If you’re not new to the festival scene, you know Tash Sultana. We discovered the multi-instrumentalist and producer during their circuit in 2018 as a one-person band. Since then, Tash’s career skyrocketed and they have released an impressive collection of songs; most recently their Return To Roots EP.
Tash Sultana has been on the road throughout this spring, and we had the pleasure of joining them with their band in Sacramento’s Hard Rock Live. Keep reading to hear our thoughts about the performance…
The first thing fans will take note of upon entering the venue, would be the array of the instruments that take center stage. While Tash Sultana now performs with a band, they aren’t without a collection of instruments of their own. Incense curled upward in quiet reverence beside a saxophone, keys, and several guitars on stands.
Tash opened the night with songs from the latest EP; including personal favorite, “Hazard To Myself.” They switched seamlessly between instruments. But most importantly, they brought a raw physicality to the music that continued to build in intensity throughout the night.
The saxophone emerged for a reimagined cover of “Baker Street” that Tash played throughout the night to a fast-paced drum beat. Lasers were strewn across the stage from that moment on. They flowed their medley into “Milk & Honey,” then “Mystik.” When Tash began playing the intro to the track, the audience roared. Not a single body remained unmoved from its spell.
Tash took a moment of brief pause after the song ended.
Now, this time has been really, really hard.
Due to what’s going on in the state right now, half the people showed up tonight who bought tickets because they don’t want to be out in public. Same for last night. Heaps of people didn’t come because they were too scared with what’s going on right now, which is really sad. I feel for you guys to be f***ing going through this bulls**t at the moment. I’m not going to talk politics. That’s not what I’m here for. But what I want to say is that I’m really happy that you came to see the show.
I feel like at the moment we’re living in a world that’s just trying to divide the f*** out of people for no reason. It doesn’t have to be so d**n hard, you know what I mean? Like, you guys all came here tonight and look at you. You’re all completely different. You’re all completely different ages, you’re all completely different races, you’re different genders. And that’s called coexisting, right? Coexisting peacefully.
They then stated they’d be taking us down memory lane for a moment before opening into “Notion” and “Jungle.” Both tracks were reimagined, refreshed, and renewed. They’d all wizened over the years with vocals taking a front stage. After the ending of “Jungle,” Tash took a moment to comment as people shuffled in the crowd. “People leaving already? Is that because ‘Jungle’ already played?” Fans laughed. “I swear I’m gonna stop playing that song one day as a big-” they flipped a middle finger in a vague direction, at no one in particular. But just when we thought they’d leave the conversation at that, Tash continued.
I can’t imagine how tired Fleetwood Mac are of playing “The Chain”… but if you buy your tickets to see them you’re gonna wanna hear it live. It’s a sick song.
“Jungle” is a sick song. I’m amazed with what it did for my career. But if you let one thing define your story, you’re never gonna find out what’s next.
Tash played the opening chords for “Pink Moon” and the lights faded to a soft pink. Afterward, “Crop Circles.” They ended their main performance with another new track-“Ain’t It Kinda Funny”- where the words “one minute you’re 19 and next you’re 29” stood out to us, as Tash smiled, and mentioned it’d be their thirtieth birthday in just a couple of days.
Most encores are expected if you attend enough shows. However, nothing could prepare us for what came next. Most artists play their popular songs at this time to sate the appetites of their fans at last. However, with many of their popular tracks already played, we didn’t know what was next.
The first strum of Tash’s twelve-stringed guitar revealed the true secret. The best song of the night had just begun. If you’ve never heard of their song “Blackbird,” now’s the time to change that. It is undoubtedly the best display of Tash’s skills with a guitar; and they played the track so effortlessly, they left us begging for more by the song’s end.
This is my second last show in my twenties. I’ll be thirty in a couple of days. Honestly, I feel the best that I ever have. I feel the strongest, the fittest, the sharpest ever. And I hope you can feel that and hear that in the music. New music, old music, same beat with many different chapters.
Stay tuned for more from Tash Sultana! We’re looking forward to what they have going on next.
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