Angus & Julia Stone + Ella Hunt @ Théâtre Maisonneuve

It’s a busy night at Place des Arts; a veritable Aussie invasion in the middle of Francos de Montreal. Melbourne’s The Teskey Brothers have taken over the huge Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, and Sydney’s Angus & Julia Stone are in the smaller, more intimate Théâtre Maisonneuve; jackpot!

First up is Ella Hunt, who arrives on stage to great cheers. Over the next 35 minutes, she proceeds to blow the room away. Her humility is infectious as she giggles, “Oh my goodness, thank you so much! I’ve never opened for anyone before!” After the magical “Mother’s Chair,” someone in the crowd cuts through the between-song silence: “TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF!” She responds incredibly modestly: “I’ve been an actress the last 10 years and writing songs at my parents’ piano.” Not just any actress; what she doesn’t tell the room is that she has a major role in the new Western movie Horizon: An American Saga alongside Kevin Costner, Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, and other Hollywood A-listers.

And here she is, playing for us on a Friday evening! Her angelic vocals are a mix of Tori Amos and Regina Spektor. Despite being a slight figure behind a grand piano on a huge stage, she commands the room’s attention the entire time, with the audience silent for every note she plays. It’s not lost on her either: “I imagined that when I opened, people would be moving around and doing their own thing… so this is amazing!” “Moral High Ground” and “Dove Grey” close out the set in delicate fashion. Electric stuff, and a tough act for the headliners to follow!

Angus and Julia arrive onstage next. The first thing I notice? Julia is giving very Jenny Lewis vibes these days, with a long flowery lace dress and sparkly heels! The two of them stand alone in front of the enormous stage curtain to open the show with an acoustic, stripped-down “Santa Monica Dream,” before the curtain suddenly raises to reveal a three-piece band below various multi-coloured paper lanterns. It creates a cozy, warm vibe for the rest of the show.

Angus explains how they wanted to play at least one song from each of their six albums, and that mission is accomplished. Tonight is a thorough walk through their whole catalogue, though there’s an understandable bias towards their breakthrough 2010 sophomore record “Down the Way” and their new record “Camp Forestier,” which account for half of the 18 songs. There’s more of a country feel to their live sound these days too, never more apparent than on set closer “Big Jet Plane,” which is reworked into a lo-fi skiffle a la Lumineers amongst a backdrop of cellphone lights from the crowd. Bluegrass vibes abound on “Just a Boy” and the slide guitar-heavy “The Wedding Song.” If there were any lingering doubts as to their influences, the enormous banjo solo on “Private Lawns” removes them once and for all.

One thing that hasn’t changed is their ability to lay down a flawless harmony. “Down to the Sea” and “Yellow Brick Road” (a song so good Julia tattooed it onto her ankle, apparently!) are prime examples, though there are many throughout the set. While they primarily stick to their acoustic guitars for much of the set, they have the odd fling with other instruments too. Julia shreds the trumpet solo on “Nothing Else” (if such a thing is possible), while Angus rips the harmonica on “Wherever You Are.”

The other surprise highlight of the set is the array of covers they perform. Early in the set, we get an ultra lo-fi version of “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus, which I will never hear the same way again after tonight. Joe Dassin’s classic “Les Champs-Élysées” surely gets a bigger singalong here than anywhere else in North America! For the encore, all five of them plus Ella Hunt gather around a central mic for an acoustic campfire rendition of “Harvest Moon” by Neil Young, taking turns to step forward and sing a couple of lines of each verse. Huge cheers greet each participant, as they do when they all leave the stage for good after almost two hours.

“Je t’aime Montreal!” declares Julia as she leaves the stage. Clearly, Montreal loves you too!