Review – Dan Sultan: Dirty Ground Tour
Dan Sultan leaves some of his rockier, stompier music and black Akubra behind for a quieter, more intimate gig in the Spiegeltent. Sultan stands alone: three guitars and a keyboard keeping him company.
The mood is befitting the tone of the EP Sultan is touring: Dirty Ground. It’s an introspective release, showcasing Sultan’s more soulful side. Highlights from the performance included the title track, Dirty Ground, the grippingly personal Man on TV and a stripped back, but still rousing version of Kimberly Calling. The handful of songs that Sultan performed at the keyboard landed well, with his brilliant voice closely complimenting the softer tones.
Aside from Sultan’s musicality, his skills as an orator shone through: his earnest personal stories connecting his songs to himself and one another were truly entertaining. Even without the characteristic stage-swagger Sultan often brings, he is a charismatic storyteller.
The fully seated crowd was appreciative and engaged, but perhaps not as engaged as they might have been if they could stand and sway along to Sultan’s lullabalic tunes.
The Dirty Ground Tour continues nationally through the NT, WA then off to the Eastern states and is well worth getting along to, to catch another side of an Australian artist well on his way to legend status.
