KT Tunstall performs a sing-along show of throwbacks including ‘Suddenly I See’ at Perth’s Astor Theatre

Anyone else want to jump in a time-machine back to 2005? That’s exactly what KT Tunstall gave West Aussies on Tuesday night.

KT Tunstall opened her Australian tour with a performance at the Astor Theatre, playing sing-a-long classics from her 2005 hey day, followed by never-before-heard new material.

The 50-year-old gave a throwback show to remember by performing every song from her debut album Eye to the Telescope in order.

That included her huge hit Suddenly I See — the song which catapulted Tunstall to fame after it was used in The Devil Wears Prada.

Tunstall displayed flawless vocals in acoustic favourites including Silent Sea as well as in rockier numbers such as Miniature Disasters. The Perth crowd sang along to Tunstall’s noughties hits and the songs that, more than two decades ago, saw her breakthrough album earn a Brit Award win and a Grammy Awards nomination.

Tunstall was endearing during a couple of show hiccups, which included her forgetting the words to False Alarm and improvising comedic replacement lines.

“I forgot the words, I haven’t got it right, I’m sorry if it’s your favourite song, I’m playing it like shi...”

The softer acoustic songs on the set list gave fans a moment to stop and listen to Tunstall’s ethereal vocal range and become dewy-eyed with nostalgia — she encouraged fans to “have a cry” at Heal Over which is perhaps the saddest song in the album. She also played Eye To the Telescope, the acoustic track which is the title of her debut album but the song was abandoned at the time and only released as part of The Stargazer EP in 2025.

Tunstall also invited guitarist Kathleen Halloran to play a song from her debut album and subbed her in as a backing singer in a move Halloran delighted in and told the crowd was “wild.”

Tunstall then told the audience she had written a sequel to Suddenly I See in honour of The Devil Wears Prada 2, sharing how she pitched it to music directors in LA.

Although they “loved it,” she said they ultimately passed, joking that the once “indie kid” character now has “properly nice clothes,” making someone like Lady Gaga a better fit to play the hit movie track.

Her sardonic humour was peppered through the evening. She remarked that a drizzly Margaret River reminded her of Scotland, and shared that an Australian TV studio security guard once told her that he preferred the original of Suddenly I See after she performed it.

In response, she said she smiled and decided not to correct the security guard.

To close the gig, Tunstall played the yet-to-be-released song Look at Me Now live for the first time ever which had echoes of her biggest hit.

“You guys are the first people to ever hear this live. I figure as you’re the furthest away from everyone else on the planet you deserve to hear it first,” she joked.

Refreshingly, Tunstall didn’t fight the fact that Suddenly I See remains her most popular song, instead embracing it by getting the audience involved in the harmonies and playing the sequel song despite it not being chosen for Devil Wears Prada 2.

The Scot will continue her 20th anniversary Australian tour in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, then continue to Auckland and Wellington where she wraps up her tour on May 30.

Tunstall has sold more than 5 million albums worldwide and has reduced her touring schedule since she completely lost her hearing in her left ear in 2018. She also received the prestigious Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Song Collection in May 2024 and has recently composed the music for soon-to-open West End musical Clueless.