The Tivoli is always magical, and knowing Thelma Plum is about to step out on its stage makes it just that much more so.
Beginning the night (9 September), Jem Cassar-Daly is moody and moving. The purple lights rain down on her as she pours her heart out to the large crowd already assembled.She is solo accompanying herself on piano. She sings "I'm standing stil," and the crowd is doing just that – absolutely mesmerised. It is beautiful.
GRAACE comes on next and she is warm and cheerful, the ray of sunshine we need. Even when her guitar strap falls off mid song, she laughs it off with grace.
Her songs are deep, and her voice reverberates around the theatre with a nostalgic melancholy. It's touching and gentle as her set builds with emotional intensity.
The crowd claps in unison and we're all a little bit in love with GRAACE. She closes out her set with the string-driven ballad 'Numb' (her 2017 collab with Hayden James) as she sings "why does it hurt so much?" Nothing hurts here.
Vibes are high in the crowd as we await queen Thelma. Everyone is smiling and happy, and it's the nicest crowd I've been in, in awhile.
Lenny Kravitz's 'It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over' plays as the lights dim, and the crowd is ready. They erupt as Plum enters in a corset-style dress. She takes the microphone and the bass hits you. "A work of art," she sings and she truly is.
"Hello everybody," she says as the opening song ends. "I’m excited. I'm nervous. This is my home-town show. My grandparents are here." She is so instantly attractive and fun.
She launches into 'Not Angry Anymore' and the crowd sings back with passion. "This is a different drink to my water bottle," she states showing a mug. "This is tea. . . with alcohol in it." The crowd is very humoured, before Plum gets sentimental. "I'm very emotional," she says as she launches into 'Dollar'.
Purple lights flood the stage as the acoustic guitar rings out. Her voice is fast and slick. The drums build before dropping back to showcase Plum's voice. It's capturing.
She mentions her new EP 'Meanjin' (an ode to her home town Brisbane) and starts 'Backseat Of My Mind'. The crowd sings every word. The stage is flooded red, and it's a dream you don't want to wake up from.
"I've gone shy," Plum confesses, before going into 'Don't Let A Good Girl Down'. She is just so real and likeable. Her microphone sports the Aboriginal flag. "I got my dress at West End at the markets," she elucidates on her outfit. "Polly, she is very good. This is hand-dyed with leaves from West End.
"I grew up in housing commission," Plum switches from shallow conversation to deep quickly. "They [the government] never did what we wanted them to do. So my mum built a beautiful community around us and my uncle. He built us a fence. This is for my mum who is here tonight. This song is called 'Baby Blue Bicycle'."
"The Queenslander on the hill," she sings and you've never felt more at home. Plum is clearly emotional as she sings about "the day that she died," (neighbour Dot). You feel what she is feeling in such a strong way, it's unexpected.
Thelma invites you into the intricacies of her life so intimately it almost feels obtrusive.
She introduces her band, as they slide into 'These Days' by Powderfinger. The crowd bursts from their silence to join in. The stage is sunburst orange and yellow. Will life ever feel like this again?
"I wrote this on my balcony watching my neighbours have an extravagant dinner party, wishing I was there," she introduces 'When It Rains It Pours'. "I wonder if they'll think that's weird. They're actually about to come onstage," she jokes. The song is sombre and groovy.
Plum is an artist that translates live almost exactly from the album recording. You feel explicitly what she feels as she sings "there's no place for me". She plays an unreleased track next 'I Don't Play That Song Anymore', which is well received.
"On my balcony, I have hundreds of bats come over every day," she introduces 'The Bat Song'. "I didn't write it for them, but they can enjoy it. This one is for the bats."
She mentions that Jem (Cassar-Daly) and GRAACE are beautiful, and she is grateful to have them on the tour.
"He wants take me to Bali," Plum sings from 'Woke Blokes' and her lyrics are just so relatable. Now for a highlight. 'Homecoming Queen' plays and the crowd sings every word. "I love myself," Plum sings, as she puts her hands under her chin. It's very cute.
"In 1967, I wasn't human," she switches to severity with the speed we've come to expect from her. "We are still here," she sings to rapturous applause. Then she stands alone to sing the unreleased 'Golden Touch' with only piano accompaniment.
"I feel it all, I love too much," she sings. "Be careful of the ones you love too much. The ones with the golden touch." It's deep and real. The audience is silent, touched.
For 'Better In Blak', the drums build over the bridge and the crowd erupts. All you can think is 'please don't end now, Thelma'. The obligatory stage exit happens, before Plum returns for the instant classic 'Clumsy Love'.
The night was amazing. Plum was everything you could ask for and more. Engaging, personal, and wonderful. Can we go back?
