Australian singer-songwriter Dan Sultan has cancelled all of his upcoming performances after being charged for an alleged indecent assault in 2008.
Sultan was scheduled to play as part of a Highway to Hell AC/DC tribute gig at Perth Festival next month, but organisers issued a statement yesterday (February 24) saying that “due to current circumstances Dan Sultan has cancelled all current performance commitments.”
“He will allow the legal process to take its course before making any further comment.”
Sultan was also scheduled to play a benefit concert organised by the Seed Fund with John Butler and Kasey Chamber, as well as the Port Fairy Folk Festival, in March and April respectively. Port Fairy Folk Festival issued a practically identical statement to Perth Festival to NME Australia this morning. Seed Fund said the show would still go ahead without Sultan, with a replacement act to be announced this afternoon via their Instagram.
As first reported by The Daily Telegraph (in an article that requires a paid subscription to access) on Sunday (February 23), Sultan has been charged to appear in Melbourne’s Magistrates Court in March.
In a statement given to NME Australia this morning, Victorian Police were unable to confirm Sultan had been charged but said “Fawkner Sexual Offence and Child Abuse Investigation team detectives have charged a 36-year-old man following a sexual assault that occurred in Coburg in September 2008”.
“A man from Connells Point, News South Wales has been charged with one count of indecent assault. He was summonsed to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 16 March 2020.”
NME Australia will update this story.