Quickly jumping up on the top 40 charts world wide, Vance Joy and Elle King dominated the stage at Stubbs BBQ in Austin, Texas. Though the ground was damp, the air humid, and incredibly warm for a March night, the crowd was thrilled to be there and enjoyed the show. Days before SXSW, the couldn’t have wished for a better setting, with the smell of bbq in the air on a warm March evening, and one of the worlds biggest live music happenings just hours away from kick off.

Elle King opened for Vance Joy, and couldn’t have a been a more perfect fit, because of their songs about love, past partners, and regrets. Not only did she make the audience go wild with her hit song “Exes and Oh’s” but her stunning voice resonated throughout the outside venue, bouncing off near by skyscrapers, filling the city with songs of sorrow and positive outlooks. Not only did she make the audience stop in their tracks with her voice, but her music talents had me floored, all while singing perfectly on time and in tune. As talented as she is on both guitar and banjo, she absolutely killed it.
Vance Joy took the stage by storm. With the crowd roaring with excitement, his guitar perfectly in tune, and voice on point, he began his set in front of thousands of eager fans. This scruffy looking singer of sorrow felt fitting with the smell of distant meat on the smoker, bringing some sort of nostalgic feel to his set, though hailing from down under in Melbourne, Australia. Only being in the music scene since 2013, it’s amazing to see how far he has come in such short time. He’s toured with Taylor Swift and has been gigging around the world, it was an absolute delight to see him at such a small, yet fitting venue. When his current hit song “Fire and the Flood” started, even I got goosebumps, seeing this song performed live. With a contract of 5 albums through Atlantic records, and two already produced, I am eager to see what his next albums will be like. I for sure will be going to his next show when he’s in town.
With two shows sold out back to back, I now understand why these two artists are quickly gaining notoriety in the music world. Go see these two before they start selling out stadium style venues, it will feel like each song was personally written for you, sang for you and leave you with your jaw to the ground leaving the venue.