Angus & Julia Stone at The Opera House

Photographs by Maya Setton. 

Was a brother and sister folk-blues duo from Sydney, Australia ever not gonna be unfairly charming? Young, charismatic and wryly cheeky, Angus & Julia Stone seemed the kind of act a misanthrope would begrudgingly label ‘delightful’. The image of youth, Julia graced the stage in a tartan skirt and knee high socks, hair shimmering so much you’d think her part Veela, while Angus opted for a low-key jeans, tee and baseball cap combo. This spritely facade belied the pair’s vocal maturity; hers light and billowing, while his rumbled deep and smoky. There was an innate balance to their harmony, filling The Opera House with a rich fullness.

This balance found its place with a rapturous audience, baying for more after each song. Commercial radio breakout Big Jet Plane ignited the crowd into exuberant sing-a-long, while the swampy blues-rock of Crash and Burn cast a fresh contrast from fanciful folk tunes. The band’s playful, easy rapport buoyed their performance and raised spirits to bursting. Just when it seemed the crowd couldn’t contain themselves, an adroitly chosen cover pushed things over the edge. Introducing the piece as “a song about finding the right person”, Julia took the vocal lead on a slow, reflective acoustic rendition of Grease’s You’re The One That I Want. Inviting the crowd to sing the ‘ooh ooh oohs’ was a leap of faith that stumbled at first, before finding its feet third time lucky. In tumbled some subtle banjo, contemplative keyboard and gentle cymbal rolls to open up the track. Emboldened by the backing, Julia shifted between gravelly growls, trembling crooning and soaring highs, showcasing an impressive vocal range. They owned it in every sense of the word.

Credit couldn’t be given without paying dues to their talented backing band. Their backup guitarist switched between blistering banjo picking and electric-acoustic shredding with fingers blurred from speed, while their drummer’s beats brought a locomotive momentum to the folkier numbers. A fine band recorded, these songs really came to life in a live environment. If it’s possible to use the word “rollicking” without ironically referring to a theme park ride, Angus and Julia Stone made a good case for it.