Live Review: Angus & Julia Stone

The sold-out crowd roared as Angus & Julia Stone stepped onto the stage in the dark as dreamy violin sounds lulled the crowd into a state of tranquillity. The spotlight then shone on Angus Stone. His soft, acoustic lament slowly intertwined with his sister Julia's voice, building until eventually the rest of the band was revealed.

Opening with songs from their latest album, Snow - Baudelaire, Snow and Oakwood - the brother and sister duo were quietly spoken between songs, occasionally sharing stories about their music. Julia introduced Private Lawns as an old song from their first EP, Chocolates & Cigarettes, which was made 12 years ago in a small home studio; "It was a really lovely way to make music," she explained. It was one of the most memorable songs of the night. Ben Edgar's banjo solo encapsulated an array of international sounds reminiscent of both Mediterranean acoustic guitars and sitar before Julia's soft and romantic trumpet sounds gently echoed across the green - so effortless.

The visuals ranged from snow falling at night to home videos of the duo's family during Santa Monica Dream. "After living in New York and LA for a bit, we wrote this song when it all ended," Julia explained. "It was a bit sad - it's a bit like when you still love somebody but you know that it's not meant to be." The duo then went on to explain that the music video featured their grandfather, who recently passed away. "Our grandparents used to love water skiing and sailing and our family had a saying, 'A family that sails together stays together'," shared Angus. As they began to play, the 3,500-strong crowd fell silent. You could've heard a pin drop.

With most songs of the night coming from their latest album Snow, Cellar Door particularly reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac, Angus also played River Love from his 2012 solo album Broken Brights. In the lead up to Big Jet Plane, Angus told the story of how he and his friend hitchhiked to Woodford Folk Festival. He fell in love with a girl who picked them up, but never saw her again. Then, on a trip overseas, he wrote this song.

During the final song Chateau, rain magically began to fall.