy brings the stadium playbook, goading for louder sing-alongs and augmenting the mood of each number.
She gets feisty on 'Mess Her Up', knocking over her mic stand and mock-chasing the tech offstage after they've reset it, then leans into the tender twang of her Keith Urban duet 'Love Songs Ain't For Us'.
Later, she surprises with an astute cover of The Killers' deathless 'Mr Brightside' that earned the event's biggest singalong.
"That's a new one I wrote," she joked before talking up how much breakthrough hit 'Adore' still means to her before a rousing performance of the signature hit, which still hits where it counts all these years after crashing in at #2 in triple j's Hottest 100.
Exiting after performing the short-and-sharp 'I Said Hi', Amy Shark's international appeal is clear - she's an authentic performer with a set of charismatic songs that are simple to pick up and hard to put down.
Rounding out the show is a cracking performance from Spiderbait. Being the certified alt-rock legends that they are, it's easy to take the trio for granted.
For many of us, their crunchy crossbreed of fuzzy riffage, unimpeachable pop sensibilities and entertaining humour was a gateway to more complex musical outlets. But their simplicity remains their greatest strength and what makes them so instantly attractive to newcomers and long-term followers alike.
It's hard to separate the two camps as everyone becomes one pogoing, horns-aloft mass having a ball to classics like the quiet-loud explosions of 'Calypso', leather-studded stomp 'Shazam!' and the endearingly ridiculous hoedown 'Old Man Sam', which sees the band warp and tear the tempo into a game of 'is the song actually over?'
Drummer Kram is an inextinguishable presence, playfully hollering at the crowd to give them more energy as much as into the mic, while relatively reserved bassist Janet English and guitarist Damien Whitty are content to let him run the circus.
It's a dynamic that's always set Spiderbait apart from your average rock band,and the way they hammer out their hits means they're having just as much fun as the audience.
With the rain a distant memory and the darkness pierced by colourful lights, the band reminisce on it being "ages" since they toured the US (and have plans to do it again soon) before rounding out with a well-earned encore of 'Buy Me A Pony.
Before that however, David Williams returns to the stage for a blow on the yidaki as an introduction to 'Black Betty' - their 2004 Leadbelly cover that's become a hit once again thanks to becoming a viral trend on TikTok.
The weather could've been better and the changeovers between acts could have been speedier but ultimately that's nit-picking. The Aussie BBQ was a triumphant showcase of what we've got to offer not just Central Park but the world at large.
But don't just take our word for it, listen to Aussie music super-fan Andrew from Brooklyn, who could be spotted rocking out up front all evening.
"Australian music is truly singular in the entire world, I'll always support Australian music," said Andrew, sporting a vintage triple j legionnaire's hat with detachable 'Tune Rag'.
Ever since attending the early Aussie BBQs in Austin, Texas he's made the time to see and support any Australian artist that makes the gruelling flight out to his New York back yard.
"Amy Shark is a favourite of mine - seen her many, many times - but the chance to see Spiderbait for the first time? I'm beyond excited," he said.
"Them, Regurgitator, Powderfinger - that's just my favourite stuff in the world.
"Australia is one of the best music countries in the world. There's very few places on this planet that do it like Australia does.
"I'll tell it to anybody who listens from now until the day I die."
We could all use more Andrew from Brooklyns in our lives.
The writer was assisted to travel through the Australia Council for the Arts Music Writers Lab pilot bursary program 2023.