Reviewed on Tuesday December 1
On the road with OpenLIVE, his new album recorded at Melbourne’s National Theatre, Dan Sultan took to the stage without a support or backing band. It was an intimate, back-to-basics gig. And the three-time ARIA Award-winning artist’s take on blues and alt-rock was nothing but mesmerising.
A relaxed and chipper Sultan opened with new song, ‘Burn’. Whole-hearted and emotional, this up-tempo toe-tapper set the tone for the evening. It wasn’t long before the sell-out crowd was up and moving.
Sultan then took it down a notch with ‘Sorrowbound’. The song’s candid lyrics and pared-back melody evoked the quiet realisation that a relationship had failed.
‘On The Leffy’ is a song that was inspired by a recent trip to Dublin. Sultan preceded it with an anecdote of walking along the Liffey River before asking a local for directions to a pub across the water. The recounted exchange included a hilariously spot-on Dublin accent. The tune, however, does not reflect such a cheery sentiment. Co-written with Paul Kelly, it has the poignant refrain, ‘I never thought I would miss you / Till I missed you’.
The performance of ‘It Belongs To Us’ was one of the great revelations of the night. On the album Blackbird, it’s performed on acoustic guitar. Here, however, Sultan shifted it to synth. This simple change transformed the love song from a drivetime thumper to tender and soulful. It garnered much hoo-ha from the crowd.
‘Kimberley Calling’ was nothing short of impassioned. Sultan’s voice soared as he told the deeply personal story of his journey to find his grandmother’s grave in Western Australia.
The highlight of the night, however, was the emotional ‘Crazy’. Taking it from his second album Get Out While You Can, Sultan’s range was on full display. Indeed, he effortlessly oscillated between loud and gentle, strength and vulnerability.
It is a testament to his skill as a performer that Sultan was able to command his surrounds without support. With rich, raw vocals, emotive lyrics, and a seductively, puckish sense of humour, he is simply a joy to watch onstage. It truly is crazy to think that he’s not a household name yet. By way of a closing message, he promised to record a new studio album next year. Can’t wait.
