Live Review: Angus & Julia Stone, Vancouver Sleep Clinic

After a four-year gap, folk-singing siblings Angus and Julia Stone have finally decided to grace us with their presence once more by way of a fancy third, self-titled album produced by the legendary Rick Rubin, and accompanying tour.  

Vancouver Sleep Clinic opened the night’s revelries with a breathtaking set. There are a lot of comparisons made between singer Tim Bettinson and Bon Iver. However, for Bettinson to have these refined, beautiful songs developed at such a young age, well, he’s worth more than that comparison. The ambient cover of Hold On (We’re Going Home) by Drake was delightful and new track, Art Is War, was the stand-out of the night.

Then it was time for the brother-sister duo, Angus & Julia Stone, joined by an assortment of musicians playing banjos and lap guitars throughout their set as Angus mumbled into the microphone and Julia danced around on stage.

The muted guitar chords of A Heartbreak provided a good starting point for the duo while Crash And Burn, with its slow-burning desperation and attractive grittiness, showed off Angus’ talents as a guitarist and a vocalist. Unfortunately, tracks like Main Street and Big Jet Plane quickly descended from subdued to dull and repetitive.

There was a definite focus on the recent self-titled album and the set lacked from little variety. The absence of songs from A Book Like This was disappointing, the duo opting instead for lacklustre covers of You’re The One That I Want, from Grease, or Julia’s slightly showy rendition of The National’s Bloodbuzz Ohio.

Still, in the end the duo showcased a good array of their new work in their humble, cool style. It’s just a bit disappointing for them that their younger support band stole the show.