Live Review: Things Of Stone And Wood, Carus Thompson

Perth-based singer-songwriter Carus Thompson described his songs as a mixture of the sad and the uplifting. Earnestly delivered, they had a picturesque quality about them, every bit as engaging as the singer himself. The harmonica-aided For The Rest Of My Life exuded a gentle warmth whilst the solid acoustic strum of Realise was the pick of a perfectly-matched support slot.

The band and the audience may look a bit older but this show offered a flash back in time as the original line-up of Things Of Stone & Wood took to a Sydney stage for the first time since 1996. For them and the audience it was as if they were all transported back there. It was a time well before the recent re-emergence of the folk pop scene and a reminder that this lot were doing it years ago. They fittingly opened with Share This Wine, the first song from their debut album, and followed with a cross-section of their back catalogue. The catchy Churchill's Black Dog and an un-fussed-over rendition of their most well-known hit, Happy Birthday Helen, saw the band at their joyous best, though the mellow intensity of She Will Survive was a standout. The rough-edged power of Is This Where I Must Lie and jumpy Rock This Boat showed their rockier side. Despite the infrequent nature of their gigs these days the original close bond of the band was clearly in evidence. Multi-instrumentalist Justin Brady masterfully controlled the sound throughout with his use of violin and mandolin whilst frontman Greg Arnold displayed charisma and charm but in a low-key fashion. Closing with the dancey They Won't Know Why, this was a get-together equally enjoyed by the band and those who remembered them.