It was a warm night in the Twin Cities as the crowds were lining up outside The Palace Theatre in Saint Paul. I wasn’t familiar with Tash Sultana before this show was announced, but I was excited and had heard a lot about her from my brother, the photographer. I got inside and did my usual thing – found a spot to hide in the back and take notes.
Opening up for Tash we had someone who really has my attention now – Josh Cashman. The story goes that Cashman first picked up a guitar at the age of 11 and hasn’t stopped strumming and singing since. Legend has it, too, that this Australian indie artist wrote over 70 songs during the COVID shutdowns – so we were really excited to hear what this guy had to show us.
Simply put, Josh Cashman is a storyteller with an incredible voice and dreamy-like live sound that translates over from his studio sets so well; I was impressed and so was the venue that was now filling up with fans. Cashman’s most recent album dropped in 2020 titled Now I’m Twenty-Five which we did hear from, but you should also check out some of his recent hits such as “Dopamine” or “Dream My Life Away” – the latter being a collaboration with the shows headlining act.
One thing for sure is that Tash plays more instruments – like, a LOT more than Cashman and most people for that matter. To make her even cooler – she’s been playing the guitar since the age of three; the only thing I’ve been doing since the age of 3 is walking and I barely do that well still – I digress. Tash broke onto the scene in 2016 with her hit “Jungle” and has been grinding up until this tour with her most recent album being released in 2021 titled Terra Firma.
Tash came out on an island of sound – a platform with her at the center, decorated with a drum set, guitar, trumpet, and so much more when you throw in her beautiful vocals and thought-provoking lyrics. The stage itself was a piece of art with the visual backdrops that decorated Sultana and her music as she played through her set. I won’t lie – songs like “Mystik” and “Blackbird” just won’t get out of my head as I write this.
