Friday 18 November
High School, Mullumbimby Music Festival
Tash Sultana is a force to be reckoned with. Close your eyes and you’d almost be forgiven for assuming there’s a full band behind her, however the multi-instrumentalist (she can play more than 10) layers and loops to create a full-bodied sound on a solo stage.
Playing a single set at the 9th Mullum Music Festival on Friday 18 November, Sultana filled the High School Hall with her own brand of indie electronic roots rock. The audience was young, but so is Sultana. The 21-year-old busker began filming her recordings in her room, and thanks to the power of the internet, as they say, the rest is history.
Playing new songs and tracks off her self-titled EP, it’s clear Sultana’s lyrics come from the heart. After diving into the depths of heartbreak, she brought the crowd back with a surprising pan-pipe solo-turned-beat box (clearly one of the many instruments and skills she’s mastered). Silence settled momentarily allowing everyone to grasp at her talent, but she came bursting back into the full-bodied loop sounds that are synonymously becoming the sound of Tash Sultana.
Notion sent waves through the crowd. Literally throwing herself between her multiple microphones, her guitar, and her drum pad and synths, Sultana looked like she could have been an ecstatic punter in the crowd – the genuine smile stayed put.
Sultana has exploded onto the scene and with the opening reggae bouncing loop of her hit Jungle, the crowd was falling at her feet. It was clear that her fan base is now on the rise.
Looking out into the crowd, Sultana said, “I’d have to say this is one of my favourite shows I’ve ever played” – a big call to make. The musician seems to be taking it all in her stride. Tash Sultana is in a category of her own. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Sultana’s name on headline banners in years – if not months – to come.
BY NADA VAN KEMPEN