Closing with their triple j Like A Version, Icehouse's Great Southern Land, which is their finest moment although still not great, Little May provide a trajectory trough.
Bassist Jeremy Kelshaw recently flew the coop, but Cloud Control still perform as a four-piece dealing glorious songs including Gold Canary and There's Nothing In The Water We Can't Fight. On vocals/keys Heidi Lenffer sports an adorable, checked, loose-fitting art smock-style minidress and her high pony tail bops along as she does. It's gonna take the band a while to regain the momentum Dream Cave attracted at the tail end of 2013, but they've got what it takes if all members are committed.
Angus & Julia Stone commence with no fuss. Song two, My Word For, sees Julia kicking one ankle-booted leg up behind her, coquettishly, sometimes scraping the stage like an impatient filly. When Julia sings For You we wonder how the potential beau she penned this song for could resist! Especially this promise in the chorus: "You'll never have to go to work." Then Julia plays trumpet during Private Lawns and the crowd loses it.
Paper Aeroplane puts us in a wonderfully meditative state before Julia introduces her next song, one from a movie she tells us she watched repeatedly on VHS growing up and that really affected her: You're The One That I Want (from Grease) - her version's impassioned conclusion is both surprising and impressive. And when Julia's visage is superimposed over images of sparkly strands on the backdrop screen, it's heavenly.
Simplicity works for Angus & Julia Stone and there's just enough interest happening via visual and lighting design without swamping their naturally endearing presence. And Julia has a gutsy way of playing guitar when required. Angus surveys the arena, "We have not played anywhere like this ever before. They should open the roof!" All Of Me (from their early EP Chocolates & Cigarettes) enthrals. Big Jet Plane transcends.
For the encore, Cloud Control join Angus & Julia onstage to perform a rendition of Rock It by Little Red. The idea of performing a cover rather than have the Cloudies join them to sing an A&J song is great, but its execution somehow doesn't fulfil the promise. Little May also bound on toward the end of the song. It's the last night of this tour and Julia tells us they're all getting emotional before thanking us for being "fuckin' rad". Just the two siblings finish with Santa Monica Dream on acoustic guitar. There are beautiful vista visuals on the back screen, but calls from punters - "I love you," and even, "Youse are beautiful together!" - break the spell. Angus & Julia hug and then bow to finish.
