The interior of Sydney's State Theatre never fails to stun, the intricate walls carrying the echoes of so many musical notes.
A few more notes will be added tonight (7 August) as Angus & Julia Stone commence the Sydney round of their lounge sessions. The duo enter in complete darkness, before one beam slices through, exploding the sparkles on Julia's dress.She begins strumming gently as she sings of roses and paintings in a soft yet angular alto voice. Lyrics 'No darling, I don't want to know,' cut through to the bone. Angus joins sporadically for timbred harmonies bred from a lifetime together. The pair blend in a fingerpicking solo, before taking a moment to smile at one another. The song ends as the crowd release their appreciation.
Suddenly the back curtain rises, revealing a full band. Pink and red lanterns hang down in a diamond kaleidoscope of inviting beauty. "If you told me where I could find you," Angus sings from 'Losing You', the drums clicking along with a sweet swing. Warmth rises through your body as the twangy guitar solos along.
Image © Nicole Ainsworth
"G'day Sydney, how you doing?" Angus asks at the song's conclusion in a surprisingly ocker accent. "The idea of this show is to invite you into our lounge room," Julia shares. "We're going to play songs from the last 20 years. . . I asked Angus to write the title [of this song] on my foot, and I went and got it tattooed. It's my only tattoo. This is 'Yellow Brick Road'."
Angus takes the lead singing of sweet Mary Jane as Julia plays keys and harmonica Bob Dylan style. The song erupts in a blues style guitar solo, as the women of the band unite in crying out, Julia dancing her hand rhythmically, before the song ends suddenly.
"This song is about loving someone just the way they are," Julia shares to crowd cheers. 'Nothing Else' simmers along nicely under the drum brushes, a touching reminder of their brilliant songwriting.
Ever the multi-instrumentalist, Julia brings out a trumpet to add perfectly to the song's sentimentality. "Julia Stone on the trumpet," Angus jokes at the song's conclusion, continuing tenderly, "I feel so lucky to travel the world with my legend of a sister."
Julia smiles. "I've been asking Angus for 15 years to bring this one back," she shares. "He always says no. I asked him tonight and he said. . ." "F... it, we're in Sydney. Let's give it a go," Angus confirms as the crowd laugh.
Image © Nicole Ainsworth
Angus now assumes Dylan, alternating between harmonica and singing, his rings glistening in the light as he strums effortlessly. "I'm just a boy," he sings tenderly, flowing through an intricate harmonica solo. It really does feel like a lifetime of immersion in music is unfolding before you, and it feels wonderful.
Julia introduces a cover, surprisingly it's Miley Cyrus' 'Flowers', as Angus takes a sip of what appears to be whiskey from his 1920s glass. It is a very slow version.
For 'Draw Your Swords', the house lamps onstage light up. It really is a stunning design. "You are the only one," Angus cries out as the lap steel screams through the air in a breathtaking show of emotion.
The backdrop is blue for 'Down To The Sea', the white lanterns appearing like fishing buoys in an ocean. "I'll take you down to the sea," the duo sing as another flawless guitar solo plays.
A banjo solo, truly solo, takes centre stage under Ben Edgar's impressive hands for 'Private Lawns', before the kick joins, the crowd clapping along as Angus takes a sip of red wine.
'Cape Forestier' – the title of their 2024 album – is a warm number that hits just right, before Angus introduces 'Wherever You Are' as "another epic song that Julia wrote". Orange-light-spirals flicker down through the lamps, and it is truly beautiful.
Image © Nicole Ainsworth
They introduce 'The Wedding Song' as a song they sang at their mum's wedding, which got bootlegged around the internet. People were then using the low-quality version, so they decided to do a proper version, and invited people to send in wedding videos for the clip. They received hundreds of submissions from around the world.
"Do you know how lovely you are in the starlight?" Julia asks, her dress reflecting a million stars of its own. The lights pulse in time for an acoustic version of 'Chateau', before 'Big Jet Plane' features more of a shuffle beat, as white lights swirl around.
The obligatory stage exit ensues, before the entire band rejoins around one microphone under a yellow beam. Angus and Edgar strum as Angus begins a cover of Neil Young's 'Harvest Moon'. The drummer and bassist are given vocal solos in an honouring touch, before Julia invites the crowd to sing the chorus back to them.
Warm, tingly and intimate, the lounge sessions are a special moment in time that was an honour to experience.
More photos from the concert.
