Wtorek 23 Paź 2007, 22:10
Mon 22 Oct – Monday Night Live
The Angus & Julia Stone mailing list was offering 80 double passes to see them live at the Basement, so I entered the competition writing a 10 word description of the video for The Beast. I never win competitions so I was stoked when I got the notification. The exclusive show was for the program Monday Night Live, hosted by Ella Hooper of Killing Heidi, to be streamed live on the internet and mobile phones.
This is my 5th time seeing them live. I saw them recently at their Metro show and this had a similar set list but everything was just on a better level this time around. It felt really special as the show wasn't for the general public.
We managed to find a fantastic seat at a table in the centre. We talked briefly to the guy who joined our table, a UK man who'd spent the past 2 years travelling countries on a motorcycle and he was really interesting. Finally at 9pm A&J took the stage and started playing Wasted. Halfway through the song, I had already decided this was one of my top 5 magical shows ever, I couldn't stop grinning like an idiot. The second half of the song was spent being amused with sound problems. There was a loud interfering static noise coming through the speakers and Angus couldn't contain himself, he burst into giggles and Julia followed suit.
The tempo of the beautiful Bella was slowed down and Angus dedicated it to a friend, possibly someone close who had passed away because the lines "be with us now in the wind, be with us now forever" preceded it. My heart melts every time Angus sings "So you took her hand and she gave a look that sent you to the moon." The string quartet in Silver Coin had soaring melodies and the cello was so deep and rich it made my stomach feel wonderfully funny.
Julia told the story about writing a song for a friend's wedding in the Greek islands and started to ramble a little bit, finishing shyly with a hopeful “Maybe I'll get married someday.” It was a really sweet song, with the line "we'll make babies on the beach under the stardust". Later in the night, she dedicated All Of Me to their resident drummer Mitch Connelly (unable to perform on the tour because of illness) and it seems like they're in a relationship.
The way that Julia interacts with the crowd reflects the way she she performs her songs. She's open about family anecdotes and has an adorable tendency to chatter, and when she sings she lets herself be completely vulnerable and transparent. You can clearly see the heartache or the joy in every song. Angus on the other hand, is so incredibly shy and barely finishes his sentences. For his songs, it's like he's quietly lost in his world, oblivious to everything except for the times he gazes at his sister affectionately. He introduced Just A Boy by explaining that they've played at a few festivals in the past few months and he met a girl… “she made me feel pretty good.” We laughed at his sheepishness. Julia wanted him to play one of his new songs but he made us crack up when he confessed he didn't remember the lyrics.. or the name of the song.
They performed the cover of I Get Knocked Down again, speeding up during the refrain “oh Danny boy” and it was mesmerizing watching the band go nuts. Angus brought out an electric guitar, saying that his dad bought it for him and that he now needs to write more songs for electric. They played my favourite song from the show at the Metro, a new one called Susie that has more of a reggae/roots influence. It is unreal!!
I love it when Julia sings Here We Go Again but I'm always somewhat disappointed when she doesn't scream at the “lift off” moment like she did at Big Day Out. For the encore, Julia sat at the piano and was deciding which song to play. In the end she went with Chocolates & Cigarettes. They left the stage after giving each other a hug. I don't think I've ever witnessed hugs between the people of other bands before..
I couldn't believe my good fortune in having experienced a show like this, and with the way the lights were shining, Helena and I were convinced that Julia is an angel… she is so indescribably gorgeous. We also both agreed that Angus is a yeti with his bushman hair and beard.. haha, a very good looking yeti. I tend to listen to his songs more but I can't take my eyes off Julia when she sings/dances.