Bubbling with enthusiasm and frantic, nervous banter, Schneider took the stage alone with his acoustic guitar in the closest moment Australian audiences have had of seeing the Apples, who’ve never toured Australia in their seventeen-year existence.

Though lacking the lo-fi fuzzed-up backing of his usual entourage of co-members and restricting any occasional forays into psych or electronic territory, Schneider treated the audience to a set of stripped-back “mellow jams” from the mighty Apples back-catalog. She’s Just Like Me/Taking Time was an early winner, perfectly suited for a solo adaptation. Schneider kept chatting through the set, delightfully relating dreams, song origins and self-deprecating anecdotes. The presence of Ben Mason from early supports The Smallgoods, joining the stage mid-set, added a little dynamism to the set, memorably projecting Skyway and the lush Strawberryfire, Schneider’s ode to – œStrawberry Fields Forever’.

While their twee leanings and obvious Beatles and Beach Boys influences may irk some in the same way people have been driven to violently destroy Belle & Sebastian records, the Apples write endearing, unashamed pop to make you smile, peppered with bee-bops, uh-uhs and exuberant echoed refrains that remain with you all day. Schneider’s honey vocals and whimsical lyrics are heart-warming, though they do flirt dangerously with trespassing into “cute” territory.

Closing with the joyous Energy (recognisable to many after being used in a TV advertisement for a gas and electricity company) Schneider brings an infectious message of positivity; “The whole world is made of energy/ And there’s a light inside of you/ And there’s a light inside of me,” and you can’t help but believe him.