Angus and Julia Stone 20/03/10 @ Tivoli

A rowdy audience all gathered to the sold out show on March 20th at the Tivoli in Brisbane to watch the folk brother/sister duo from Sydney Angus and Julia Stone. They took to the dimly lit stage which was set adorned with a single seat, lamps, picture frames and red wine, perfect for a laid back evening. Angus and Julia both then donned their instruments ready for a night of sweet folk pop. And The Boys from the duo’s new album Down the Way was second in the set; using Julia’s unique voice a flawless performance of this song was delivered setting the pace for what was going to be a magical night.

Tonight, a handful of new material was displayed which showed the progression of the band. Down The Way sees Angus and Julia Stone use their unique voices to evoke many emotions and encapsulates broken hearts through their unique storytelling. Onstage they are supported by Matt, Rob and Jake, the new backing band, who were flew in from New York for this tour. The duo managed to mix up the set with new and old material, captivating the audience with crowd favourites such as Wasted, Private Lawns and Mango Tree.

Two appealing additions to the already amazing set list was a solo by Julia of the Grease song You’re the One That I Want, during this Angus decided it was a good time for a glass of wine and time out on the couch and the second song which supporting band Boy and Bear joined the stage to cover Dreams originally by Fleetwood Mac. The pair then closes the set with the slow and beautifully sung Santa Monica Dreams however due to a guitar string malfunction Julia is required to start again and expresses that she now “has to go through all the emotions again”.

Angus and Julia Stone throughout the show were often humbled at the audience’s enthusiasm, particularly Angus who was smiling throughout Just a Boy as the audience sang with him. It’s quite easy to see that these two have progressed from their debut album and will continue to do so in the future.

Hope, visions, future

You were created to love and be loved. You were meant to live life in relationship with other people, to know and be known. You need to know that your story is important and that you're part of a bigger story. You need to know that your life matters.

We live in a difficult world, a broken world. Life is hard for most people most of the time. We believe that everyone can relate to pain, that all of us live with questions, and all of us get stuck in moments. You need to know that you're not alone in the places you feel stuck.

We all wake to the human condition. We wake to mystery and beauty but also to tragedy and loss. Millions of people live with problems of pain. Millions of homes are filled with questions – moments and seasons and cycles that come as thieves and aim to stay. We know that pain is very real. It is our privilege to suggest that hope is real, and that help is real.

You need to know that rescue is possible, that freedom is possible.

The vision is that community and hope and help would replace secrets and silence.

The vision is people putting down guns and blades and bottles.

The vision is that we would learn what it means to love our friends, and that we would love ourselves enough to get the help we need.

The vision is better endings.

The vision is the restoration of broken families and broken relationships.

The vision is people finding life, finding freedom, finding love.

The vision is making change.

The vision is the possibility that your best days are ahead.

The vision is the possibility that we're more loved than we'll ever know.

The vision is hope, and hope is real.