Angus & Julia Stone at Koko

Australian sibling singer-songwriters Angus and Julia Stone are no strangers to the city, making their trip to the capital’s venue in Camden, to a packed house in Koko.

Starting the set with Losing You, followed by Nothing Else, lamps intermittently turn on and off against a star-strewn backdrop, Julia sending chills with her trumpet solo. Turning 30, she had asked Angus to write the title of the next track on her foot to have it tattooed, and Yellow Brick Road was born, sweetly drifting over us, with a sparkling banjo and harmonica solo. The duo then perform Monroe, a single released just a few days ago from their upcoming album, Karaoke Bar. A schmoozy, languid affair with a catchy chorus, it’s a refreshing track that encapsulates the pair’s ability to meld different genres, which has garnered them thousands of fans across the world.

Angus takes the vocal leads again on Grizzly Bear, with keyboardist Aaron Mendoza doing a rendition of Dreams by Fleetwood Mac via a talk box, which goes down a treat with the crowd. Continuing with his solo set, Angus plays Just a Boy, with Julia providing the backing harmonisation. The duo not only have an almost palpable love for each other, but an ardent admiration and mutual respect for one another’s musicality and craftsmanship. We hear this as Angus introduces Wherever You Are (written by Julia), the lyrics including a reference to Aussie film favourite, Candy. Playing a surprising rendition of Sam Smith’s Stay with Me, while reminiscing about their “amazing childhoods”, and their father’s profession as a wedding singer, the siblings are clearly enjoying performing tonight, much like their adoring fans lapping up each word and chord. The track is a great choice, very much suiting the pair’s sound; although Julia’s singing style is in this rather babyish voice reminiscent of Joanna Newsom, breathy and high-pitched, it ultimately resonates better live. Another highlight in a night of top tracks is For You, as Julia wryly recalls the story of how she wrote and dedicated the song to her lover from the past. The widely popular Big Jet Plane is a soaring number, and one that has been streamed over 500 million times; there is, however, a brawl that breaks downstairs, meaning the siblings restart their song.

Bookending the set is Chateau, the guitar plucking creating a charming melody, while the catchy wooing vocalisations are reminiscent of Klaxons’s Golden Skans, with Santa Monica Dream completing tonight’s set, the pair alone on stage, playing their guitars facing one another, enchanted by the other’s love and friendship, as much treasured this side of the world as down under.