Luluc
(pronounced “loo-luke”) might have had to work at rising their
quaint, folksy tunes above the chatter of the sold-out Enmore
audience, but their perseverance paid off considerably in the long
run. The Melbourne-born/New York-residing duo creating a soothing and
very appetising soundscape in their half-hour with us, with their
warm, faultless harmonies filling out the venue, winning them a slew
of new fans in the meantime.

The
group's influences were worn on their sleeve – Gillian Welch, Nick
Drake and classic country acts like Hank Williams and Marty Robbins
sprang to mind. However, these influences were worn as badges of
honour, rather than targets of copying – the duo have learned
significant lessons from these acts, and the songs they performed
were reflective of this. Zoë Randell's pure, crystal-clear voice was
laden with high-note vibrato in a vein similar to that of Joni
Mitchell, assisted by both her simple strumming and the intrinsic
lead guitar of partner-in-crime Steve Hassett. A wonderful way to
begin the evening, one can only hope Luluc continue to expand their
profile and garner the attention they deserve.

Since
the last time the Stone siblings toured the country in March of this
year, they've acquired a number one record in



Down
the Way




,
upgraded the venues of the cities previously played in (from the
Metro to the Enmore, in this case) and have taken to visiting areas
in which there was never a market for them previously. In short,
they're bigger than they've ever been before. What hasn't changed,
thankfully, is the both their gracefulness and charm in performing,
as well as their gratitude to their audience. Beginning their
performance on an initially barren stage with the lovely “Santa
Monica Dream,” the Stones were as humble and sweetly shy as they
would have been performing to a crowd a tenth of this size. There's
no ego, no delusions of grandeur – just the music that has won over
so many people in these short few years.

The
curtain that covered the back half of the stage lifted halfway
through second track “Bella” to reveal a gorgeous fairy light
set-up strung across a tree right next to the drum riser. You've read
correctly – a tree was on-stage with the Stones' touring band, now
a three-piece consisting of a bassist, drummer and
multi-instrumentalist (piano, violin and mandolin, amongst others).
Once the awe wore off from the band's surroundings, it naturally
progressed to what else was happening on stage.

Julia gave tender performances of her
Down the Way highlights, with the heartbroken ballad of “For
You” and the album's swelling opener “Hold On” standing out
particularly. Her now customary rendition of Grease number
“You're The One That I Want” also continued to bring a smile to
her adoring audience, particularly those that hadn't had the fortune
of experiencing it previously. It's also hard to go past her
sprightly rendition of old favourite “Private Lawns,” either –
both her jazzy trumpet solo and saucy vocal work gave strong
indication to her range of talents as a musician and performer.

Perhaps
her defining moment, however, came in the form of a brand new song,
understood to be titled “I Believe.” Written earlier that week,
Julia had already assembled a stunning arrangement consisting of
remarkable five-part harmonies and a mandolin-based chord progression
that allowed for Julia's bitter, unforgiving lyrics depicting a
cheating man to gain the right amount of clarity needed to translate
successfully to an unfamiliar audience. Please save this one for the
next album, Julia – to waste this one on a b-side would be beyond
tragic.

Meanwhile,
hirsute brother – and apparent sex symbol, were you to believe the
constant squealing from down the front – Angus was not to be
outdone. Low-key versions of current hit “Big Jet Plane” and A
Book Like This' “Just A Boy” almost went under the radar of
most, until they heard the “gonna take her for a ride” and “I
don't know why” hooks slipped in, respectively. “Mango Tree,”
conversely, was recognised immediately and sung with such gusto from
the younger attendees that it almost sounded like a new studio
recording with a children's choir.

Though
it's easy to love Angus' scrawny vocal drawl, he particularly shines
as a guitarist throughout the set. Whether it's acoustic strums,
electric noodling, generating a wall of feedback (“Hold On”) or
even throwing in a dash of slide guitar for good measure – provided
during rarely-played “Choking” - Angus is clearly in a loving
relationship with the instrument and seemingly gets better at it with
every tour.

As
glitter and confetti rained down on-stage during main-set closer “And
The Boys,” neither Angus nor Julia could refrain from smiling or
giggling. There they stood, in the middle of one of their successful
hit singles in front of an adoring, ecstatic audience in the middle
of a three-night sold-out stand at one of Sydney's most iconic
venues. They had every right to maintain their confidence – and yet
to continue on through that scenario as nervous as hell? It shows
humanity, and it's this sense of reality that draws one to the music
of the Stone siblings to begin with. This was a performance of
natural beauty – and in the current climate of what sells in
Australian music, this is something to be both celebrated and
revered.