RAISIN THE STAKES
Seldom does a day go by that Melbourne’s cluttered city streets aren’t awash in the quirky beats of a beatnik busker. No word of a lie, some of the world’s most soul-melting shoegaze and heart-thumping hip-hop are borne of the no-names that call the pavement home with a setup of secondhand kit – most often of the bootleg ilk.
But – and unjustly so – those local little legends rarely find their feet outside of the public arena. That top-hatted teen you saw tearing through the most beautiful “Hey There Delilah” cover you’d ever seen this side of an FG100? His future awaits in accounting, most likely. The harmonica-donning soul goddess that spends Sundays ripping through their melancholy won’t find herself on the mainstage at Bluesfest, and that mulleted maniac who busts the sickestBeastie Boys impression on Earth will probably remain a tradie ‘til their back gives out for good.
It’s a sad state of affairs that most buskers never break into the recorded music scene, a combined lack of opportunity and ability the most common barricades in their path. But when those dream-headed hopefuls do catch a break, their trajectory is almost always eruptive. Take for example Tash Sultana, who spent two years soaring from the streets to sold-out arenas without so much as a full-length album. It was their six-track Notion EP that lit the fuse on their firework, all songs self-recorded and produced with just a laptop, a looping setup and the drive to make waves.
“BUSKING ON THE STREET TOUGHENS YOU UP A LITTLE BIT”
Of course, Sultana was no mere aspirant when they first took to the stage. As they bluntly let us know back in 2016 (see: Australian Guitar #119), “Busking on the street toughens you up a little bit. I think it’s basic human psychology. I once had a guy try to physically abuse me, but he was very drunk so I just knocked him down. I called the cops, and then the cops came and chased him down. I’ve had bottles thrown at me… I’ve had a lot of different experiences with members of the public. The ghetto streets, mate… They’re not like Bourke Street.”
Vital was the fact that Sultana carved out a notably
