Stripping your songs back to just vocals and guitar is risky business.
You have to have talent to be able to hold an audience captive with just your presence. If the songs don’t contain an emotional depth that your audience can relate to, people will quickly become bored.
For his current tour, Dan Sultan is playing a string of intimate solo shows.
Instead of Back To Basics, the tour could’ve been titled An Evening With Sultan – considering the unprecedented amount of intimacy rarely seen at a gig. The theatre’s ballroom was set up with tables, and punters had the option of dinner before the show – which added a bit of class to the event. It all seemed very adult, showing that Sultan is perhaps smoothing out some of his rougher edges.
When the man himself took the stage he wasn’t shy about confessing his nerves. Sultan’s hands seemed pretty shaky before explaining that the anxiety generally makes him especially chatty. In fact, Sultan probably spent more time talking about the songs than playing them. Normally this would’ve been pretty irritating, but he gave himself plenty of time to talk – forgoing a support act and playing two sets that were about an hour each.
Armed with two guitars, a keyboard, his voice, and disarming charm, Sultan swaggered his way through the two hours and showcased what he’s been working on in the US for his upcoming record, due early next year. Not forgetting his older and more familiar material, favourites from his previous two records were also given the stripped back treatment as Sultan closed the show with a version of ‘Old Fitzroy’ on piano.
Between each tune, Sultan told the stories behind his songs and records. It was a rare glimpse into the life and times of a musician. A lot of artists will never let people know what’s behind a song (perhaps because there’s nothing there?) postulating that they don’t want to ruin the ‘listening experience’ of finding your own meaning.
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At the end of a Dan Sultan show, you’ll feel a strong connection between the man and his music. A song that really hit home was ‘Kimberley Calling’, one that’s fast becoming a tour favourite. When introducing the ballad, Sultan told the story of visiting his grandmother’s grave in the Kimberley and spoke of the feeling of being called to the place. Emotions were high when his guitar and soulful voice filled the ballroom, and more than one audience member was brought to tears.
There’s a power to Sultan’s voice that seems to come from the strength of his stories and sense of purpose. This sense of purpose is strongly linked to his Indigenous heritage. The tour has also been a way to promote Rock For Recognition, a movement of artists calling for constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
Much in the tradition of Paul Kelly, Dan Sultan is a gifted storyteller and genuinely seems like an all-round good bloke. He has little to no pretensions. His main aim is to use his abundant love of music and the electric guitar to make the best possible music he can. Sultan may soon become one of Australia’s premier songwriters, and with backing from industry heavyweights Mushroom and Michael Parisi, 2014 is looking like a big year for him.
