Angus and Julia Stone, Luluc @The Palais, Melbourne(10/09/2010)

Sun 12th Sep, 2010 in Gig Reviews

Melbourne expats turn New York locals, Luluc, set the stage with some sombre, warm folk. Double bass, acoustic guitars and the gentle female, male harmonies of Zoe Randell and Steve Hassett serve to soothe the soul on this chilly night. Lead singer Randell recalls a female likening to Nick Drake, with her strong timbre and heartfelt introspection on life and death. Songs like Little Suitcase set the mark high and the band maintains this level throughout, easily holding their own with contemporaries like Iron and Wine. It’s obvious they are being recognised by the right people as well, with two tracks already featured on Grey’s Anatomy, the band close with One Day Soon.

As the lights dim and Angus and Julia Stone enter the stage, there’s a concern that the music would struggle to be heard over all the squealing. In fact, what little masculinity I have seems to be to be drowned out amongst the 90 per cent female audience. Standing in front of the lowered curtain at the front of stage, the two open with Santa Monica Dream. I’ve always been more inclined towards Angus’ vocals than Julia’s; hers tend to be a tad too nasal or piercing in a vein all to reminiscent of Martha Wainright.

The two are joined by a violinist as Angus takes the lead and the curtain is raised to reveal a full band ensconced in an elaborate backdrop, including a tree and Victorian street lamp. Once transported into the bands very own faux backyard, the show begins to come to life; this is folk on a far grander scale.

Tracks like Bella and Mango Tree showcase Julia’s diversity with much more subtle backing harmonies, complimenting Angus’s soft tones, and trumpet playing. She also reveals a sense of humour saying, John Travolta “used to be so cute. Then the aliens took him,” before playing a surprisingly moving rendition of You’re The One That I Want from Grease. Throughout the show, both Stones go through a multitude of instruments, including trumpet, accordion, mandolin, keys and harmonica, without ever seeming gimmicky. Angus is forced to consistently shrug off marriage requests with humour towards what could have become awkward or irritating. The pattern seems to become that Julia’s voice sounds best when unaccompanied, as she pours out a new song about disappearing love with restraint, highlighting a nuance lacking in her vibrato moments.

Other highlights include Big Jet Plane and an experimental version of Private Lawns, while Just A Boy sends the crowd back into frenzied screams. The band goes a little bit Rock during Yellow Brick Road, before closing with And The Boys, as sparkles fall from the ceiling. Returning for an encore that includes an up-tempo version of Black Crow followed by Wasted, things are brought to a close with a standing ovation, and I find myself pleasantly surprised by the band’s performance if not so much by the panting crowd.

CHECK OUT SOME OF THE BEAUTIFUL PHOTOS FROM THE NIGHT HERE