From the moment Ruel took to the Enmore Theatre stage he mesmerised with his husky vocals and catchy pop melodies. He displayed maturity beyond his years with his incredible stage presence and natural honesty. The crowd went wild for him and considering he was only the support act, he really killed it.
Angus & Julia Stone waltzed onto the stage straight through mist to begin with a track from their latest album Snow called My House Your House. While they played the track the visuals on stage turned into this beautiful ocean over a sunset as Julia swiftly began a trumpet riff. When thinking of a trumpet it can be thought of as aggressive- although each and every time the trumpet was brought out by Angus or Julia during the set- it encompassed this seamless and glowing glissando effect. They then transitioned into another track from the album called, Cellar Door, this track is super reminiscent of Angus’s solo project Dope Lemon as he takes us on a sort of journey with his brooding and drawling tone. A complete contrast to Julia’s sweet and angelic harmonies. “It’s nice to be home!” Julia exclaimed, before ploughing into a track from their previous self titled album called, Heart Beats Slow. This track got the crowd singing along and dancing around in the mosh to the familiar acoustic guitar strums.
For their latest single, Chateau- the spotlights began to flicker to the beat of the very familiar piano riff. This was completely breathtaking- the lighting and visual really took the show to a whole new level. This song on the album makes it so easy to fall in love with Angus & Julia all over again- the catchiness and ethereal yet passionate lyrics really take you on a inner journey. When watching them play you’re so deeply in the moment that it’s almost as if you have transcended from reality. For Wherever You Are they brought the crowd back down from the hype of their new track and into a sweet and soft lullaby. Julia’s soft and haunting voice really stole the show and captured the spotlight. The harmonica Angus played really complimented Julia’s high and flowy vocal texture. Private Lawns one of their throwback tracks really worked with suspense, sustain and release, and got everyone up and dancing like they were at a fiesta- even the people seated got up to have a boogie. Angus then played his track Uptown Folks from his solo project Dope Lemon- which managed to keep everyone on their feet with its fast drums and humble lyrical storybook tales.
They played their hit Big Jet Plane that again got everyone chanting along before Julia stopped for some banter. “I wrote this song after a breakup- about someone I was still in love with. After I sent it he didn’t reply for two weeks- when he replied he had just said something like ‘cool- here’s a song I’m working on’ which was not about us getting back together.” The song she played was For You arguably the most heartfelt and sweet love song to ever exist- this dude really missed out. For the title track of their most recently released album Snow – actual snow fell down onto the stage! It was one of the most gorgeous moments one could encounter at a gig, the visual it created was really special. After finishing with this they played three encores- the crowd was cheering and stomping so intensely, it was as if the theatre would erupt. To end, they covered Neil Young’s Harvest Moon. It was gorgeous, the cowbell like motif was completely enchanting and Angus really suited the vocal. It was a spectacular end to a fabulous show- every set of eyes were glued to the brother and sister duo from the moment they graced the stage to the minute the show ended.
– Sara Tamin