Set on the iconic Sydney Opera House steps, Angus and Julia Stone are midway through their Summer Tour of 2015, giving fans as much enthusiasm and energy as an opening night gig. With three support acts and a stunning backdrop, they delivered a stellar show to a packed out crowd.
Up first for the very eager crowd was Jarryd James, an absolute archetype of Australia’s indie music scene. Long shirt, beard, acoustic guitar, and a stint on keys, he’s a talented and humble artist, if a little awkward in front of a crowd. Whilst his tunes were seldom faster than 60 bpm, the crowd were still digging his sound, and when he finished his set off with single ‘Do you Remember’ a wave of ‘oh I know this one’ made its way through the audience.
Up next were pop chick trio and Unearthed Laneway winners Little May, who were mostly stoic in their set, though attempted to “have a groove” as front lady Hannah Field joked. They concluded with their recent Like A Version number, Ice House’s classic ‘Great Southern Land’.
Final support act were Sydney locals Cloud Control, who were received well by a home crowd. Lead singer Alister Wright wore a Cloud Control tee shirt for those few who may have forgotten who they were, and the trio enjoyed an upbeat set, a few jokes, and a few good laughs with the audience.
Finally the guy and gal of the hour, Angus and Julia Stone appeared on stage to rousing applause and cheering. Julia was quite the pretty lady in a flowing 60s inspired lace dress, while Angus looked as usual like he had just rolled off the couch and barely shuffled into some shoes and his holiest beanie before heading on stage.
The folk duo opened with recent single ‘Heart Beats Slow’ from their latest self-titled record, while a somewhat creepy and vaguely unwholesome medley of vintage cartoons played in the background.
[include_post id=”413283″]
As they ran beautifully through a mix of newer numbers, along with a few of their much older hits, Julia danced ethereally in the shadows, with their brilliant harmonies ringing out loud over the steps of the Opera House.
After telling a quick story about the old VHS tapes she and her brother used to watch, Julia moved into a cover of Grease’s ‘You’re the One that I Want’, after asking if the audience wanted to “do the ooh ooh ooh” but with her. Everyone wanted to do that, so it was a fun and nostalgia-driving number as the crowd pitched in with her.
Mid-song, as a heavy drizzle started, suddenly hundreds of flimsy plastic ponchos were pulled out of seemingly nowhere. (Cheers for the ‘summer’ night, Sydney weather.) Fortunately that was over as soon as it started, and the ponchos were peeled off and stuffed back into pockets as Julia commended everyone for putting up with the weather, and ‘Yellow Brick Road’ from 2010’s Down the Way began. The rain was enough to ruin some hair, but nowhere near enough to ruin the night.
After a gorgeous cover of Sam Smith’s ‘Stay With Me’, the duo went into arguably their biggest hit, ‘Big Jet Plane’, as the rain set in again with more force and some biting wind to boot. A lesser band may have lost the crowd after their ‘One Big Song’, but the punters valiantly pulled their ponchos up and their cardigans on, and braced the chill as Angus and Julia covered Doris Day’s ‘Windy City’ in a particularly beautiful moment of irony.
After playing through ‘A Heartbreak’, they took a gamble on the fake encore, (you know, where they play ‘one last song’ with no intention of not coming back out for a reprise) and still came out on top. A few took advantage of the pause in the show to beat the weather and duck out, though most braved the inclement conditions to be treated to a collaboration with Cloud Control to cover Little Red’s ‘Rock It’, and finally Santa Monica Dreaming.
Angus and Julia Stone are in top form midway through their tour, and have an eclectic and interesting set list. Never a pair to rest on their laurels, they’re still a top act, and should be high on people’s ‘don’t miss’ list.
Check out the full gallery from the show here.
