FROM the moment Tones and I walked on stage at Newcastle's Civic Theatre, it was clear that emotions were running high.
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The Melbourne-born singer-songwriter clasped her hands over her mouth as she soaked up the applause. It was her first time on stage in almost nine months.
Rewind to January. Tones and I had 2020 in the palm of her hand. On the back of her wildly successful breakout single, Dance Monkey, the busker-turned-superstar was catapulted to international stardom when the song reached No.1 in 34 countries.
She performed on Ellen and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, while on home turf Dance Monkey broke the Australian record for the most weeks at No.1.
The singer, whose real name is Toni Watson, kicked off her 52-date world tour in February. She got as far as the US, UK, and a little of Europe before the pandemic stopped her in her tracks.
Her Australian tour is rescheduled for 2021, so this one-off show at Civic Theatre was understandably momentous.
It was a sold-out gig (with a limited capacity of 750) and, like the audience, Tones and I was ready for it.
With only a keyboard and synthesiser, loop pedal, drum pad and a mighty, powerful voice that is astounding to hear live (no, she doesn't use auto tune), Tones and I is a one-woman show.
Essentially, she's still using the same set up as she did during her busking days.
Success hasn't changed her. Heck, she is so low-key that she walked out sans shoes and performed the show in a pair of basic white sports socks.
Talking to her audience, she came across as endearing, a little shy, and incredibly humble.
"I sold out a run of theatres across Australia this year and then it all got cancelled, and before that I only ever played pubs," she said. "This is my first ever headlining theatre show."
She kicked off with Can't Be Happy All The Time, a big ballad that showcases how powerful her voice is, and performed a cover of Flume and Chet Faker's Drop The Game, as well as her take on Forever Young.
She suddenly stopped playing mid-way through the song, overcome with tears.
"I'm sure so many artists like me were wondering if this would ever happen again," she said. "This has been such a long time coming."
After a moment to recompose, she launched back into it to cheers from the audience before continuing with Johnny Run Away (written about her best friend, who she brought on stage to share the moment), new single Fly Away (an uplifting track written during lockdown that proves she isn't a one-trick pony) and Ur So F**king Cool, which she introduced with a disclaimer and apology for using "swear words" to the parents in the audience who had kids in tow.
And what were the kids there to hear? Dance Monkey.
"It's a song I wrote entirely on my own when I was living in my van and I'm going to play it until the day I die."
The crowd lapped it up and, naturally, they wanted to dance. So they did as Tones encouraged everyone to get off their seat and lower down to the ground, and jump up (remaining on the spot to be COVID safe, of course.)
For that one moment, it felt like old times again.
