WA artist Toby has continued her eclectic touring life spreading her infectious music across the globe, playing everything from sold out headline shows to impressive festival slots and supports, from barnyard gigs to canal boats and intimate bodegas for a lucky few.

Since we last spoke, the artist she’s been playing shows across Europe, Canada and the USA to showcase her latest recording. Toby’s album ‘Nobody Told Me’ was recorded at Bear Creek Studio in Seattle with acclaimed producer Ryan Hadlock who has previously worked with The Lumineers and Vance Joy.

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How’s your European and American tour been?

We have spent a bunch of time touring Europe, Canada and USA over the past few months. Its been awesome. Several festivals in Germany which have blown my mind. Massive crowds who totally embrace what we do on stage.

I get to tour with a bunch of amazing people who really make me laugh, who frustrate the shit out of me, and who I love dearly. We always seem to have a few ‘issues’ which aren’t so funny at the time, but we manage to laugh at later.

Let’s just say we got stuck at borders in Canada/USA where they took off with our car and made us sit waiting for an hour not knowing what was going on. We had a smashed hire van on this tour as well.

We have had fans make some very interesting t-shirts with my head on them, we played at a wedding in Switzerland which had their own firework show and live cartoonist, we played to our biggest European crowd so far, we popped a tyre on the German autobahn while driving 140kms an hours, we played to a huge crowd of lesbians in Mormon Salt Lake City and had a weird fan who literally kept throwing $20 bills at me to play 4 Non-Blondes “What’s Up”. Touring is never ever boring.

What was your favourite gig on the tour?

Bardentreffen Festival in Nuremberg for sure. The city is just taken over by live music. 12 amazing stages and apparently 200,000 people come into Nuremberg that weekend.

Our first show was in a thousand year old church ruin to a beautiful crowd of 800 people. Then the next day we got to perform to 4000 music loving Germans – the crazy type. The type that jump around clapping and dancing and screaming, but who will then go completely silent when you play a soft, intimate song. It was an incredible weekend.

Have you been working on any new music?

Not enough!!! A couple new songs are in the pipeline. . .  just need some actual time to sit and write. My wife and I now have a beautiful ten month old little baby, so time to myself has become very very non-existent!

What can expect at your upcoming WA shows?

A bunch of fun. My Dutch violinist Anne is coming over to Australia to do some shows with us. She’s an incredible player and entertainer. We have a very intimate show at the Ellington on Sept 22nd, and then a very rocky raucous type of show at The Indi Bar on October 10th. Plus a bunch of shows in Broome, Geraldton, Kalbarri, Gove (NT) and a few around Perth.

Aside from your own music, what music are you into at the moment?

I’m just getting into Ben Howard right now. But this tour I have been listening a fair bit to Brandi Carlile – I was inspired again last year after hanging with her in Seattle during my time at Bear Creek Studio. She was in the studio one day and  invited me to her show that night where I was once again totally blown away by her and her band.

Play a game with us, the rules are you have to pick one or the other.

White Coffee or Black Coffee?               

Black

Taylor Swift or Taylor Dayne?                

Taylor Dayne for shiz.

Long lunch or long lie in?      

Long Lunch in Bed

Horror movie or Romantic Comedy?        

Romantic Comedy

Planes or Trains?

Small vans with smelly band boys.

40 degree summer or below zero winter?

Summer for sure.

Ouzo or Bacardi?

Ouzo

Boots or High Heels?

Boots

Danger Mouse or Mighty Mouse?

Danger Mouse.

Clowns or Drag Queens?

Drag Queens any day!

Toby’s WA tour kicks of on Tuesday 22nd September with a show at The Ellington Jazz Club before progressing to the Indi Bar, Scarborough, Saturday October 10th, Kalbarri Hotel, Friday October 23rd, Bootenal Tavern in Geraldton on Saturday October 24th, Perth Blues Club on Tuesday October 27th.

Toby will be at the Blues at Bridgetown Festival from November 13th – 15th and will wrap up the tour with a show at the Quarry Amphitheatre in City Beach on Saturday December 12th.