So is this what life in a post-Lorde, post-London Grammar world sounds like? It’s a nice sound, sure. Only, it’s rather bereft of individual merit. Those might seem like lazy comparisons for the female-fronted, New Zealand duo Broods, but tonight’s show gave the overriding impression of pop-loving hopefuls attempting to replicate an idol. It was all very sincere, just a little underdone.
Other than stalking behind their synth-pop/power-R&B forerunners, it’s hard to detect Broods’ root appeal. Beneath a nimble falsetto, vocalist Georgia Nott displayed gutsy lungpower, which she wasn’t afraid to employ with abandon. Her presence was light-hearted – lovely, if you will. And she did her best to own the stage. The electronic backdrops – the domain of brother Caleb – were well coordinated, albeit largely pedestrian. A drummer joined the core duo on stage and the majority of drum sounds were triggered to match the recordings. Unfortunately, there was a shortage of hooks you wanted to take home with you.
Broods are signed to Polydor and the major label pathway seems evident. Tonight they covered most of their debut EP, as well as previewing a handful of tracks from a forthcoming full length. There was the token ballad (probably slated as the third single), some erratic programming (showing awareness of what the electronic underground is up to) and plenty of attempts to strike a balance between pop but not-too-pop. The overall impact was a bland unraveling of disparate features.
The most pestilent detail was that, here they were, playing a sold out show in Melbourne, and yet they didn’t make anything happen. You’d expect a little flare to be displayed, a little bit of ‘Wow – people need to know about this.’ But that sort of ebullient star power was nowhere to be found.
Curiously, show closer and breakthrough single Bridges prompted roughly two-dozen filming smartphones into the air. Perhaps this was a pre-emptive move; capturing Broods playing in a small room before they hit the big time. However, it’s doubtful that the most exciting thing at the early gigs of Chvrches or even Adele was the abstract prospect of them becoming big some day. Here, instead of being moved by this moment, it was bearing witness to a band possibly on the cusp of stardom that stirred the biggest reaction.
BY AUGUSTUS WELBY
Loved: Northcote Social Club sound, as always.
Hated: Repeated instances of the person next to me accessing Facebook during the show.
Drank: You bet.
