Angus and Julia Stone at The Factory

Sometimes you can just tell when bands are on the cusp of something special. Last week, Angus and Julia Stone whipped The Great Escape crowd into an absolute frenzy of excitement, and last night they managed to pack out The Factory, a venue often left half-empty by more established acts. Following the sweaty festival sing-along last week, things were a little more chilled out on this particular Saturday night in Enmore (or, for those of us who have a grip on geography/reality) Marrickville. Julia opened the evening up with occasional set-closer, the heart-breaking Chocolates and Cigarettes, before Angus launched into Babylon. While these familiar tracks went down well with the attentive, friendly audience, it was once again the as-yet unreleased songs that shone through and showed an ever-growing confidence in the duo’s songwriting ability, most notably on Hollywood and Black Jacket. At separate junctures, both Angus and Julia showcased songs that edged away from their gentler folky roots: Angus purveying an astoundingly throaty holler into the mic while Julia encored with a jaunty number.

Angus’ voice was as soft and laid-back as ever and induced many a swoon from the females in the room, while Julia’s vocal was typically intriguing. The way she can vary how she delivers a song gives it a whole new meaning and feeling each time. I have seen her perform All Of Me three times in the last week, and each time the song offers a different emotion: pained, yearning, tender. This is not a contrived performance construct, but rather shows that there is genuine feeling poured into each and every gig. Angus and Julia Stone clearly do not go through the motions.

And so, all too soon, Sydney said a fond farewell to their favourite siblings, who went off to finish recording their debut long-player, which, on current form, promises to be something truly special.