Live Review: Julia Stone, The Trouble With Templeton, Mt Warning

The night began with an impressive debut from self-described 'musical project' Mt Warning. Scoring the opening slot for Julia Stone is impressive enough for the band's first gig, but Mt Warning convey a natural stage presence and seemed right at home performing before the still gathering crowd.

The Trouble With Templeton started off with their enjoyable single I Wrote A Novel and there exists a certain sharpness to the band that signals future success. With a crisp indie rock sound that occasionally dips into dream pop, the Brisbane five-piece left a mighty impression.

As Julia Stone took to the stage in a characteristically understated manner, the sold out Metro was eager to see how one half of the popular sibling duo Angus & Julia Stone would perform under a solo spotlight. Opening up with the bittersweet moan of her trademark trumpet, a hush quickly settled over the crowd, instantly entranced by Stone's paradoxical presence, which is both visually vulnerable and sonically tempestuous.

Playing a selection of songs lifted from her latest solo record By The Horns, Stone's new material was met with hearty hoots and ample applause. Before getting into I'm A Liar, Stone touched on a back-story of unrequited love, the full details of which were coaxed out of the songstress by curious cheers. The tale was quite lengthy, but The Metro was hanging off every word, laughing at Stone's self-deprecating candour and sympathising in unison with her misfortunes.

Stone proved to be very adept at between song banter, playfully addressing random punters and endearingly mentioning her brother Angus on occasion. Before borrowing the duo's single And The Boys, she joked that Angus wouldn't mind as he usually drinks a beer during the song anyway.

If Julia Stone was at all uncomfortable playing without Angus it didn't show. With the stage surrounded by the soft glow of fairy lights, there was a weightlessness to the room as Stone seemingly floated with ease on the motion of the music. The set skipped between Stone's solo material and included her popular version of You're The One That I Want, coming with a little extra kick from the band.

Vocally, Stone embodies three or four different singers in one as she effortlessly shifts tone and range, always with dynamic emotive effect. Uplifting, dark, sultry, innocence, precious, fierce and above all charming, it's safe to say this performance has only further cemented Sydney's crush on Julia Stone.