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Friday, March 29, 2024
The Stones

Hailing from Australia, this brother and sister duo brought a suite of tasty grooves and dulcet vocals to the Majestic Theatre.

Angus & Julia Stone captivate Majestic Theatre

Australian duo Angus & Julia Stone performed at the Majestic Theatre Oct. 17. It was my first time in this corner of the city and the location was perfect. The smaller stage and more intimate atmosphere made me feel part of this concert and right there on the stage with the performers.

I had never heard of the opener before, but he quickly captured my attention. Hailing from Texas, Conner Youngblood brought a variety of musical talents to his set including playing the guitar, banjo, piano, whistling and mixing together tracks live on stage. In between each song he continuously thanked us for being there and enjoying his music. I would have to say that “dark coffee house music” would be the best way to describe his style.

The combination of whistling and guitar and the inclusion of a lot of bass made the music very ambient. His soft and raspy voice made all of his songs sound longing and nostalgic, which I liked for a while but towards the end of his performance the songs sounded the same. Overall he was a great opener and set the environment perfectly for the rest of the evening.

Finally, what we were all waiting for, Angus & Julia Stone (and the rest of their band) emerged from the wings. I wasn’t a huge follower of the band before the concert, but it was so fun to be surrounded by people who were definitely big supporters. Their folksy-acoustic sound was really energetic and lit up the crowd. I always love it when musicians look like they are having fun on stage and make the concert more personable.

Julia Stone is beautiful, talented and genuine. Whenever she was singing alone, you could feel everyone focused on each word coming out of her mouth. I caught myself a few times grinning from ear to ear when I’d see Angus and the rest of the band watching her as she performed. They radiate warmth and happiness and their familial vibe is tangible. Their music is transcendent.

I had the opportunity to interview Angus Stone before the show and he was so kind and humble throughout the entire interview. Both Stones are very appreciative of their supporters and of how far they have come.

“It’s strange, beautiful and really lovely to see people singing along to our music,” Angus said. “It’s not expected and it’s a very cool experience.”

Angus & Julia Stone had previously released A Book Like This, Down the Way and most recently their self-titled album Angus & Julia Stone. Since they’ve created over 40 songs together, I was really curious to understand the writing process between the two.

“In the past, we would kind of do the mad scientist thing; we’d go off on our own, create a song and then bring it to the table. For this album, we’d sit in the same room collaborating on lyrics and making tracks. After recording it was wonderful to see something really cool happen.”

They have been producing music now for over seven years, each piece of music having it’s own message and story attached.

“I get inspiration from everything. I get it from films and also just daily life. Imagery is really strong in how I write my music,” Angus stated. “I’ve kind of gone off the track with who I listen to now, but in the past I’ve drawn inspiration from anything with a story and anything that had an affect on the way I saw the world.”

It’s obvious that these two are passionate about what they create and the affect their music has on people.

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“Though someone could have their own experiences and feelings surrounding a song that’s completely different than how you felt when you wrote the song, it’s beautiful that you can still be linked through the feelings you get when you hear the song,” Angus said. “It’s hard to explain. It’s really special.”

Angus & Julia Stone are phenomenal musicians. I would really recommend seeing them perform live before the end of their tour.

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