With folk singers as parents and musical talent oozing from all pores, Angus and Julia Stone take the stage as seasoned performers, swapping between all sorts of instruments, from acoustic and electric guitars to keyboard and even trumpet. The siblings both possess uniquely captivating voices, although distinctly different, with Julia’s sugary drawl and Angus’ relaxed, Dylan-esque lilt. When Julia sings, it works. When Angus sings, it works. When they sing in harmony, it works even more.
Impromptu set changes pose no problem for the pair – a girl shouts out a request for Wedding Song and Julia obliges, playing a goosebump-inducing version of the acoustic ballad, which saw her testing her vocal chops while Angus improvised a whistling solo to replace the usual harmonica. Big Jet Plane made an early appearance in the set after Julia lost the buttons from her shirt and shouted at Angus to “sing a song while I go and fix myself.” The track was given a complete reboot for the new tour, with woozy keyboards and a quicker pace, which made the track nearly unrecognisable until Angus chimed in with the first line.
Julia was the spokesperson of the pair and was mesmerising to both listen to and watch as she floated and twirled around the stage with a sultry ease. Angus was far more reserved, barely uttering a word all night, preferring to let Julia do the talking, merely whispering to her about song choices in between tracks. It was also Julia who took the vocal lead for many of the tracks, which meant that crowd favourites such as Paper Aeroplane, Just A Boy and Mango Tree were sadly left out of the set. Angus did take the reins for Crash And Burn however, from the pair’s latest release, for one of the night’s standout performances with its grungy guitar, raspy vocals and rousing finish.
Of course, Julia had her standouts as well. Her haunting cover of Grease tune You’re The One That I Want echoed through the silent theatre as the crowd listened from the edge of their seats, and the extravagant Death Defying Acts would be right at home in the next James Bond flick.
The siblings used the encore to introduce their band – a selection of handpicked musicians from Australia and the States who all leant a hand in the opening harmony of the pair’s cover of The National’s Bloodbuzz Ohio. For the final track, the spotlight was on the siblings alone as they brought the 75-minute set to a close with Santa Monica Dream – a fitting celebration of the reunion that nearly wasn’t and the unique brand of breezy folk the pair have become renowned for over the years.
BY KELSEY BERRY
Photo by David Harris
Loved: Seeing the two siblings on stage together again (cheers Rick Rubin).
Hated: Angus’ hat, he looked like a chimney sweep.
Drank: Nothing! The ATM ate my card.
