Angus & Julia Stone – Civic Theatre December 15, 2017

 

With classic rock heavyweights Paul McCartney and Cat Stevens in town this week, Angus & Julia Stone’s show at the Civic could have easily gotten lost in the shuffle. But the Australian siblings needn’t have worried as their fans made their presence known, cheering on both old and new songs.

Angus and Julia made their New Zealand debut at The Civic back in September 2014 and have returned twice since then…to play at Laneway and to open for Fleetwood Mac at Mt Smart Stadium.

But this return to The Civic was the duo’s first headlining show in Auckland since that triumphant first night and the love for the Stones’ music seems to have only grown since then.

Earlier this year, the act released Snow, their first new long player since the Rick Rubin-produced self-titled record of 2014, and it was three songs from Snow that kicked off tonight’s show.

Baudelaire started things off with Julia’s mournful trumpet breaking the silence. It’s a gentle folk-rock tune that features the brother and sister’s trademark harmonies, and more of Julia’s trumpet playing at the end.

From there it was Make It Out Alive, another shimmering Snow track with Angus reciting the song’s opening verse. This was followed by the Fleetwood Mac-like vibe of Cellar Door.

It was clear that the audience appreciated the new songs as much as the old favourites, in fact there was an outbreak of applause of recognition when the first few notes of Chateau, another track from Snow, were played a bit later.

Between songs, Julia did most of the talking, sharing stories…mostly about romance and breakups…although Angus did speak up to introduce Big Jet Plane.

In addition to Angus and Julia, the rest of the band consisted of long-time banjo and guitar player Benjamin Edgar…his banjo playing was showcased during Private Lawns…along with drummer Daniel Farrugia, bass player James Gilligan and Jon Hanson on keyboards.

I should also note that the stage lighting and the footage of scenic Australian landscapes projected behind the band added beautifully to the presentation of the music.

And the music itself was exquisite.

As good as the main set was, the encore was even better, beginning with a beat-based version of Neil Young’s Harvest Moon, then some stunning electric guitar playing by Julia on Yellow Brick Road, before, finally, just the two siblings and their guitars and voices joining together for Santa Monica Dream, which I found to be the emotional highpoint of the show.

Angus & Julia Stone and Auckland’s Civic Theatre seem to make a perfect match.

Marty Duda

Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Chris Zwaagdyk:

Angus & Julia Stone set list:

1. Baudelaire
2. Make It Out Alive
3. Cellar Door
4. Heart Beats Slow
5. Chateau
6. Wherever You Are
7. Bloodhound
8. Private Lawns
9. Nothing Else
10. For You
11. Big Jet Plane
12. My House Your House
13. Snow
14. Harvest Moon
15. Yellow Brick Road
16. Santa Monica Dream