Drifting away with Julia and Angus…
14th August 2008
The Australian brother and sister musical duo Angus and Julia Stone were my first gig at The Liquid Room and these two have set the bar so high, it is in fact up in the clouds.
Julia came out in a float-y vintage dress with a flower in her hair and bare feet. She began to dance like a fairy, drawing you in to this magical musical experience the two create. They played on a stage decorated with hanging stars, a shiny, smiley moon and elephant that took you away from the fact it was in a club in Edinburgh.
Both Angus and Julia have unique voices that they use to take you on a journey through songs telling stories of love and friendship, which is maybe why their debut album is called ‘A Book Like This’.
It’s a simple organic sound that takes a lot of talent and creativity to pull off.
These two Stones, from the northern beaches of Sydney, were brought up with music in their blood. They pick up and play a number of instruments during their songs using every sound their mouths can make. At one point Julia while holding her guitar, picks up a trumpet giving their folksy sound a bluesy feel, then she prances lightly over to her keyboard as Angus plays his guitar and harmonica.
All these instruments create such a textured sound, which draws the crowd in. When they paused in the middle of songs you could here a pin drop as the club swayed in silence. Even the most rowdy drunk Ozzie shut up to appreciate what the whole audience thought was a truly special moment.
I came out feeling like I had been to a spa for the weekend totally chilled and relaxed. I can’t wait to hear this band at a festival in a forest, or on the beach or on a cloud, so I can also dance bare foot.
The crowd was mainly Australian so Julia and Angus are clearly doing well back home and I’m sure when the sun finally decides to come out in Edinburgh this summer, their sounds will fill the air.
It would be easy to pass Angus and Julia Stone’s sound off as Folk music, but I thought it was so much more. Anybody who can make you feel like your in the northern beaches of Australia under the night sky while I’m standing in a dark sticky floored club in Edinburgh while it’s damp and chilly outside have something brand new going on.
words: Fiona Gardner
