Angus and Julia Stone, most known for their song “Big Jet Plane,” are on quite a roll. They’re doing a three-night run at the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever, and on September 4th, they released their seventh studio album, Karaoke Bar. And they have more tour dates in store.
Angus and Julia are siblings who have been making music together for over 20 years. You can really feel their sibling energy on stage. They share stories about their parents, their upbringing, and tease each other playfully when one forgets which song is next. Watching them on stage is like watching poetry catch fire. When they perform live, they integrate instruments in a novel way compared to their studio experience.
Songs that would have been stripped down are beefed up with a litany of brilliant instrumentalists. They keep a full band with a bassist (Luke Hodgson), drummer (Leigh Fisher), keyboardist (Aaron Mendoza) and guitar/banjo player (Matty Green). The Stone siblings are constantly swapping out acoustic guitars for electric guitars and harmonicas. When Julia pulls out her trumpet, the whole atmosphere changes to that of a New Orleans Saloon. She and her brother create a harmonic give-and-take, sometimes singing different lyrics synchronously, similar to the XX.
For those of you who have never been to the Masonic Lodge, it is not the grassy outdoor venue where you bring a blanket and set up with snacks and drinks on the cemetery lawn. Cut to me going through security, and them asking why I had brought such a large bag, with a water bottle and snacks. Luckily, when I told them about my mistake, they let me pass through with no issue.
The venue is inside a beautiful old lodge near the Santa Monica Blvd entrance to the cemetery. You take a 2-minute stroll through the wrought-iron gates and a small section of the park, and you’re there. It was an intimate venue, which was a beautiful choice on the part of the artists. To perform three small shows instead of one big one allows them to soak up the city a little bit more and create an experience that feels a little more kept by the audience.
They played the cover, “Stay with Me” by Sam Smith, and invited the crowd to join in singing. And there were several moments where Matty Green took on massive riffing solos, where the spotlight would drop on him. Aaron Mendoza also had a great vocal run using the TalkBox. Some other fan favorites played included, “For You” and “Just a Boy.”
For their encore, Angus and Julia came back on stage alone to perform “Santa Monica Dream”, a sad, slow song about long-past relationships. They ended the evening with their well-known hit, “Chateau.”
Check out the rest of their tour here. https://angusandjuliastone.com/, and listen to their latest album here.
The Indy Review 