The Palais Melbourne, Thursday September 25
Support: Vancouver Sleep Clinic
You certainly have big shoes to fill when supporting a band like Angus & Julia Stone, luckily for Vancouver Sleep Clinic they’ll have to start looking around for a bigger pair. While his dancing was a little cringe worthy at times, main man Tim Bettinson has an incredible voice. The combination of his soaring falsetto over the progressive synth of the band was the perfect introduction to the brother-sister duo. A pleasant surprise came when Brisbane singer Wafia graced the stage for a one-off song with Tim. Her vocals can only be described as angelic.
The best gigs are those that give you an insight into the musicians you adore and a chance to hear something you haven’t heard before. ‘Main Street’ begun with a tale of Julia stealing a set of lights from Kmart for their gig room and ‘Other Things’ caused the duo to friendly bicker which of them was high when they wrote it. A track from Grease and ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ were thrown into the mix as well as guest appearances from two trumpet players.
Julia was the crowd adoring magnet, as wolf whistles and hollers were dedicated just for her. At one point she took to the back of the stage and danced alone, the lights illuminating her every movement. It almost felt as if you were the only two in the room, and The Palais Theatre is no small space.
There was even an intimate moment as Julia sung ‘The Wedding Song’ solo, which was made for close friends on their wedding day and is rarely played live. Connecting as much with Julia only made you want the same with Angus, and the absence of this was the only thing to be faulted on the night.
Musically the duo didn’t miss a beat as they worked their way through the new album and a handful of old songs. Leaving the Palais I felt I had a better understanding of the pair and a greater appreciation of their music.
By Amanda Sherring