‘I started writing silly little songs when I was 9 years old and made my friends perform it and do exactly what I told them,’

All grown up and not much has changed for Toby – she is still the muso running the show. In May, Toby launched her third album, Love Underground, at the Fly By Night with a 17-band backing up what is undoubtedly one of Perth’s most powerful voices.

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‘There’s a brass section, drums, percussion, keys, bass, mandolin, ukulele, guitar, electric guitar, didgeridoo, harmonica,’ says Toby.

If that sounds like a lot to have on one stage, well, it is, but Toby whose voice seems to know no bounds fronts the one part orchestra, one part bonfire jam, one part circus with ease, blending in as easily with the sexy sounds of a string section as with the indigenous folk of a harmonica and didgeridoo.

Just how does Toby arrive at such a swirl of delectable musical chaos on stage? There is method to the madness, as Toby explains, ‘I’ve got my own little orchestra in my head and come into the studio. I sing them what I want them to play and right away they’re playing it perfectly. Luckily, I’ve got really top musos who can do it like that.’

Ironically, for all the complexity of her arrangements and performances, Toby’s songwriting is as straightforward as it gets.

‘I’m a fairly simple writer,’ she says. ‘I write it as it is. I don’t try to confuse people. I wear my heart on my sleeve.’

While the delivery may be a tour de force of musical talents, the pulse of Toby’s songs remains the beating heart that lies within the singer. According to Toby, while her songs may have simple messages, ‘I only get my voice when I’m singing my own songs because my voice comes from a place of feeling what I’m singing about.’ Though Toby is quick to point out she is rarely thinking about what a song is about when she sings it.

‘People always ask am I still thinking about the person or the events, and generally, I am not. I think they would like to think I am, but I’m really not. Sometimes images pop into my head from when I did write it, but when you are playing a song five times a week, you can’t have those images because you would have a little meltdown on stage.’

Judging by Toby’s stage presence and local reputation as a must-see act, the trials and tribulations that provide fodder for songs about broken hearts and lying lovers are the last thing on her mind when is in front of a mic. Instead Toby focuses on the gig at hand, masterfully blending epic free-form jams into her sets.

‘I know when I’ve been drunk before I’ve extended it way too long and seen my parents in the back going “cut it out!” But if you’ve got good musos doing it and the feeling is there on stage and the feeling is there off stage, you can have this amazing experience. What I love out of it is you find new things, you’re suddenly finding new places in your voice that you’ve never used before or your drummer is doing this mad new thing he’s never done before. It’s a new experience every single time.’

And if the album launch is anything to go by, audiences should be up for anything as Toby tours her latest album around Australia, America and Europe. To get Love Underground or get to a gig, visit www.tobymusic.com.au.