November 26, 2023

Tash Sultana – Spark Arena: November 25, 2023

Tash Sultana mesmerized their fans at Auckland’s Spark Arena and then stunned them with an announcement that meant that this could be the last time we see Tash for a long while. The 13th Floor’s Gareth Mayhew reports back:

It’s always a little weird walking into Spark when it is in it’s free flow state – people who haven’t been there before don’t really know what to expect or what the protocol is. Same could be said for the people there to see Tash Sultana for the first time, but they were in for a mercurial, prodigal and sometimes brilliant show from the super talented Australian. Even if it is to be their last show for a while.

Jack Botts

Opening the night was Jack Botts and his guitarist Ben. They seemed genuinely stoked to be on stage, exchanging a number of fist bumps at the conclusion of their songs. They got some good momentum going and the crowd were even bopping along at a few points – Jack said he would be back and I have no doubt that will be the case.

Tash Sultana

Tash Sultana came out on stage after a montage of home video of them growing up, from a wee bub all the way up to shots of them busking on Burke St Mall in Melbourne where they really came to prominence.

Starting off solo building loops and building up the audience, Tash weaved a rich, albeit sometimes slightly discordant bed of sound, through Mystik and Cigarettes, before really hitting their stride with Pretty Lady. Tash was then joined by their band for a full on rock and sometimes EDM tinged set.

At the end of a mind blowing version of Fusion Jam, Tash dropped the news that they will be taking a break for the foreseeable future, specifically from touring. “You can’t take a shit on a tour bus!” Sultana confided in the crowd, “And I wanna be able to do that whenever I want!”. If the crowd wasn’t on their side before, they certainly were after this announcement. The band stepped off stage with a wave and Tash got back to doing what made them a super star, Tash is the band.

The main set finished of with a blazing version of Jungle, with Tash’s control of the loop pedal coming to the fore – reversals, reverb, multiple layers – and one of the most cathartic, intense guitar solos that I have seen grace the stage at Spark Arena.

The encore, which didn’t necessary seem like a fait accompli, was a twelve string masterclass in tension and release.

Here’s hoping the wait to hear from Tash isn’t too long, but more over they get the physical, emotional and spiritual rest they deserve.

Gareth Mayhew

Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Chris Zwaagdyk

Tash Sultana:

Jack Botts: