In a sellout performance at Melbourne’s Forum Theatre, Dan Sultan’s biggest hometown show was one to remember. Playing a string of new Australian rock’n’roll ballads from his third studio album, Blackbird, as well as some select old favourites for the old fans, its hard to judge who was having more fun – the audience, or the man of the hour himself.

Currently in the middle rung of his mammoth two month long national tour playing all major Australian cities, as well as a whole host of regional towns across the country, the soulful rock artist was supported by solo producer Way of the Eagle and fellow Victorian rock’n’roll four-piece Stonefield, Sultan’s confident, charismatic performance spoke volumes of how far he has progressed as a live performer.

No stranger to the pressures of playing one of Melbourne’s most beloved music venues, the now-seasoned musician confessed to the audience that during the last time he headlined at the Forum, four years ago in 2010, his nerves were too overbearing for him to personally enjoy the experience, so this time he wanted to have fun with it and make the most of the opportunity to interact on a personal level with his fans – and that’s exactly what he did.


Backed by his usual accompaniment of a full big band including brass and banjos, the night kicked off with an exuberant performance of ‘Make Me Slip’ followed by other upbeat Blackbird hits such as ‘Can’t Blame Me’ and ‘Under My Skin’ which showed off the artists incredible raw vocal range, as well as his undeniable energy all while battling through a cold that was quite obviously not going to deter him in the slightest from giving it his all (– and nor would it stop him from his commitment to “dry July”, which he reminded us of, many, many times).

First up in a series of surprise special guests, all four members of Kingswood joined Sultan onstage for support in back up vocals (and back up dancing!) for an extremely entertaining rendition of ‘Same Man’, much to the audience’s delight. The impressive guest list didn’t end there – renowned Spiderbait drummer Kram made a brief appearance alongside Sultan for a ripping cover of Nick Cave’s ‘Deanna’ that made the crowd roar.

Sultan slowed things down with softer songs like ‘Loving’s Just for Fools’ and ‘It Belongs to Us’ fully displaying his soulful side and the immense power behind the lyrics pertaining to his aboriginal heritage, but not before opening up to the audience and discussing his brief hiatus from the music industry due to his personal feelings of a lack of inspiration and motivation, something he has previously discussed publicly. Ever thankful to his family and close circle of friends, it appears these feelings have dissipated, as there was certainly no evidence of lack of inspiration here.


After an array of awe-inspiring instrumental solos from both Sultan and his backing band, the standout show wrapped up with crowd pleaser ‘Old Fitzroy’ and a few other old favourites before a home run encore performance of the Blackbird hit ‘Kimberley Calling’.

The show was a roaring success, and when you take into account Sultan’s recent list of accomplishments, it’s no surprise why. The release of Blackbird experienced a tidal wave of positive acclaim including a coveted place as Triple J’s feature album and a multitude of rave reviews from across the country. Impressively, the Aria award-winner has recently had the honor to open for Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band in their Melbourne and Hunter Valley shows – a massive step in his music career, but after years spent perfecting his art, his recent surplus of success is well and truly earned.

Check out photos to the gig here.

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