Dan Sultan

Leaving the band behind for his latest national tour, Dan Sultan brings his intimate solo show to Darwin this month as part of this year’s Garrmalang Festival, playing music from his latest album Killer.

You’re playing solo on this tour. When you’re playing at places like the Entertainment Centre, that means there’s a huge space to fill. Is that scary or exciting?
It’s both. It’s scary and exciting  to perform either way. It’s just a different type of scary – you’re always vulnerable as a performer.

On this tour you’ll be playing guitar and piano. How does that work on tour? Do you have to adapt to a new instrument at each gig?
We usually hire the same model of piano everywhere we go, so essen-tially it’s the same instrument and I don’t have to travel it.

Even though you don’t get to bring it with you on tour, what’s your favourite piano to play? 
Probably the one at my house. It’s an old piano – not particularly good but it’s got its own sound and it’s all mine.

After the huge success of Black-bird, it’s been great enjoying Killer over the last nine months. Which songs have you really been enjoy-ing performing off this album?
‘Reaction’ has been really good to play, and ‘Hold It Together’. There’s good crowd participation for both of those songs, which is always fun.

The last couple of times you’ve played at the Entertainment Centre you’ve mentioned your stint with the Nightcliff Tigers as a young fella. What position did you play? Was this the pinnacle of your sporting career?
I played fullback – and I wasn’t very good. It was a long time ago and I didn’t do anything very memorable. Was it the pinnacle? It was one of them. I can’t really remember much of it, I think we were ok.

SAT 26 MAY | 8PM DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE | 49 | $45 CONC | yourcentre.com.au