Live Review: Tones And I @ Nova’s Red Room
Tones And I is more of a vocal powerhouse than she is given credit for.
Tones And I (Source: Supplied)
Last Thursday saw Tones And I make her third appearance at Nova’s Red Room.
Fresh off of the release of sophomore album Beautifully Ordinary, the Frankston-based singer shined on an intimate stage at Brunswick’s Howler amongst a crowd of 400 lucky superfans.
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Tones’ newly found status as an Australian mainstay has allowed her performances to jump to stadium heights. Her upcoming headline tour is set to boast bombastic arrangements with a full choir of gospel singers accompanying her to boot. But she pulled things back to acoustics for the Red Room – reminiscent of her come up as a busker on the streets of Byron Bay.
“We know her, we love her,” said Nova’s Belle Jackson as she introduced the singer. After a Welcome to Country on behalf of Daniel Ross, Tones joined the stage alongside keyboardist Dave and guitarist Sam.
The singer wore a flashy pink suit and a leopard-print bandana during a set that showcased the emotional potency of her newer songs while reimagining older ones in softer timbre.
Tones’ voice has long been divisive for some, but stripped from her typical pop production; it sat centre stage in truly soulful fashion. “In my personal opinion, this is how I love to perform,” said the singer after a piano rendition of Cloudy Day, the first song of the night. “This is so fun that I get to do this.”
Following on came Figure It Out, a slice of gospel pop from Beautifully Ordinary particularly suited for the softer touch of the Red Room show. It’s been an emotional rollout: having navigated a whirlwind of fame amongst the meteoric impact and fallout of megahit Dance Monkey, Tones was open on the night about how the hateful parts of her exposure have affected her.
“Everywhere I went, interviews, radio stations, anywhere I went, I thought - everyone hates me. It affected so much of my life and I was never like that before. When I was a busker, I was full of life.” Only earlier this year, around her time opening for P!nk’s P!NK Summer Carnival Tour, did things begin to turn around. “I don’t know what it was, but I started seeing more love than hate.”
Even so, Tones’ character was lively throughout. “There’s a little Jameson in this,” she said as she hovered her tea to the crowd before flatly asking him if they wanted to hear Never Seen The Rain – which she proceeded to nail with runs that left chills.
Amongst a mostly respectful crowd (one heckler yelled well-meaning but interruptive affirmations throughout), the singer became more reflective on the Beautifully Ordinary cut Sorrento, which was written to pay tribute to the story of David, her late grandfather.
“Last night, I played this song in front of my Nana for the first time at a show in Frankston. It was a week ago, one day before the album came out. ‘Nana, I’m coming over, I’m bringing champagne.’ And I showed her this song, and of course, she was super emotional. But she doesn’t cry. She’s a strong woman. Last night, she cried. It’s the first time she’s cried since Papa passed away.”
The song itself was just as melancholy: gardened by folksy guitar and warm piano, Sorrento held the crowd with its retellings. Mentioning fish and chips and footy at the beach, the lyrics were a refreshingly true blue story of an everyday Aussie legend. “It was an honest life / For an honest man.”
What came next needed no introduction, but Tones did engage in some explanation – and a little jesting – when leading into Dance Monkey, the hit that took her to new heights while unfairly defining her to many. “It’s a love-hate relationship with this song, but I’m stuck with it for the rest of my life,” she joked before keeping it fun and funky with an arrangement decidedly distinct from the original.
The singer ended on a high with the closing number Fly Away, electrically clarifying her personal victories with an explicit lyric change: “I dreamed it all my life, and then I fucking did it.” The line from her first album held stark power in the newfound context that the hurtful parts of her virality were behind her.
Tones is more of a vocal powerhouse than she is given credit for. But more importantly, her Red Room performance showed the heart of a true performer: someone willing to share their struggle and give the crowd their absolute all.
Tones And I’s headline tour hits Australia and New Zealand from August 17 on – catch tickets here.
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