“I wanted to write a song that would make people dance; I didn’t realise it would become the biggest song in the world.” Tones and I (aka Toni Watson) is speaking about Dance Monkey, the insanely catchy earworm that has propelled her from Byron Bay busker to world-conquering venue-filler. Topping the charts in 31 countries, Dance Monkey spent 11 weeks at number one in the UK – a record for a female solo artist.
When success arrives so suddenly, it can take a while for the live show to catch up. With just a keyboard, loop pedal and six-track EP, the 19-year-old’s show at Kentish Town had the feel of a very well attended busking set.
Still, you could say the same about Ed Sheeran’s live setup, and it doesn’t appear to have held him back, does it? Set opener Happy was a stripped-back piano ballad a world away from the synth-heavy hyperactivity of Dance Monkey, while Never Seen The Rain’s hip-hop-inspired groove and towering chorus had the young crowd handclapping all the way to the back.
Outside these four walls, Watson’s voice, which has echoes of Paloma Faith, is likely to prove as divisive as Brexit. Her habit of trying to sing as many notes per syllable as possible, meanwhile, can quickly become ann-oy-oy-oy-oying.
But in Johnny Run Away and The Kids Are Coming, she had songs to suggest her extraordinary journey may yet continue long after her monster hit has danced its final jig.
