Live Review: Dan Sultan, Stonefield, Way Of The Eagle

The Astor was packed out early for the sold-out performance by Melbourne blues rocker Dan Sultan as part of his massive national tour for his critically acclaimed third album Blackbird.

Looking suave in a bright white blazer and jeans, Melbourne musician and producer Jan Skubiszewski aka Way Of The Eagle got the night started with a solid DJ set featuring an energetic mix of hip-hop and RnB.

Up next was four-piece sister rock act Stonefield, who treated the crowd to a heavy dose of classic seventies hard rock, beginning with live favourite Black Water Rising. Lead singer Amy Findlay strutted about onstage while guitarist Hanna Findlay punched out the heavy riff before delivering the first of many blistering guitar solos. The band got into a spacey prog jam during Over and Over before keyboardist Sarah Findlay began playing the long, drawn out organ chords for To Whom It May Concern, with the band gradually building up the rhythm before Hanna let loose with another epic guitar solo which got a huge response from the audience. Amy got behind the kit for a few songs, bashing away at the skins like a mad man on To The Mountain before returning to the front to cap off the set with electrifying versions of Put Your Curse On Me and Through The Clover.

Looking infinitely cool as he came onstage draped in a leather jacket with hair slicked back like a fifties greaser, Dan Sultan and his band immediately kicked into Under Your Skin. Sultan whipped the crowd into a frenzy immediately with his biting guitar work and howling blues vocals, supported by the two horn players and keyboardist who added extra punch to the riff while the other band members laid down a solid rhythm. As the band grooved along on the blues shuffle of More Explanations, Sultan got the audience clapping along and dancing before dropping a screaming Hendrix-esque solo as the stage lights flickered on and off, illuminating the bands’ shadows as they dance across the ceiling. Sultan delivered a tender version of Love Is Just For Fools before playing a new unreleased song he wrote with Paul Kelly and a stellar version of Nobody Knows. The band returned to rock out with Sultan on Crazy before finishing with a thunderous version of Old Fitzroy and leaving the stage to a massive round of applause from the satisfied audience.