Ten Tonnes
Scala // London, UK // February 5th, 2019
Photos and review by Josien van Oostveen
“Did someone just say ‘play Wonderwall?’” A grinning Ten Tonnes (aka Ethan Barnett) asks from the stage. Granted, the 22-year old singer-songwriter from Hertford DOES look like the type to enjoy playing a classic cover or two, but tonight is not that night. Armed with his guitar, several bottles of water, and a genuine smile, Ten Tonnes is here to have a good time and his audience knows it. The venue is filled to the brim with an enthusiastic crowd that doesn’t shy away from loudly singing along and dancing like nobody’s watching, which always bodes well for a fun night at Scala.
The second Ten Tonnes steps out on stage, the crowd goes wild. Loud exclamations of “you’re so hot” and “I love you, man!” don’t seem to faze him as he quickly launches into the first song of the night. Since he’s still a relatively new artist and has about a dozen songs out at the moment, everyone in the room easily knows every single song by heart. Halfway through the set, drummer James Porter hasn’t even played 3 notes of ‘Blame It On Me’ before people have realised what song is coming and start cheering. What looks to be a small moshpit takes place in the middle of the dance floor, with people jumping into each other as the enthusiasm takes over. There’s a fun little audience sing-along at the end of ‘Lay It On Me’ when Ten Tonnes asks the crowd to sing the last few lines with him, and the energy in the room reaches its peak when he launches into one of his biggest hits, ‘G.I.V.E.’
Having played both Leeds and Reading Festival in previous years, the venue must probably feel somewhat small to Ten Tonnes, but he seems to be enjoying himself nonetheless. There’s not a whole lot of room for dancing on the stage, but every once in a while he takes a step back to take it all in and smiles as if standing up there is the best feeling in the world. Looking relaxed in just a casual shirt and jeans, you’d never guess he has such a powerhouse of a voice in him, and he belts out a large range of notes with ease. It’s a voice that wakes you up like a strong coffee in the morning, and hearing it only on mobile devices doesn’t do it enough justice. This is especially clear during the last song, ‘Lucy’, an electric 70’s brit-pop anthem that gives Ten Tonnes the perfect opportunity to show off his vocal chords during the chorus, while balloons fall down from the ceiling around him.
Ten Tonnes is set to release an album later this year, and if this gig was any indication of what it will sound like then we are in for a treat. Having more songs out will hopefully also mean a slightly longer setlist, which was the only downside of the show. The 50-minute set was over way too soon, but luckily, eager fans will be able to catch him again on May 17th at Heaven, London.
