BroodsThere’s a very decent turn out for tonight’s opening act, Mansionair. The lead singer’s vocals are so impressive, dancing around in falsetto with such confidence and ease only to come back down with soulful tones that would even make Chet Faker jealous.
Gentle, complementary instrumentation allows the vocals to shine and we’re captivated by their ethereal and professional sound. This indie-electronic three-piece from Sydney are very humbled by the crowd reaction and save their biggest hit, Hold Me Down, for the end of their set. Mansionair finish earlier than expected, but they probably don’t have too many songs this early in their career. Do yourself a damn favour and have a listen to these guys if you haven’t done so already.
Broods burst onto the stage with flashing lights and Caleb and Georgia Nott mean serious business. Georgia wears a sheer white shirt/cape that she throws around dramatically as she gets into her performance. Never Gonna Change and Killing You are among the first songs to be unleashed this evening and both are sublime. We just want to bask in Georgia’s voice for days, but we also love it when she gets fired up on songs like Everytime, during which she stamps around and dances to Caleb’s flawless beats.
Georgia explains that this is the biggest headline show they’ve ever played and it’s obvious the crowd couldn’t be more pleased to have them here. Bridges sits neatly in the middle of the set and sounds fantastic live. The audience cheers when they start up and Georgia tears through the vocals. Caleb and the drummer leave the stage as Georgia performs the stripped-back track Four Walls. It’s a lovely, delicate performance that allows the sweetness of the lyrics to stand out. Caleb makes a comment that we’re more static than the Sydney crowd they recently encountered. Georgia follows up by explaining they love to see us move around, but our stillness is a compliment – we’re mesmerised by their performance. Their show is beautiful to behold. LAF is an upbeat, fun way to end the main set.
Encore track Mother & Father sadly doesn’t reach the dizzying, heart-swelling heights we hope for given the strength of Broods’ performances all night. They are easily one of New Zealand’s greatest musical exports right now. A totally enthralling, beautiful show.
