If ‘enchanting’, ‘charming’ and ‘whimsical’ are the sort of adjectives you like with your music, then Australian indie folk duo Angus & Julia Stone are the band for you. Julia sang in breathy Joanna Newsom tones while twirling barefoot around the stage, while brother Angus’ laconic stoner vocals were strained through Woodstockian levels of facial hair. Add a set liberally sprinkled with fairy lights and anyone allergic to hippies would have come out in hives before the Stone siblings had chance to strum their acoustic guitars.
Those with higher flower power tolerance were in for a laid-back treat, from catchy dream pop opener ‘And The Boys’ to closing number ‘Santa Monica Dream’, a slow-burner packed with bittersweet nostalgia. Along the way we were given a nicely varied selection from Angus & Julia Stone’s back catalogue as well as latest album ‘Down The Way’ (plus a rather unexpected cover of ‘You’re The One That I Want’ from Grease). In a show conspicuously devoid of duds, highlights included the powerfully downbeat ‘I’m Not Yours’ and an exuberant version of ‘Private Lawns’ featuring a one-handed trumpet solo from Julia.
Angus & Julia Stone are a bit of a marmite group – this reviewer adores Julia’s voice, but can see some people are irritated by its ‘childish’ tones – but gigs like this should win them new friends. Angus & Julia Stone are the musical equivalent of lying on a California beach watching the sunset and feeling mellow. And who doesn’t fancy a spot of that?
Aussie brother-sister duo Angus & Julia Stone may have been making music together for a few years now, but they were new to this reviewer. If ‘And The Boys’ is anything to go by, I’ve been missing out; Julia’s sweetly skewed vocals – kinda CocoRosie, a little Martha Wainwright – are a perfect fit for this dreamy pop love song. The lyrics are spot on too; ‘There’s gold falling from the ceiling of this world / Falling from the heartbeat of this girl’ may not sound particularly special when taken out of context but trust me, they work. Nor do the B-sides disappoint, with the sparse, acoustic folk sound of ‘Change’ and ‘Take You Away’s swelling strings demonstrating that Angus & Julia Stone aren’t one-trick ponies when it comes to song writing. Ethereal, heartfelt and downright lovely stuff; highly recommended so long as you’re not the sort who bleeds from the ears at the first hint of tweecore.
