Please note this is an old page and Fly Global Music has now moved. Please follow this link and search for the entry in the new site.

Angus and Julia are from Newport on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, Australia and when Smoking Gun comes out, the duo will be touring North America promoting their A Book Like This album that hit top ten at home a couple of years ago (think of a Aussie folk-pop version of The Long Lost with artwork to match) but Lady Of The Sunshine (aka Angus) is the darker, louder, more introspective, blues rock side of the partnership.

Rockin’ tracks like ‘White Rose Parade’ and ‘Kings Black Magic’ boarder on the Chris Cornell-like vocals (something that Gomez are “guilty” of on A New Tide’) but once again, perhaps it’s Carlos Niño playing lots of West Coast county rock (the whole CSNY, Buffalo Springfield and Neil Young family thing), the stand-out tracks are the more acoustic tracks like ‘Dead Mans Train’, the opener ‘Silver Revolver’ and ‘Daisychain’.

That said there are some gentle moments with ‘Jack Nimble’, ‘Smoking Gun’, ‘Anna’ and the best of the lot, ‘Lady Sunshine’. With his clever song writing, this album reminds me a little of the Iain Archer’s To The Pine Roots that’s just come out.

Apparently he’s been writing these songs for a year on and off and recorded them over a 6 week period with co-producer Govinda Doyle who also features on drums and bass. Perhaps it’s the duo aspect and blues elements that are going on, but there’s also a touch of the White Stripes about Lady Of The Sunshine. That’s not a bad thing but what they could have done without is the school choir that briefly appears on ‘Home Sweet Home’ as it ruins that track for me.

The UK connection seem to have come via the summer surfing gigging circuit of Cornwall (as an aside, Ash Grunwald is coming for a visit to in April, see links below) and even in the darkness moments of Smoking Gun, you’re never far from a ray of summer surf from the Lady Of Sunshine. No doubt they’re be over here soon and there’s a new Angus and Julia album coming later this year.

Reviewed: Lady Of The Sunshine - Smoking Gun (Flock) Release date: 6th April 2009
Tracklisting:
1 Silver Revolver (4:21)
2 Home Sweet Home (4:15)
3 White Rose Parade (3:56)
4 Jack Nimble (4:53)
5 Big Jet Plane (3:57)
6 Smoking Gun (3:34)
7 Daisychain (3:45)
8 The Wolf (4:31)
9 Anna (3:22)
10 Kings Black Magic (4:25)
11 Dead Mans Train (4:31)
12 Lady Sunshine (6:19)

Links:
www.myspace.com/ladyofthesunshine
www.angusandjuliastone.com
www.myspace.com/angusandjuliastone
www.ashgrunwald.com
www.carolinepedler.co.uk