Live Review: Tash Sultana, Josh Cashman

Tash Sultana's gig at Mojos Bar Fremantle was an unforgettable night. With the venue packed to the brim and punters eagerly hugging the stage to catch a glimpse of the great Sultana, it felt a little unnatural as the venue was packed before the supporting act kicked off. 

Josh Cashman opened up with a hefty slice of pleasurable folk and swaying, reverbed production. Jangly and catchy, the Melbourne muso got the crowd jostling to some cool rhythms. Maintaining a cool and contained composure on stage, Cashman knew what he was doing. With the crowd attentively listening consistently throughout the set, it was safe to say the punters were impressed. Patience and Wishful Imagery were awesome tracks heard live in their light-hearted and bluesy forms.

The wait for Tash Sultana was finally over and the crowd were jubilant to see her emerge. With her equipment set up around the stage and a slew of guitars and mandolin placed nearby, the anticipation was all too real. Musically, the set felt seamless and not like a conventional gig. At times Sultana was deeply engrossed in a specific song she was performing, but then at other times she descended into a mad guitar solo.

Sultana is very much a modern day Mozart, approaching her instrumentation with creative insanity. Her gratitude toward the appreciative crowd was obvious, with many punters professing their love for her. Halfway through the set, Sultana thanked the woman responsible for finding her luggage while she was visiting Berlin and invited Sydnee Carter to the stage, asking the crowd to buy her beers - onya, Sydnee!

The most poignant moment was when Sultana dedicated a song to her grandfather who has sadly passed. Plucking on the heartstrings, it took a heavy dose of her funky bass lines to chase the blues away. Sultana finished up in an explosive, gaudy Western crescendo with Blackbird, intensely strumming up on stage to the last second.