Sunset gigs at the Newcastle Ocean Baths

Newcastle's heritage-listed ocean baths have spent the last few days doing something they weren't built for: hosting a series of sunset gigs. SOAK: Live at the Baths is the music arm of New Annual, the ten-day arts festival that has been taking over the CBD since 25 September, and it's turned the old swimming spot into a temporary open-air concert hall. The premise is simple: an hour of music as the sun goes down, free and open to everyone.

The weekend opened with Hermitude on Saturday 26 September, backed by Claire O'Brien. For anyone who knows the duo, the name carries some weight — Angus Stuart and Luke Dubber have been working as El Gusto and Luke Dubs since 2000, and their 2012 album HyperParadise took home the Australian Music Prize. They're the kind of act that plays live with samplers, keyboards and turntables rather than just pressing play, which is half the draw when you're standing on the edge of the water.

Sunday was the casualty of the weather, though. The Tide That Brought You In was supposed to be a big ensemble night, with Steph Russell, Grace Aberhart, Sophie Hawthorne, Freyja Garbett, The Illume Girls, Jayden Kitchener-Waters, Vienna LaPalma McVernon, Saylor and Pa777ience all on the bill, but the elements won out and the whole thing was called off. It's the risk you take with a free outdoor series, and it's why the organisers ask people to keep an eye on the forecast before heading down.

There's still plenty left if you've been waiting. Friday 2 October brings Kobie Dee, a Gomeroi artist, alongside 92WRLD, and Saturday 3 October closes things out with Karen Lee Andrews, who comes from a Polynesian background. Both are the usual hour-long slots, 5:30pm to 6:30pm, so the plan is the same as always: arrive early, pack a picnic, and settle in as the light drops. The baths are wheelchair accessible with accessible amenities on site, so it's an easy gig for families and groups.

Behind the scenes, the programming is the work of Tim Levinson, better known as Urthboy, with a hand from Matt Field and Katerina Skoumbas. Levinson is a founding member of The Herd and runs the Elefant Traks label, and he's been a fixture of Australian hip-hop for years — in 2008, as part of The GetUp Mob, he helped raise nearly A$100,000 for Indigenous health and education programs with a cover of From Little Things Big Things Grow.

SOAK is only one part of the bigger picture. New Annual runs right through to 4 October, and the rest of the festival is free too, from the First Night Art Party on Laman Street to the MUSE exhibition by Angela Tiatia at the Newcastle Art Gallery, which stays up well past the festival. If you've been meaning to catch a gig by the water without spending a cent, the next few nights are your window. Just remember to pack a picnic and leave a bit of time to get down there before the sun dips.