Live Review: Sinkane

The theatrical Spiegeltent was the perfect venue for the globally-sourced, Brooklyn-based jazz/Afro-beat/funk quartet, Sinkane, to perform their eclectic music to an equally eclectic crowd as part of this year's Sydney Festival.

Dressed in a vintage fashion T-shirt with a cool oversized hat and sipping a glass of white wine, effortlessly cool American-Sudanese lead man, Ahmed Gallab, thanked the crowd for coming out so early and supporting their third visit to Australia.

The intimate tent allowed the deep, bass-driven sounds to fill the room as the funky, reggae-influenced Jeeper Creeper opened the set. Gallab, best known for his solo work as a multi-instrumentalist for the likes of Yeasayer and Caribou, exhibited his famed skills by moving effortlessly between guitar, keys, samples and vocals as musical styles switched to the instrumentally heavy Lovesick.

More tracks from latest album Mars followed, including a sexy rendition of Lady C'mon accompanied by a great guitar solo. The bouncy, uplifting Warm Spell was a real hit before a new, unnamed track got its first ever live outing and got everyone out of their seats and dancing in the aisles.

The funky beats of Making Time and the Blaxploitation-era-influenced sounds of hit, Runnin', went down a treat, receiving whoops and cheers from the captivated crowd. It would have been great to hear some of the older, psychedelic instrumental tracks, like Blown from the second album, but overall, an inspiring and fun performance.