Sister-brother duo Broods have become one of music’s fast-rising groups over the past two years – not just in New Zealand and Australia but globally. They have opened for Sam Smith and Ellie Goulding, and Lorde penned a song for them. This year, they performed to 20,000 people in Los Angeles, which included Taylor Swift in the audience. When headlining their own tour, their live shows often turn into spectacular rave-like events due to their energizing electro-pop.
Their current sound, however, masks the talents of Georgia and Caleb Nott. Their on-stage persona may resemble electronica artists, but the two are extremely gifted artists. Over the past week, the siblings were able to set aside the costumes and reveal another side of themselves on their intimate, mini-tour across New Zealand.
Sponsored by iHeart Radio and 2degrees Moblie, Broods’ acoustic show first stopped in Christchurch and Hamilton before finishing at the Opera House in Wellington, which is where we caught them. To see them strip things back was a sight to behold. There were no special effects – just their two voices, Georgia occasionally playing the keyboard (really just for the first two songs), and Caleb on acoustic guitar. The show allowed Georgia’s tremendous vocals to shine through while giving her older brother the opportunity to show people he’s a pretty good guitar player.
The setting also allowed fans to hear their songs in a different light and bring out their emotion. The siblings often joked that their songs are mostly sad if not depressing, and the acoustic arrangements brought out the emotion. For instance, “Bridges” was given a level of urgency and intimacy not heard on their debut album, Evergreen. “Free” was also transformed from an upbeat, euphoric number to a devastating bedroom affair. Their hit, “Heartlines”, stylistically resembled ’80s- and ’90s-era singer-songwriters Tori Amos and Lisa Loeb. And their cover of Gary Jules “Mad World”, was strikingly beautiful and a terrific addition given the uncertain times before us.
The event was extremely surprising in many ways and just a captivating experience. As Georgia remarked towards the end of the set, only in New Zealand could they get away with this. Hopefully the rest of the world will get to discover that Broods are much more than another electro-pop group in the near future. Hmm, maybe Georgia and Caleb could do a living room tour to win more fans over.
Broods will be heading back on tour at the end of the month, returning to their current electro-pop ways. They’ll be performing in New Zealand and Australia and then heading off to Europe in March. Catch up with Broods and find out about tour dates in the links below.
Photos of the show are provided by Stella Gardiner Photography. Words provided by Ben Yung.
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