Tonight’s show could well be described as a barnyard sing-a-long love-in relocated to Grandma’s bungalow. This is mostly because Angus & Julia Stone seem to have stolen an eccentric Nanna’s gaudy wallpaper and crooked picture frames to put as a back drop for the show. Antique lamps finish off the look and create a soft mood for what will be a night of exceptional folk pop.

The Stones are touring their new album, Down The Way extensively throughout Australia, Europe and the US this March, April and May. My, they are busy.

The single from this album, And The Boys is played second in the set. It doesn’t get a particularly defining applause from the crowd, who seem to have preferred Julia’s performance of the new For You , and Angus’ Draw Your Swords . For You , as Julia enlightens, is about a lover she used to send songs to over the internet. One day he says, “it’s all over”, and Julia replies, “no, no” and sends this song: ‘If you love me
I’ll make you a star in my universe / You’ll never have to go to work / You’ll spend every day / Shining your light my way.’ She finishes by saying, “That’s a pretty good deal. He would never have had to work. Idiot.”

Draw Your Swords packs a similar punch: ‘You are mine / I am yours / Let’s not fuck around.’ Don’t mess with these siblings.

The mood lightens more with Julia’s sexy rendition of Grease’s You’re The One That I Want , which Angus follows up with a rather humorous new song about a recent festival antic whose lyrics recall being picked up in a car by a lady trippin’ balls while he was drunk and stoned in the back. The crowd like this very much.

The siblings finish their set with oldies but goodies Wasted , Mango Tree and Private Lawns , and come back for an encore with the very popular Just a Boy . It is certainly a good set, combining new and old songs, as well as a few fun, unrecorded pieces.

The last two songs of the encore are Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams , at which a rather enthusiastic male punter sings heartily in my ear “women, they will come and they will go!”, and the very pretty Santa Monica Dream. The crowd audibly shoosh their fellow audience members for this one, as Julia starts the song for a second time after a guitar string malfunction. She says “now I have to go through all those emotions again”, and breathes a deep sigh. The crowd is the quietest they’ve been all night, testament to their ability to draw the audience in and talk to them like a best mate, while still being able to enamour.

There’s no need to reiterate that these guys are very talented, have beautiful, unique voices, and are great songwriters and multi-instrumental musicians. We all know this. And there is no need to say that this gig was pretty darn good, but I did anyway. Praise where praise is due.