Live Review: Angus & Julia Stone

Angus & Julia Stone began their set with Heart Beats Slow, a single off their latest self-titled album. The soft and mellow voices of the siblings filled the Adelaide Entertainment Centre Theatre, the spotlight on Julia as old cartoons and television shows were projected onto the screen behind them. Each instrument was clear and the overall sound of the band was incredible and unfaultable.

Julia strummed the intro to My Word For It a few times before Angus came in with his vibrato lead line. The rest of the band came in as psychedelic imagery was projected across the entire stage, fitting the eerie lead line perfectly – Julia completely in the spotlight with the rest of the stage in the dark as she began For You, her unique voice captivating the venue. The crowd joined in with Angus as the two sang together.  The drummer came in speeding up and playing a different beat to that on the record, ruining the laid-back feel of the song and making it seemed rushed. The band redeemed themselves as they played through the mellow Crash And Bur – which features Angus on sole vocal duties throughout – while we watched the silhouette of Julia in the centre of the stage as she danced in front of a stage light, her incredible stage presence still the main focus.

The performers seemed to change their guitars over each song, maybe more for the entertainment factor than the actual need. Angus and Julia played through various songs from their discography, not favouring any release. They played a variation of the crowd favourite Big Jet Plane – softer but quicker with a lead guitar part throughout. It was a nice fresh take on a song they are probably tired of performing.

A few special songs were thrown into the mix, including an incredible cover of the Grease classic You’re The One That I Want, as well as being joined on stage by support act Cloud Control for Neil Young’s Only Love Can Break Your Heart, which included Julia and the vocalist of Cloud Control slow dancing together through a guitar solo.

Julia announced that by coincidence a friend of theirs had messaged them earlier in the day to say they were in Adelaide and coming to their show, she then proceeded to invite Ross Irwin (The Cat Empire) on stage to accompany them. Ross had a trumpet in hand as they played through the soft The Wedding Song together, finishing the song with Angus playing a powerful reverb-drenched solo on a lap-steel guitar.

One of the last songs was the much loved Yellow Brick Road, which sadly had the end solo cut short, but was still beautiful nonetheless. Angus & Julia Stone finished their one-and-a-half hour set with Santa Monica Dream, their beautiful harmonies filling the stunned-silent audience. The pair sang through the last verse facing each other, mellow and emotional, encapsulating everything their entire set had been. They finished with a single note, applause erupting from the crowd as they bowed together, their names projected on the screen behind them.