Live Review: Angus and Julia Stone mesmerises audiences at Perth Concert Hall
Angus and Julia Stone played a mesmerising sold-out show at the Perth concert hall last night reminding us the key to touring for a decade is resurgence.
The concrete walls of the Perth Concert Hall were transformed into a sanctuary for talented musicians, with the acoustics providing pitch-perfect sound that hasn’t been heard in Perth’s newer venues for a long time. Ruel opened the show, proving that age is no barrier as he gave an eclectic opening set that drew comparisons to male pop stars such as a young Justin Timberlake that will definitely prove him to be one to watch.
After a short emission, the lights completely blacked out, creating an image of shadowed bodies assembling behind their instruments. This dramatic entrance painted the vibe for the entire show, with the duo taking to their respective mic’s, belting out a new song from their 2017 album snow. From the beginning, they had the audience completely hooked. Never have I heard such a quiet audience, awe taking a hold of everyone in the packed out hall.
All night, the brother-sister duo performed with such a tight night closed-in chemistry that dispelled any 2016 feuds. Constantly smiling, laughing and playing with one another, it was one of the more endearing elements of the almost psychedelic tinged set. Audience members can expect to often be on edge when waiting for angus to come on, his hauntingly lovely voice often shadowed by the sometimes drunken antics, causing a frosty attitude. However, Last night was all love. Angus gave a stellar performance that meshed well together with his sister’s fairy-tale like shrill that never fails in capturing a full house.
Previous performances over their decade-long touring career have shown the Stone siblings as lovely, harmonious folk. However, with their more alternative new album, Snow, last night’s show saw an alternative rock band play a more up-tempo set that sounded like Fleetwood Mac mashed together with some classic 2008 Angus and Julia Stone. The refreshing take was a pleasant surprise that also used visuals of their usual indie-like pictures we’ve come to expect (we’re talking wolves and moons and the like). Their 4-piece band only highlighted this newer sound by taking usual folk instruments, such as the banjo, but playing in a style that mirrored classic rock and roll. This new side of the siblings was well-received within the audience, as guitar solos and even a wonderfully complex trumpet solo from Julia herself elicited the largest cheers of the night.
It was a mixture of new and old, with the set comprising of hits like “Big Jet Plane” and “For You” and newer songs that represented the duo’s newer side, (bloodhound and Chateau were standouts). A Neil Young encore cover proved to be the biggest surprise of the night, with it also providing a clear highlight.
There aren’t many bands that sound better live, but last night in the Perth Concert Hall, Angus and Julia Stone sucked in a mesmerised crowd that was left hanging off every pitch-perfect note. I expected to write a review on how the lovely Julia carried her brother through a dreary and drunken set. However, the gig, who went past the expected run time of almost 2 hours, was excellent. Both performers were exquisite, perfectly practiced and engaged with not just the audience, but with each other. I knew they were going to be good, I just didn’t think they would be that good.
