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Tash Sultana Homecoming Tour This November/December

admin — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 05:44:03 +0000

Undoubtedly Australia’s quickest rising star of the last two years, Tash Sultana has announced a handful of her biggest shows to date! Sailing in the wake of a recently sold-out world tour, this will be the last chance to witness her mercurial talents until the end of 2018, as Tash bunkers down to write and record one of the most anticipated debut albums in recent memory.

Moving through arena sized venues, starting at the Adelaide Entertainment Theatre on the 18th November, continuing to the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney on the 1st December and finishing up in her home town of Melbourne at the Margaret Court Arena on the 14th December. She will be joined by likeminded strummers Pierce Brothers and forest ravers Willow Beats for a celebration of musical freedom and instrumental virtuosity.

Tash Sultana has spent the last 18 months collecting fans and selling out shows worldwide in what can only be described as a whirlwind of activity. Riding high on the back of her singles ‘Jungle’, ‘Notion’ and ‘Murder To The Mind’, the accolades have come thick and fast. She landed at number 3 in last year’s triple j Hottest 100 (picking up the Unearthed J Award on the way through), fixed herself in the top 10 of the ARIA chart with her Notion EP and has watched the view count on her YouTube channel rocket into the millions.

Returning home for another victory lap before focusing her attention on that all important debut record, these standalone performances (no extra shows will be added to this tour) will serve as a benchmark to just how much Sultana has achieved since she was first noticed busking amongst Melbourne’s humming CBD. Solo on the stage, as she was on the street, Sultana has a rare ability to create wholly intimate atmospheres, even in the largest of spaces. A diminutive figure equipped with searing confidence and incredible skill, Sultana utilises her self-taught skills on several instruments (guitar, horns, drums) to compliment her powerfully exotic voice and build a truly intoxicating on-stage atmosphere.

Also appearing at these landmark shows are fellow former buskers Pierce Brothers. Forging a similar path to Sultana, this brotherly duo has garnered considerable buzz worldwide for their high energy performances and virtuosic skills. Their latest EP The Records Were Ours came in at #9 on the ARIA chart after topping the iTunes charts across the globe. Opening up will be Melbourne based free spirits Willow Beats, an uncle-niece partnership who will provide glorious, tropical rave pop.

Tash Sultana Homecoming Tour This November/December
November 18 – Adelaide Entertainment Theatre, Adelaide
December 01 – Hordern Pavilion, Sydney
December 07 – Freo Arts Centre, Fremantle
December 09 – 3 Oceans Winery, Margaret River
December 14 – Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne
December 16 – Noosa AFL Grounds, Noosa
www.tashsultana.com

Whiplash Movie Review

admin — Tue, 30 Dec 2014 11:53:15 +0000

Every now and then a film comes along that reorganizes your mind in regards to the obtainable level of acting performance. It forces you to raise the bar in your mind and reassess how powerful the art form known as acting can be. The film Whiplash provides just such an example.

The story of a young prodigy musician joining a demanding music school and running headlong into its most obsessive teacher becomes the canvas on which actors J.K. Simmons and Miles Teller paint one of the most vibrant images in recent memory. Teller is the obsessive drummer with a fixation on jazz icon Buddy Rich and Simmons, the teacher with an eye on transcendence and the demands to accomplish it.

Compliments also go out to writer – director Damien Chazelle who doesn’t waste a single frame as he lets these two protagonists lock horns and egos. Chazelle has succeeded magnificently in transforming Whiplash from an award winning short film to a long player that if there is any real justice will feature most prominently in next year’s Oscar race.

Few films are truly worthy of receiving such universal acclaim and becoming such a necessity to see for both friends of film and observers of the human condition. Whiplash is must see cinema.

Rob Hudson
http://sonyclassics.com/whiplash/

Soft Machine Legacy – Burden Of Proof Album Review

admin — Mon, 19 May 2014 20:30:58 +0000

Strange things happen if a band stays around too long.

Many are the bands that burn bright in their heyday only to break up and then reform for not much more than a paycheck. Then there are the ones that get back together because they still have something musical to say. Soft Machine Legacy are definitely in that latter camp. Also in respect to the former band members, the group has added legacy to their moniker to help distinguish between the past and the present.

Originally formed in Canterbury, England, the band was a forerunner to the progressive rock movement back in the sixties. They have a back catalogue imbued with wild unpredictability and musical adventurism and their present history and musical output is no less invigorating.

Building a sonic identity on a core line-up of bass, guitar and drums with the addition of a very talented multi-instrumentalist (in this case Theo Travis) who brings sax, flute and keyboards to the mix, gives the group the ability to go almost anywhere on the musical map. On Burden Of Proof they take full advantage of this opportunity.

The title track starts things off with the luminescent sparkle of Fender Rhodes notes and then builds and builds. Add the layering of sax notes and a bass line that is propulsive but completely in the pocket and the song continues its evolution. Include some deliciously clean guitar tones and you have an opening that is almost impossible not to jump through.

There are moments of quiet reflection (Kitto, Kings and Queens and set closer They Landed On A Hill), sleazy guitar and sax duets (Pie Chart) and even some crazy Jazz riffing (The Brief). Regardless of the genre tackled the playing is on point and the interplay between the musicians is sublime. There is also a sparseness to the production that is very inviting. The players understand that not every frequency needs to be filled with notes, so the notes they play stand out even more.

Burden Of Proof is a strong illustration that Soft Machine Legacy is a welcome addition to a current musical landscape that can use all the adventurist activity it can find.

Rob Hudson