"An incredibly special performance."
Given their last concert at the House, you might expect Angus & Julia Stone to be sort of downbeat, featuring a couple of their better known tunes in between melancholic interludes… and not much else. It might have been musically sound, but otherwise unimpressive.
Not this time. This show was nothing short of extraordinary. An oasis in the heart of the city, the forecourt was a superb setting as the as the sun set over Sydney Harbour lighting up the city skyline as people reclined on the steps.
Showcasing the perfect mix of old and new songs, the sibling duo opened with Heart Beats Slow, then throughout the night offered up crowd favourites like Private Lawns, For You, Paper Aeroplane and Grizzly Bear.
Emotional and pared-back covers of sam Smith's Stay With Me and You’re The One That I Want, from Grease (which worked brilliantly), gave people goosebumps.
It’s clear that they’ve thought hard about the elements of what makes a solid live show since their last tour. This was especially evident in the projections and stage set-up, which were visually striking, and showcased vintage cartoons, LOMO footage, art deco patterns, trippy water reflections and glowing dust motes. Screens either side of the stage projected in monochrome also made it easy to watch the action up close. The performance was aurally stunning too, as the backing band lent new layers to their trademark pared-back songs, featuring some expert slide guitar.
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Support band Cloud Control came back onstage for a great rendition of Little Red’s Rock It – which most people surprisingly still knew the words to. It was a truly great moment, with two stellar Australian bands on stage belting it out, dancing and sometimes laughing in between lyrics.
The melancholic encore of Santa Monica Dream was interspersed with short downpours, and was a fitting end to an incredibly special performance.