It was one of those gigs where it was difficult to decipher who was enjoying themselves more; the punters enthralled with Donnelly's brutally honest and intelligent lyrics; or the musicians on stage, who were celebrating the final night of a national album tour.

It was hilarious. It was sarcastic. It was, sometimes, emotional. And at other times, unapologetically political.

Back in March the 27-year-old released her debut album Beware Of The Dogs - one of best Australian records released this year.

Donnelly's ability to encapsulate the feelings of many 20-something Australian women across issues of sexual assault, abortion, employment, politics and relationships has understandably made her one of the most impressive songwriters of her generation.

After Sunday night's performance it's clear Donnelly possesses the performance chops to do her songs, and their messages, justice.

Donnelly spent almost a decade working in covers bands around Perth before finding her niche as a singer-songwriter. That experience was evident in her ability to entertain the crowd.

While some of her contemporaries like Thelma Plum have appeared uncomfortable on stage, Donnelly could have been performing in her own lounge room.

Even before Donnelly's set began she appeared on stage to provide backing vocals for support band Jade Imagine on their song The News.

The Fremantle-raised artist had never performed in Newcastle before, her only other visit to the Hunter coming when she supported John Butler and Missy Higgins at Pokolbin's Bimbadgen in February.

Fremantle and Newcastle's shared existence as port cities in the shadow of their state capitals, obviously made Donnelly feel right at home.

"I heard Newcastle is the Fremantle of the east coast," she said. "Now, that's a compliment. Fremantle's awesome."

For the opening six songs it was Donnelly, mostly alone with her electric guitar and that angelic voice which drips of Australian twang.

The crowd were respectful - either singing or listening to Donnelly's lyrics. Early single Mechanical Bull was a powerful statement of intent, as was the politically-charged Beware Of The Dogs.

The stripped-back version allowed Donnnelly's lyrics of, "There's no Parliament/ Worthy of this countryside/ All these pious f--ks/ Taking from the 99", to land with greater bark.

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However, the pace and atmosphere became lighter when Donnelly was finally joined on stage by her four-piece band.

On the '80s-style indie-pop song Old Man Donnelly hammed it up with cheesy rock star poses with guitarist George Foster and then on the sugary Die she delivered a comical dance routine of jogging, crab fingers and disco arms.

Donnelly also showed off her quick wit when introducing the drum machine-driven Bistro, which she said proved she'd become an EDM artist. "If you like Diplo and Darude's Sandstorm, this is for you."

But as quickly as she could deliver a joke and a broad smile, Donnelly wasn't afraid to make strong political points.

Before singing Watching Telly, written while she was in Ireland during the staunchly-Catholic country's historic referendum to repel bans on abortion last year, Donnelly said, "no religious or government body has the right to tell anyone what they can do with their bodies," to a loud applause.

Then on her most powerful track Boys Will Be Boys, she criticised the culture that allows women to feel responsible when they're sexually assaulted.

Donnelly performed her signature song alone and with utter conviction. It created a mass singalong and brought several women in the front row to tears.

The cliche encore was ignored, and to reflect the celebratory tone of the evening Jade Imagine and Donnelly's backing band joined her on stage to sing a stripped-back version of Cyndi Lauper's Time After Time.

As the crowd belted out the chorus and Donnelly and her friends laughed and smiled on stage, it was clear that they were having a blast. As were the audience.

REVIEW: Thelma Plum at the Cambridge Hotel