Melbourne’s got it pretty good when it comes to music. Take a gander at any overseas lineup and be bombarded with a bunch of artists who played their first gig down the road.
Aussies get noticed on the world stage because we do things a little differently — acts like Tash Sultana are never afraid to veer away from the norm, and people are loving it.
It’s been a minute since Sultana has hit a Melbourne stage, so we caught up with the luminary to chat about touring, music and plenty more.
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“I haven’t done any touring in Australia since 2019 or so,” Sultana notes. “I’ve just been overseas for the whole time, and honestly, I’ve been waiting to come back to Australia”.
For anyone who’s been lucky enough to experience a live Tash Sultana set, you’d know that it’s a lost-for-words experience. With the tour receiving rave reviews over in the States, Sultana notes it’s ready for an overhaul.
“We’re ready for a full overhaul actually, to be honest, Australia hasn’t seen the show that I’ve been doing for the last couple of years.
“It’s a different show, and it’s going to change again, because I’m at the end of a cycle now, just doing some shows for the fun of it, and I am recording new music now anyway, so it’s just the fucking revolving cyclical door of being an artist.
“And for me, as long as I’m selling tickets for my live shows for the rest of my life. I don’t really give a fuck about [awards] or number ones or any of that. My whole thing is come and watch the music be created in front of you. I think that that’s the bit that I’ve been able to maintain, and I want to keep it that way”.
For an artist like Sultana, it’s always interesting to understand the creative process. Each song we hear from them takes us on an emotional journey.
“My ultimate goal is that I really want to like everything forever that I put out. So I want to be my music’s number one fan when I’m creating it and playing it and recording it and all of that.
“I want to be able to maintain that feeling for years to come. I think that’s important. Like, you know, the songs that people really want to hear usually are an artist’s least favourite track that they’ve written.
“So you owe that to your fans in a live setting. Why not recreate at a show so that you connect to it again in a different way? Like Fleetwood Mac have been playing fucking ‘Don’t Stop’ for over 50 years. I think they might be sick of it.” Sultana adds with a laugh.
“They gotta fall in love with it again. That’s me with ‘Jungle’. I play it differently every single night, live based on how I feel with the crowd that night. And it keeps it interesting, keeps it fun.”
Tash Sultana is no stranger to an outdoor show; they’ve popped up on many an Aussie festival lineup to lots of positive acclaim.
“I think I prefer playing outdoors. You have more control on the sound, but you have less control on the lights, obviously, depending on what time of the day that you’re on the stage.
I think there’s something different about an open air gig where people are blazing in that space because they’re outdoors. It’s just also like a little bit of a cultural difference.
“Like I played shows literally all around the world, and that’s the most interesting bit, is there’s a huge cultural element to how people present themselves as punters at a gig, like playing a gig in Japan, they were so polite.
“You know, no one was screaming shit in between songs. It was like, just so quiet. And then at the end of the song, everyone would be going crazy, and it’s like, oh, that’s hectic. Because, like in Australia, you’ve got people throwing fucking shoes at you to do a shoey… it’s just a really different world. So I think the best part is always the first show in a new place”.
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Sultana has also recently ventured into the charity space, their I Am Me Foundation supporting young people with gender transitions.
“It gives me the ability to be able to change people’s lives in a way that they can’t access here, or that they can’t afford here. I believe in gender affirming care, because I am in that zone, and that just gives me a whole purpose to continue playing.
“Because it’s like, “what’s it for?” It’s for the fans, right? And I’ve got all I need. So what am I doing it for? And now it’s kind of like a little bit of a reignited way to continue my career is the give back part of things.
“I think if you’re at this level, you gotta be doing something if you’ve got all you need, and you’re just doing things because you can. Like, why not give back in a way?”
Tash Sultana plays Live At The Gardens on Sunday 24 November. Presented by ALWAYS LIVE and Roundhouse Entertainment. Tickets can be purchased here
