Last Thursday saw Sounds and I her third appearance at nova‘S Red Room.
Fresh from the release of the second album Beautifully ordinaryThe singer from Frankston shone on an intimate stage at Brunswick’s Howler amidst a crowd of 400 happy superfans.
Don’t miss anything with our FREE daily newsletter
Tones’ new status as an Australian superstar has seen her stadium gigs rise. Her upcoming headline tour promises bombastic arrangements and will also be accompanied by a full choir of gospel singers. For the Red Room, however, she has gone back to acoustics – a throwback to her beginnings as a busker in Byron Bay.
“We know them, we love them,” said Novas Belle Jackson when she introduced the singer. After a Welcome to Country on behalf of Daniel RossTones entered the stage next to keyboarder Dave and guitarist Sam.
The singer wore a striking pink suit and leopard-print bandana during her performance, demonstrating the emotional power of her newer songs while reinterpreting older songs in a softer sound.
Tones’ voice has long been a point of contention for some, but without her typical pop production, she took center stage in a truly soulful way. “In my personal opinion, this is the way I like to perform,” said the singer after a piano interpretation of Cloudy daythe first song of the evening. “It’s so much fun that I get to do this.”
This was followed Find outa piece of gospel pop from Beautifully ordinary particularly suited to the softer tone of the Red Room Show. It was an emotional rollout: After riding a whirlwind of fame amidst the meteoric impact and aftermath of the mega-hit Dancing monkeyTones spoke openly that night about how the hateful aspects of her revelations have affected her.
“Everywhere I went, interviews, radio stations, everywhere I went, I thought – everyone hates me. It affected so much in my life and I was never like that before. When I was busking, I was full of life.” It was only earlier this year, around the time of her opening act for P!nk‘S P!NK Summer Carnival Tourthings started to change. “I don’t know what it was, but I started to see more love than hate.”
Nevertheless, Tones’ character was alive throughout. “There’s a little bit of Jameson in it,” she said as she held her tea out to the crowd and then simply asked if they wanted to hear I have never seen rain – which she then completed with runs that gave you goosebumps.
Amidst a mostly respectful crowd (one heckler shouted well-meaning but disruptive affirmations the whole time), the singer became more thoughtful about the Beautifully ordinary cut Sorrentowhich was written to tell the story of Davidher deceased grandfather.
“I played this song for the first time last night in front of my grandma, at a gig in Frankston. That was a week ago, the day before the album came out. ‘Grandma, I’m coming over, I’m bringing champagne.’ And I showed her this song and of course she was totally emotional. But she’s not crying. She’s a strong woman. Last night she cried. It’s the first time she’s cried since dad died.”
The song itself was just as melancholic: framed by folk guitar and warm piano, Sorrento captivated audiences with his retellings. The text, which mentioned fish and chips and football on the beach, was a refreshingly honest story of an everyday Australian legend. “It was an honest life / For an honest man.”
What came next needed no introduction, but Tones gave some explanations – and also made a few jokes – as he Dancing monkeythe hit that took her to new heights but unfairly defined her for many. “It’s a love/hate relationship with that song, but I’m stuck with it for the rest of my life,” she joked, before making it fun and funky with an arrangement that’s quite different from the original.
The singer ended the show with a highlight with the final number Fly awayand highlights her personal victories with an explicit change in the lyrics: “I dreamed about it my whole life and then I damn well did it.” The line from her first album had a powerful impact given that the hurtful aspects of her virality were behind her.
Tones has more vocal power than you’d give her credit for, but more importantly, her performance at the Red Room showed the heart of a true artist: someone willing to share her struggle and give her audience her absolute best.
Tones And I’s headline tour hits Australia and New Zealand August 17th – get your tickets Here.
