Tash Sultana – Return to My Roots – Live and Intimate One Night Only – Forum Theatre, Melbourne – Saturday 4 October 2025.
Review: Craig Eriksson. Photos: Jason Rosewarne
It had been six long years since Tash Sultana last headlined a show in Australia, and this one sold out in record time.
Opening the night was South Summit, a five-piece Perth band whose genre-blurring sound fuses reggae, hip-hop, R’n’B, soul, and indie rock into an irresistibly catchy whole. The Forum was already packed, and we had to work our way through the crowd to secure a good vantage point. From the first note, the band’s laidback groove was infectious. The band led us through a 30-minute set featuring Givin’ It Up, Take Me Down, River Days, Top of the Hill, Exceptional, and a wonderfully soulful take on The Police’s Roxanne. Offbeat accents, melodic guitars, and their rich, soulful vocals made it impossible not to drift along with the music.
Then, the main event , Tash’Sultana, Australia’s one-person band extraordinaire. Singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, Tash commands an astonishing array of instruments – acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin, trumpet, saxophone, flute, panpipes, synths, drum pads, loops, and effects pedals – all seamlessly woven into their live performances.
I first caught Tash ten years ago, supporting Jeff Martin (The Tea Party) at the Workers Club in Fitzroy. Martin had discovered them busking in Melbourne’s Bourke Street Mall, and invited them to open his show. That night, Tash left an indelible impression, one that has only grown over the ensuing decade.
On this night, Tash delivered a mesmerising two hour plus set that spanned their full career and latest material, complete with a spectacular laser-light show and cinematic visuals. Opening with the full band for the raw, dreamy Unleash the Rage from Return to the Roots (2025), the stage gradually filled with each band member before Tash finally appeared to a roaring crowd. From the very first note, their hypnotic vocals drew the audience into a trance, enhanced by psychedelic backscreen imagery, floating magic mushrooms, vivid colour washes, and the song’s lyrics creating a trippy, immersive experience.
Kiss the Sky followed, with its reggae-dub groove and Tash switching effortlessly between trumpet and guitar, before the emotional Hazard to Myself explored themes of mental health with angelic, raw vocals. The full band stayed on for the first five songs, including Greed (complete with US dollar bills projected on the screen) and Nights Over Egypt, a visual feast of pyramids and the Eye of Ra.
Tash then launched into a five-song solo set, beginning with Milk & Honey from Return to the Roots, showcasing their looping skills, seamless instrument transitions, and dynamic guitar work. Mystik followed, funky and free-flowing, with Tash moving effortlessly between guitar and saxophone. Elevated platforms at either end of the main stage highlighted both their guitar solos and saxophone performances. Notion (2016) was ethereal and deeply moving, while Jungle, the song that catapulted them to international fame had phones raised across the venue in unison. The solo set concluded with the breathtaking Pink Moon (Flow State, 2018), a performance that revealed Tash’s vocal purity and range, reminiscent of Katie Noonan at her most transcendent.
The full band returned for Crop Circles and Coma (Terra Firma, 2021), blending emotion with mesmerising guitar work, including a standout mandolin solo that hinted at influences from Jeff Martin. The dreamy Ain’t It Kinda Funny (Return to the Roots, 2025), featuring a Dallas Green duet, drew a knowing smile from Tash as lyrics marking the passage of time, “One minute you’re 19 and next you’re 29” flashed across the screen.
For the encore, Tash performed Blackbird (Flow State, 2018), a masterclass in guitar virtuosity. Using a 12-string setup, finger-tapping, and tremolo effects, Tash created an ambient, almost otherworldly soundscape, their voice moving from whispered intimacy to cosmic, soaring crescendos.
Leaving the Forum, it was clear… Tash Sultana has evolved from street busker to international phenomenon. This was a breathtaking, passionate, and intensely physical performance, a celebration of musicianship, innovation, and pure, unfiltered artistry.
