There is a specific kind of sensory overload that comes with a Tash Sultana show. You might know that, but as a Austrialian lover of music and culture, you might. However, you most likley are reading this and are more, or less a Hoosier, or someone from the midwest who rarly gets out on a Friday night let alone past the 465 Construction nightmare. Anyway, lets chat about Tash.

Tonight kicked off Indy Pride weekend with a crowd that felt entirely unmoored from the mundane realities of the Midwest, a sea of colorful characters vibrating under the heavy evening air. Brooklyn indie pop outfit Daisy The Great opened the night with their sharp, intricate vocal harmonies, offering a crisp contrast to the sprawling sonic waves that were about to take over the lawn. When Tash stepped up to their massive array of loop stations and instruments, the air immediately grew thick with a potent mix of heavy reggae rhythms and sun baked surf rock guitar lines. 

As a nonbinary force who built a career on the sheer grit of Melbourne street busking, Tash represents the exact kind of fierce, unfiltered authenticity that makes them a natural anchor for a Pride celebration. Honestly, this brand of hyper layered, improvisational jam session virtuosity is not my personal speed, as the endless looping can occasionally feel like watching someone build a house room by room instead of just letting you inside. Yet, personal taste aside, you cannot deny the sheer, staggering level of craftsmanship on display. Tash is a clinical master of their domain, constructing walls of sound entirely alone and executing a relentless high wire act that completely captivated the faithful out on the grass. They did an objectively incredible job holding a massive crowd in the palm of their hand, delivering a masterclass in independent musicianship even if it left a few of us standing firmly on the perimeter.

*Daisy The Great