Angus & Julia Stone - Ruby Lounge - 01/02/08 by Richard Graham

Angus and Julia Stone are an Australian brother and sister duo that first hit the musical scene in 2006. Originating from the Northern beaches they first collaborated on open mic nights and quickly created a buzz that resulted in a debut album that peaked at number six in the Australian music charts.

Deciding to relocate to London to pursue their career it was not long before they had the support of Fran Healy (Travis) and soon set about winning over the hearts and minds of the UK. Combining the folk songs of Bob Dylan with the vocals of Bjork they rapidly developed a fan base and it was on a typically cold and miserable night in Manchester that a hardy bunch of Bohemian souls had gathered to witness the warming effects of simple and endearing folk temptingly mixed with a seductive edge.

Opening with a finger picked acoustic number called The Wedding Song they soothingly led us into their world and judging by the audience reaction (which was restrained awe) they were either fans or fans in waiting. Mixing up the songs throughout the set at times a full band was needed; whilst with others a simple acoustic guitar and vocals led us through tales involving Hollywood, Aladdin, windy cities and the collapse of a relationship. Despite being very different with their personalities Angus and Julia both complimented each other in their styles and whilst Angus was comparatively restrained, Julia weaved around the stage like a joyous hippy with a flower behind her ear.

Much of the press behind the duo focuses on their strong musical bloodline (their Father was a music teacher and played in several cover bands and their Mother crucially got them to sing together) and their considerable talents were on show throughout the night. Julia, in particular, seemed to be incredibly multi-talented and flitted between the trumpet, piano, guitar, harmonica and vocals with ease whilst her brother steadily held the fort with the guitar and his own lead vocals on several songs.

Whilst Julia was without doubt the star of the duo Angus was more than capable of holding his own and shone brightly with songs such as Paper Aeroplane and the set closing Mango Tree that were both reminiscent of Paul Simon. What was perhaps most endearing about the whole band was the way they responded to the audience reaction to their songs. Although they thoroughly deserved the love that the crowd lavished on them they seemed genuinely surprised and elated that the audience loved the music. Meeting the band after the gig Julia summed up this response – ‘Each room is a different space, with different people and reactions. I am always happy when people like our music and… I love it… I really do!’

Angus and Julia Stone blew in from the windy city and this reviewer certainly cannot wait until they return again. With wonderful harmonies, effortless charm, gorgeous melodies and beautiful personalities they brought sunshine to this rainy city and even an instrument failure during their encore could not detract from the performance. Musicians at heart and modest about their talents this reviewer, forever the cynic, is for once well and truly beaten.