Kate Fitzgerald’s nieces would love to see Tones and I perform at C1 Speed in Albion Park Rail. Photo: Supplied.
Four Illawarra towns are turning up the volume in a grassroots push to bring chart-topping artist Tones and I to the region for a $10 all-ages concert.
Shellharbour, Kiama, Wollongong and Helensburgh are all vying for the prize by setting up full-blown online campaigns, with locals taking to social media to prove their town can make the most noise — and dance the hardest.
A bid for Shellharbour to play host to the gig, spearheaded by Kate Fitzgerald from C1 Speed Electric Indoor Karting & Laser Tag in Albion Park Rail, has rapidly evolved from a “fangirl moment” into a full-fledged community movement.
The seeds of the campaign were sown for Kate, a huge fan of Tones and I, when she saw a post from the acclaimed Aussie artist inviting towns to compete for a concert — provided they “make enough noise” online.
“Make pages. Get your town to join the page. That’s the best way!” Tones and I, who had a hit with Dance Monkey, said.
Not one to shy away from a challenge, Kate launched the “Bring Tones and I to Shellharbour” Facebook page late Sunday night (18 January), quickly gaining traction with more than 400 followers in just two days.
The momentum shows no signs of slowing as Shellharbour residents share their excitement and personal stories about the artist online.
“Locals have been commenting, sharing, tagging, and generally rallying around one simple idea – that Shellharbour would absolutely show up and dance with her,” she said.
“It’s gone from me fangirling over this post to quite a community movement.
“They’re sharing their stories of when they’ve gone to Tones and I concerts and how much their kids love it.
“It’s nice to see everyone come together, so it would be nice to see it move from a Facebook page coming together to actually everyone at the concert just enjoying themselves.”
Describing Tones and I as “an amazing talent”, she admitted she and her partner had seen the singer-songwriter multiple times in concert.
Tones and I is looking to host a concert in a town that can make the most noise online. Photo: Supplied.
“She’s very talented, but she’s also very humble. I personally love that she always remembers where she comes from, and it’s always such a big part of her event,” she said.
“When I saw her post … I thought, you’re not in it if you’re not in it, so I started a little Facebook page and I’m making a joke out of it to my partner that, ‘Oh well, if you fail, you fail’.
“Within a few days we were up to 400 followers. The demand for Tones and I is definitely there.”
She said she’s even offered C1 Speed, the indoor karting and laser tag venue, as a potential concert space.
With a spacious track area, upstairs viewing platform, upstairs mezzanine, and surrounding amenities, Kate is confident the venue could accommodate a memorable event, though she noted that final capacity numbers still needed to be confirmed.
“Honestly, it’s not about one specific place. We’d just love for Tones and I to consider Shellharbour,” she said.
“We do think transforming a go-kart track to a concert has super cool vibes, but honestly we would just love for Tones and I to reach our little slice of the world.”
She said the proximity to the Shellharbour Airport added to the venue’s appeal.
“I think Shellharbour is such a beautiful little area of the world and yet we never get anything cool like that here,” she said.
“There are pages for Kiama and Wollongong – the whole of the Illawarra is betting on Tones and I at the moment – but I think Shellharbour is a bit of an underdog.”
She said Shellharbour often missed out on major concerts and festivals to neighbouring municipalities.
“I keep reminding her in all of our comments that Shelharbour is already singing along. Now we just need some music to dance to,” she said.
The campaign is under a tight deadline, with just seven days from the artist’s announcement for towns to build momentum online.
The winning town will be announced on 26 January and the all-ages gig will be held 20 February with tickets only $10.
To support your town, visit Facebook pages Bring Tones and I to Shellharbour, Bring Tones and I to Kiama, Tones and I come to Wollongong, and Bring Tones and I to Helensburgh 2508.
