Last week, New Zealand brother and sister duo BROODS brought their charming synth pop sounds to the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood. The pair, who are touring in support of their latest and first non major-label release Don’t Feed The Pop Monster, came prepared to get the party started on night two of their spring tour.
I’ve been listening to the new album a lot and I really dig it. It does seem to be a bit of a new direction for the band, as it has a much lighter, sunnier vibe compared to their previous releases which had more of a dark pop sound. This is most likely attributed to the fact that the band had more artistic freedom to stretch their talents on this record, as they recorded it on their own before signing with Neon Gold. But fear not die hard Broodies- it’s a good stretch!
Georgia Nott strutted on stage in a gorgeous turquoise outfit which, throughout the night, would lose layers and transform from pants and jacket, to halter top (hello killer abs-I wish you were mine) and skirt. Her brother Caleb donned a white painter’s jumpsuit and kept his head down for most of the show, concentrating on the synths (or for some songs strings) while his sister commanded the stage with her powerful presence.
The duo, kicked things off with the new track “Sucker.” The opening rapid synth line (which brings to mind the Robyn banger “Dancing on My Own”) got the crowd hyped right away. “I’m such a sucker for everything.” The chorus repeats. Another line from the song states “Almost lost myself, just trying to be like somebody else.” Well, thankfully you didn’t Miss Georgia, because we love exactly who you are!
Broods focused mostly on their new material. In fact, if I’m not mistaken, I think they played every song off the new album. “Hospitalized” was a really fun song to see performed live and it’s upbeat disco-like sound had the crowd dancing right along. “Everything Goes (Wow)” was another song that ignited a dance party on the floor.
Caleb makes his debut as lead vocalist on the song “Too Proud” and it’s one of my favorite tracks off the album. It’s a raw and vulnerable song where the narrative has him opening up, admitting that he can’t handle things alone and essentially asking for a little help. It hits on the harm that the whole “boys don’t cry” type of mentality can cause for men. The chorus line “Too many times that I’ve been too proud to let it out” is sung with so much emotion, you can almost feel the pain- made me want to go on stage and give Caleb a big hug and tell him, “boo boo, don’t hold it in anymore, I got you!” (Because what could be more comforting than a stranger hugging you and calling you boo boo?!)
They played a few other tracks from their previous album “Conscious” including, “Hold The Line,” “Are You Home,” and fan favorite (as well as mine) “Free.” “I’d lose everything so I can sing, Hallelujah I’m free, I’m free, I’m free…” Hallelujah was right! This song was fucking fire live! Georgia worked every inch of the stage on this song, sprinting back and forth, singing and dancing her ass off! She’s got moves and the crowd was loving it!
They also played “Bridges” “Sober” and “L.A.F” from their debut album “Evergreen,” as well as “Eyes a Mess” which is a pretty dope mashup cover of Gotye songs that they contributed to a Neon Gold compilation album.
For the dizzying ballad “Life After,” Georgia climbed behind the backdrop on stage and sang from up top. Illuminated in the spotlight, it looked as though she was singing in front of a bright orange moon. It was an ethereal sight to see.
Broods closed the night out with a two song encore. The catchy pop anthem “Peach,” that celebrates being perfectly fine, had everyone grooving along. And the final song of the night was the monster pop track “Couldn’t Believe.” Hell yea that’s a great song, one that just puts you in a euphoric mood every time you hear it! Damn, they slayed that show! Well done Broods, well done!
Words and photos by Betsy Martinez
