Reviewed onSaturday July 9 (photo by Ashley Mar)
Expectations were lofty for Georgia and Caleb Nott, AKA Broods, ahead of their Enmore Theatre show. The New Zealand duo were fresh from playing stadiums supporting Ellie Goulding, had sold out their own eastern seaboard tour and recently dropped a second LP, Conscious, an album intentionally crafted to deliver high-energy performances. The bar was high for the synthpop pair, and they jumped higher.
The evening began with falsetto-driven, ambient numbers from electro whizz Xavier Dunn. Quite the cover king, Dunn crept into the spotlight earlier this year when his folkified version of Iggy Azalea’s ‘Fancy’ reached number one on Spotify’s US Viral Chart. The song was a gem in the Sydneysider’s set, the lyrics “Who dat, who dat / That do that, do that” never sounding so sweetly earnest.
Then came Vera Blue. The luscious-locked singer-songwriter swept onto stage like an urban gothic goddess, clad in black and backed by swirling ghostly vocals. If anyone harbored doubts over the skill level of ex-The Voice finalists, Blue’s crystalline vocal gymnastics obliterated them. An easy 50 per cent of the electro-folk musician’s set consisted of improvised woo-ing and ooh-ing, but those monosyllabic melodies were utterly bewitching. Blue could probably make gargling enchanting.
As far as explosive beginnings go, Broods took the cake. Their set opened with dewdrop keys and Georgia’s breathy voice tiptoeing through the first verse of ‘Conscious’. It was a tease, and the fans knew it. There was a pause, a lyrical war cry – “Wait for the explosion!” – and lights blazed, synths swelled and the Notts were illuminated in all their space-cowboy badassery, wearing sleek trench coats adorned with tassels (which Georgia particularly seemed to relish as she prowled across the stage).
It was a performance of carefully orchestrated details. From the dazzling synchronised lights to the tiered stage layout, pithy setlist to playful costuming (an outfit change saw Georgia don a more frolic-friendly white playsuit, still with tassels), each element worked together to create moments of impact and intimacy. Electro thumpers ‘Free’ and ‘Mother & Father’ had the floor mirroring Georgia’s sashays, slow-burner ‘Freak Of Nature’ was a crescendoing catharsis of Adele proportions, while a surprise cameo from Jarryd James led to an affecting acoustic duet of ‘1000x’.
Following in the footsteps of Kiwi coterie Lorde, Kimbra and Marlon Williams, Broods’ Enmore show proved they are on the up. More talent and tassels await.
