| Angus & Julia Stone | |
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Angus & Julia Stone performing at Falls Festival, 2007 |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Sydney, Australia |
| Genres | Folk, blues, acoustic |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, harmonica, trumpet, cello, mandolin, drums |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | EMI in Australia, Flock Music/PIAS in the UK & Europe, Nettwerk in the USA, Discograph in France |
| Website | Official site |
| Members | |
| Angus Stone Julia Stone |
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Angus & Julia Stone are an Australian brother-sister duo from Newport on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. Forming in 2005, their parents are both musical and played as a folk duo before Angus and Julia were born.[1] At very young ages, their father introduced them to music and encouraged them to join the school band. Julia played the trumpet, Angus the trombone and their older sister, Catherine, the saxophone.[2] They also learned many songs from their father's cover band "Backbeat" during band rehearsals in the family's garage.[2]
The band has released six EPs, a compilation and two albums since they began recording together in 2005.[3] Their debut EP Chocolates and Cigarettes was released August 2006. In February 2007 their second EP Heart Full of Wine was released. Both EP's were released and distributed through EMI Music in Australia and as a double-EP set by independent label, Independiente Records in the UK.[4]
On 8 September 2007, their debut album A Book Like This was released through EMI Music Australia and has achieved platinum plus (100,000)[5] with a March 2008 release in UK/Europe through Flock Music.[4][6][7] It was later released in the USA through Nettwerk on 3 March 2009 with an alternative track listing.
In between the release of "A Book LIke This" in the United States, Angus released his first solo album under the moniker, Lady of the Sunshine[8] with the album entitled "Smoking Gun" to critical acclaim in March 2009.[9] It was later released on Flock Music on 6 April 2009 and then released on U.S. iTunes on 8 April 2009.[10][11]
The sophomore self-produced album Down the Way saw a simultaneous, worldwide release in March 2010. As travelling has been an integral part of the Stones' musical story, they opted to record in a number of diverse locations around the globe – an old sawmill on the river banks of Fowey, Cornwall, a studio in Brooklyn, a water tank in Coolangatta, Queensland and in Queens, New York.[12][13]
The album debuted at number 1 in their native country and is now triple platinum.[14] It was the highest-selling album by an Australian artist in 2010.[5] The album also hit number 4 on iTunes France after the duo performed it on the TV show Taratata[15] and has since reached platinum status through their record company Discograph.[16] The duo won ARIA Album of the Year and ARIA Single of the Year at the 2010 Australian Record Industry Awards.[5] They also received number 1 position in the Triple J Hottest 100 for Big Jet Plane in 2011.[17]
In 2010 Julia released her debut solo album The Memory Machine, which was received positively in a review from The Sydney Morning Herald.[18]
The band have sold out gigs all around the world including three sold-out shows at Enmore Theatre in Sydney in October 2010, a sold-out Shepherds Bush Empire in London and five sold-out Le Trianon shows in Paris.[19][20][21] They returned to Europe for the summer festivals in July 2011.[22]
Angus and Julia began to collaborate on their musical endeavours in early 2006.[23] Prior to that, both performed as solo artists, principally at open mic nights, but with each using the other as a backing partner. They first performed together at the Coogee Bay hotel in Sydney in 2005 with Angus performing and Julia singing back-up.[24] In terms of composing material, they write on their own, then work together on structure and harmonies.
Both Angus and Julia have distinctive vocal styles. The Sydney Morning Herald's Bernard Zuel described their vocals as such: "Her voice has a fractured feel like Jolie Holland; his has a smoke-on-the-beach drawl." UK journalist Johnny Sharp of Mojo stated, "Most impressive, though, are the songs – simple but blindingly effective acoustic compositions, warm boy-girl harmonies and delicate, less-is-more arrangements. Resistance is surely futile."
Angus and Julia began recording their first EP Chocolates and Cigarettes in March 2006. It was officially released on 26 August 2006. Their first single "Paper Aeroplane" was played on Australian radio in April on local radio station FBI. That same month Angus and Julia played at The Great Escape Festival in Sydney, Australia.
At the end of July 2006, the Stones played to two hundred people packed in a tiny tent at the Splendour in the Grass festival in Byron Bay, Australia. By August they had signed a two-EP distribution deal with EMI Music in Australia and independent label Independiente Records in the UK and had packed their bags and headed for London to live.[25]
While in the UK, they were invited into Chris Potter's studio (The Verve/Richard Ashcroft) to record. Fran Healy from UK band Travis had also just heard their debut EP and also invited them to his house to record. The result of these two matchups was the duo's second EP, Heart Full of Wine.
During their time together, Healy also helped the brother and sister with material which would later become a part of their debut album A Book Like This. With a producer to guide them, Angus & Julia sat on Fran's lounge-room floor, continuing to record songs, using vintage guitars and microphones.[26] The rest of the songs from the album would be recorded in their mother's lounge room back in Newport with producer and friend, Ian Pritchett.[27]
At the end of 2006, Angus & Julia signed a worldwide publishing deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing and CAA came on board as their UK/Europe agent.
The year 2007 commenced with Angus & Julia at home in Australia playing at January's Big Day Out Festival.[28] Their single "Paper Aeroplane" reached No. 43 on the Triple J Hottest 100, 2006,[29] and the duo signed an album deal with EMI Music Australia.
In February they played their first national Australian tour which sold out. In the same month, Chocolates and Cigarettes and Heart Full of Wine were double-packed and released in Australia and the UK. The double EP rocketed to No. 12 on UK iTunes and their single "Private Lawns" was Single of the Week on BBC Radio 2, the UK's largest radio station, and received great reviews – "Their finest track, it's cheeky toe-taping rhythm impossible to resist" by London's[30] . The double EP has sold over 35,000 copies in Australia.[5]
In late March 2007 the Stones' signed on with the William Morris Agency as their US agent. In May 2007 they played at The Great Escape Festival in Brighton. The Evening Standard said, "Potentially chart-bound tracks were in far greater supply when Angus and Julia Stone took to the stage".
Angus and Julia released their debut album A Book Like This in Australia on 8 September 2007. The album debuted at #6 and has since reached Platinum plus sales in Australia.
In October 2007, Natalie Portman personally picked their song "The Beast" to be included on a charity compilation album Big Change: Songs for FINCA.[31] All proceeds from the album went to FINCA International.
The Stones spent the rest of 2007 dividing their time between Australia and the UK. They toured nationwide around Australia and gigged extensively in the UK, Ireland and Scotland including support slots with The Magic Numbers and a winning display at the Latitude Festival.
They welcomed in 2008 performing at the end of year Falls Festival in Australia before heading back to the UK to support Newton Faulkner and David Gray as well as playing their own sold-out London shows at Scala in London.[32] Two of their songs again made the Triple J Hottest 100, 2007, with "Wasted" coming in at #31 and "The Beast" at #45.[33]
A Book Like This was released in the UK in March 2008. The UK press lauded the duo; Uncut magazine said they performed "Fragile, beautiful songs"; a reviewer for The Guardian said "Angus and Julia Stone fill [my] heart to bursting point with joy".
The second half of 2008 was filled with more touring including a support spot with Martha Wainwright across the UK and Europe playing to over 25,000 people.
In March 2009, A Book Like This was released in the USA. The brother and sister supported Brett Dennen around the US and also performed on the KCRW stage at SXSW as well as playing their own US shows being represented by William Morris Agency.
In April 2009, Angus released a solo album, Smoking Gun, under the name Lady of the Sunshine.[34]
Angus and Julia Stone spent most of 2009 writing, recording and self-producing Down the Way. The album was mixed by Kieran Kelly at The Buddy Project[35] in Astoria Queens, NY.
On 18 November 2009, Angus and Julia appeared on triple j's Dools show with Scott Dooley and premiered the single "And the Boys". They stated their forthcoming album would be called Down the Way and it would be released in March 2010 with a coinciding Australian tour.[36] After six months apart (Angus back in Australia, Julia in New York), they recorded the album in studios in Sawmills Cornwall England, Brooklyn in New York and with Govinda Doyle[37] in Coolangatta, Queensland. About the new album, Angus stated: "All the songs were written so far [apart] that the styles and moods are really different." The album debuted at number 1 on the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) albums chart.
The first single "And the Boys" became Angus & Julia Stone's second single to chart in the top 50 of the ARIA Charts. The first single to chart was "The Beast", which charted in September 2007. "Big Jet Plane" also peaked at #33 on the ARIA chart.
In May 2010, the "Big Jet Plane EP" was released that contained a cover version of "You're the One That I Want" from Grease. This has proved to be a cult hit with fans.[38]
In an interview with the Australian edition of Rolling Stone magazine, Julia revealed she recorded a solo album in New York in late 2008. Her song "This Love" appears in the Australian film The Waiting City.[39] The album, The Memory Machine, was released in a low-key fashion in October 2010. She has described the album as mellow but darker and spookier in tone.[40]
In 2010 they won three ARIA Awards for Album of the year, Best Adult Alternative Album and Single of the year for "Big Jet Plane" in addition to Artisan Awards for Producer of the Year and Best Cover Art.[41]
Their song "Big Jet Plane" was announced as #1 on Triple J Hottest 100 on 26 January Australia Day 2011.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, the duo confirmed they were already writings songs for their third album with Angus stating "I want to write stuff that makes me wanna move, more groove-based stuff.".[42]
They performed at the 2011 Falls Festivals[43] and Big Day Out festivals in Australia, followed by the Coachella festival in California. During July 2011, the band toured for a month visiting six different countries - including Portugal, Holland, Belgium, France, Switzerland and Italy.[44] The pair have planned to travel and holiday overseas for the rest of the year, while also writing and recording. According to Triple J, Angus & Julia aim to release new music at the end of 2012.[45]
On 26 September 2011 Angus & Julia's song "Love Will Take You" was announced as the second track on the soundtrack for the Twilight Saga's latest film, Breaking Dawn – Part 1.[46] On the same day, the band was selected as a top ten finalist in MTV Iggy's "Best New Band in the World!" 2011 competition.[47][48]
Angus and Julia Stone songs that have been played on TV shows, in films and featured in advertisements worldwide include:
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