Despite being a devoted, long-term listener of Angus & Julia Stone, I was surprisingly filled with doubts prior their gig at The Tivoli Theatre (21 September).
Although their soothing, audible hues are as therapeutic as the ocean breeze, I was concerned their easy-listening nature would heartbreakingly come across as ‘disinterested’ on stage.
Coupled with little knowledge of their most recent record, my overall feelings were bordering on more anxious that anticipative; it’s fascinating, isn’t it, what high expectations can do.
The duo entered the stage with shy smiles and brief waves, eyes meeting the audience’s briefly before glancing at each other, at their instruments, at the ground. New release ‘Make It Out Alive’ made for a magical beginning, lyrically tragic though juxtaposed beautifully with airy instrumentals and ‘casual’ speaking tones, softening the melancholy.
Album underdog ‘Cellar Door’ is Angus & Julia Stone in a characteristic nutshell; steady beat and simplistic (though brilliantly executed) two-chord guitar strumming, verses wavering on a dissimilar key, differentiating the track with an element of mystery.
With a setlist mirroring the album song list, ‘Sleep Alone’ only scratches the surface for me, pretty in the way that watching clouds float by might be. Subsequent song ‘Chateau’ is similar, though an evident winner in the audience’s eyes cheering wildly with recognition.
Weaving back to 2014, ‘Wherever You Are’ revived gentle guitar plucking, a folk music component all but rare in recent releases (prevalent in earlier tracks, however).
‘Private Lawns’ - from 2010 ‘Memories Of An Old’ compilation album - isn’t a track I’d lingered on in the past, but the band slunk through it so smoothly and soulfully not a body in the room was still, all swaying. Julia tantalised the audience by placing her beloved trumpet to her lips, silently waiting for the solo that eventually erupted, rich and full.
Angus Stone’s musical alter-ego Dope Lemon made an appearance, surpassing my expectations by miles; some of his solo music is a little too ‘all-on-one-level’ psychedelic for me, but ‘Uptown Folks’ is an indisputable rock ballad.
‘Nothing Else’ is Angus & Julia Stone’s token dark and moody addition to their 2017 album, cleverly contrasting optimistic lyrics with sad instrumentals. ‘Big Jet Plane’ was adapted in an entirely new manner, neither better nor worse, simply different with the audience chiming along.
The fan-made choir strengthened with ‘For You’, a 2010 ‘Down The Way’ album track that has seemingly captured the heart of hundreds. I pictured myself, attempting to knuckle out the chords on guitar (my first song, six years ago), instantly instilled with the impression that all attendees had a comparable emotional attachment to the piece, as well.
Julia softened her vocals at times, instead choosing to listen to the cooing room; her lyricism was infallible here, stemming from, as she revealed: “A love letter, as a last attempt to win a man over… It didn’t work.”
‘Snow’ is already proving to be a listener favourite; I didn’t think it was possible but Angus & Julia Stone have literally replicated the weather phenomenon in sound. A sprinkling of white dusted the stage as the set closed with ‘My House Your House’.
For the first time, perhaps ever, I was desperately keen for an encore, silently hoping the duo would return to stage with ‘Just A Boy’ or ‘Bella’. Unfortunately, their selected classic ‘Solider’ and newbie ‘Who Do You Think You Are’ didn’t quite hit the mark; the crowd felt a little defeated, once awash with eagerness, then slight disappointment.
Despite the performance ending on a low note (really, when are encores ever satisfying?) overall, it shocked me in more ways than one. For starters, I’ve tended to steer towards Angus’ vocals as a preference in the past, but watching it was instead near impossible to tear my eyes from Julia; she stole the show.
The set-list was more inundated with songs from ‘Snow’ than I’d anticipated, though their choice to do so only served to reiterate how strong the record is; not even I (an avid follower of the originals) was displeased.
As for their attitudes, I couldn’t have been more mistaken; were Angus & Julia Stone ‘disinterested’? Not in the slightest. Watching the siblings smile as the crowd sung certain lyrics word for word, Julia noting during the set: “I can’t believe how nervous I am, it’s been so long”, catching the pair lock eyes, exchange looks, even a simply nod at each other mid-performance, you could feel the duo’s ‘easy-listening nature’ is in no way representative of their attitudes towards their fans, their career, their compositions.
Eleven years of musical success certainly doesn’t come easy; it’s clear that these two haven’t left a Stone unturned throughout their journey.
