Reviewed on Wednesday June 4
“You guys are making us feel so spishal,” gushes 19-year-old Georgia Nott in her cute-as-button Kiwi cadence. “YOU ARE SPECIAL!” shouts back someone in the front row, spurring on nods and shouts of agreement across the intimate confines of Goodgod’s Danceteria.
Towering over the crowd beside her brother, 21-year-old Caleb, Georgia has the crowd wrapped around her finger, the words to each song on Broods’ debut self-titled EP memorised and recited back over-enthusiastically. Since breaking the blogosphere late last year, the Auckland natives have proved an electronic force to be reckoned with, drawing comparisons to Chvrches and fellow New Zealander/queen-of-the-pop-universe Lorde. The latter comes as no surprise, with the siblings having called on Joel Little’s esteemed production chops (which we can thank for Pure Heroine) for their inaugural release.
The night’s entree, however, is East. The young Aussie confidently commands the room, armed with an acoustic guitar and a wait-how-old-are-you-again powerful voice. Her single ‘Old Age’ works a winning pop formula, with minimal beats and an infectious melody turning heads across the room. Think Missy Higgins meets Lorde, her ’Straya-repping twang serving as a refreshing spike in the mix. You could say East has undergone the rebrand of the year, and kudos to her. It’s a silver stake in the heart of her days as the young Hi-5-esque Melissa Bester (see YouTube).
Fresh off the support slot on Ellie Goulding’s Australian tour, Broods bring the same energy here. With a limited catalogue of six songs, the duo is ready with fresh, previously unheard cuts from its forthcoming release. Joined onstage by a sweat-laden drummer, multi-instrumentalist Caleb lays down the sonic foundations, providing orchestral waves and pulses for Georgia to hum over.
And boy, does she do all that and more. Interspersing their new tunes in between the old, Broods showcase their knack for infectious harmonies. Georgia’s voice is the zenith of the evening, soaring over hooks and meeting each line pitch-perfectly. One of the new choons has Georgia accompanied only by her fingertips on a keyboard, the stripped-back number silencing a rowdy crowd left awestruck by her piercing vocals. Dancing recklessly onstage, the siblings have everyone enamoured.
NZ – two; everyone else – zero.
