[Live Review] ANGUS + JULIA STONE

Angus Julia Stone 020-3

Civic Theatre, Newcastle
Wednesday September 17, 2014 :

Sneakily sweeping onto stage without too much attention, support act Vancouver Sleep Clinic wasted no time launching right on into their set. And instantly the Brisbane based 5-piece had the audience firmly in grasp… with blazing riffs, melodic strums and serene synth mingling with the blissful warbling of front man Tom Bettinson’s ethereal falsetto; VSC cast an inescapable sense of atmospheric tranquility throughout the Civic Theatre.

Some people walk or talk in their sleep; but Vancouver Sleep Clinic will have you dream dancing in kaleidoscopic slumber. Paring back a rendition of Drake’s ‘We’re Coming Home’ – the tranquility became transcendental through the aerial buoyancy of their soporific grooves.

Taking to the stage in distinguishing nonchalance, Julia radiant in a white lace dress, Angus in a torn John Lennon shirt and baggy jeans; it was clear the grandeur of the Civic Theatre was no match for the sibling’s quintessential, mellow presence. Angus, the mellowest of the mellow, rarely speaking a word other than “I was laying out on the lawn, smoked a joint and wrote this son. Yeah, hope ya like it”.
 In much the same manner Julia dances feverishly in the golden light of impressive lightly schemes and speaks sweetly to the crowd… The duo’s relaxed vibrations proving infectious as the venue mood transformed from regal theatre to those of a cosy lounge room jam.

Churning out a well balanced mix of new tracks from their recent self-titled album release…with ‘A Heartbreak’, ‘Crash and Burn’, and ‘Main St’ highlighting the duo’s new found knack for combining their renowned halcyon grooves with lashings of what can only be described as sub-tropical blues; for a fuller, more sizable sound that translates live through the astute use of banjo and lap steel. All fusing well with the plentiful array of back catalogue visits of the reinvented kind, as old favourites such as ‘For You’ and ‘Private Lawns’ we’re both dressed up and stripped down in surprising delight. But it was ‘Big Jet Plane’ that had jaws dropping all over again, as a sultry melody introduced the song it bordered on unrecognisable… until Angus opened his mild jaw and let out the distinct first line “She said ‘hello mister, pleased to meet ya’”, leading the inarguably well known track away from it’s “Oh’ that song” kind of feel and shining a whole light on it’s blissful melancholy.

As the night drew to a close, forthwith brought on an encore that would have even the hardest of hearts melting into their theatre chair… previously covered on Julia’s solo album By The Horns came The Nationals ‘Blood Buzz Ohio’… with Julia on the mic backed communally by Angus and their band of merry men huddled in behind; the group harmonised like clockwork to deliver a perfectly orchestrated rendition, as Julia’s gorgeously glassy vocals cavorted with the barefaced gloom of the lyric. Leading ‘Santa Monica Dream’, the duo took back the juxtaposed simplicity they do so well and capped off the night with their classic tender, austere charm.

Reviewer: Chloe Webb
Photographer: Chrissy Kavalieros

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