Dan Sultan @ Beck's Music Box(25/02/2010)

Wed 3rd Mar, 2010 in Gig Reviews

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Let Dan Sultan seduce you. Seriously. Because while you may have your reservations due to all the hype surrounding a sole man – he will win you over. The coolest of characters on the Beck’s Music Box stage, sporting a white tee and tatts, Sultan is sexy as hell. It didn’t take him long at all to convince a sweating and expectant Perth crowd that he is more than deserving of the labels that he has been tagged with of late.

Opening with the beautiful Come Home Tonight, the sultry, smooth blues quality of Sultan’s vocals cut through the sticky air and Scott Wilson on guitar provided that wonderful country-style twang. People were melting, not only from the stifling heat, but from the complete sincerity Sultan was able to convey on stage. His honesty carried through to his easy and slightly shy banter with a super-responsive audience. He prepped punters for the punchy I Like It with an upfront warning “You paid your money, you can do what you like…but I’m gonna dance!”

And dance he did. The comparisons being made between Sultan and Elvis are flying fast – and they are true. Well, true for both set of hips, at the very least. Every thrust of the pelvis, swing of the hips and shake of the legs got the Beck’s crowd moving and a-shaking, with a few aptly doing the twist in the front row. The boogie down continued through songs like Fear of Flying and Cadillac and a Mustang, the former absolutely stinking of Johnny Cash. In a good way (is there any other way?)

The Triple J played Letter was one of many crowd favourites, bringing old school rock and roll back to the live music scene. You could not squash more energy in to a can of Red Bull, with Sultan rocking out like a schoolboy in front of the mirror and the speakers blasting loud.

What is so striking about Sultan is that he is utterly Australian. His sound, his look, his easy chatter and his bounding energy all come with a trademark Aussie grin; ever the larrikin. But, as Marcia Hynes would say, his vibrant set contained the necessary “light and shade” to keep it intriguing. Old Fitzroy, about his hometown, brought the tempo down, as did Paul Kelly and Kevin Carmody’s This Land Is Mine -a fitting choice.

It was at this particularly poignant moment that the set started to suffer from the ultimate live show demon: levels. The levels were too low on his mic, and even some not-so-covert baseball style signals only slightly improved the sound. It was a struggle to hear Sultan’s powerful voice over the band, which is saying a lot for a man who can roar like Jimmy Barnes. When it was allowed to come through in the quieter moments, Sultan’s voice was commanding – but when Wilson on lead guitar could be heard far more clearly than the man of the night, well, then you know there is a teeny, tiny problem.

Sultan’s charm is that of the Australian everyman – he had fans bringing him beers from the bar, out of their own pocket. That is just how likeable Dan Sultan is. And sure, he can belt out a tune. And if he wiggles his hips? Fellas, lock up your wives!

But above all of that, Sultan truly is an artist far beyond his time. Voices is testament to this fact. It seems almost impossible that a song of this calibre could have been borne in the current disposable music landscape. It was a clear highlight, but second only to the magic of the indigenous ballad I Will Love You.

A bunch of cheery, dancing and sweltering Perth punters have never been so silent and still as they were while listening to the moving final encore of Sultan’s set. Time seemed to stop and each person could surely hear their hearts beating with Sultan’s raw, but melodic voice floating out into the hot summer night. You will never hear a prettier nor tenderer song anywhere.

So, the consensus? While Presley, Cash (and to a lesser extent, Barnesey) are pretty gigantic names to throw around, when it comes to Sultan these labels, at least, are right on the money. Old school rock ‘n’ roll is back! Thank god… If you want a rollicking set, with grit and beauty – go see Dan Sultan. In fact, go see him regardless. As soon as you can.

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