Born from the creative community of Dashville in the Hunter Valley, Magpie Diaries is led by songwriter Matt ‘Magpie’ Johnston. '

For Stars & Bars Festial Geelong, the group shifts into an intimate four-piece stand-up string-band mode featuring guitar, banjo, acoustic bass, mandolin, violin and close harmonies. The format brings the songs forward: warm, lived-in stories of love, loss, place and modern Australia, carried by a sound that moves between folk, country-rock and dreamy alternative country.

The set draws from the acclaimed 2018 debut Sanctuary, the 2025 follow-up Some Kind Of View and newly recorded material for a third album with the working title Down by the River. Some Kind Of View earned ABC Country feature-album support and strong year-end recognition, confirming Magpie Diaries as one of Australia’s most distinctive regional storytellers.