As Sydneysiders were enduring commercially-cloned performances by commercially-cloned boy bands at the 2014 ARIA Awards, Melbournians were being treated to an intimate gig from one of New Zealand’s most promising acts. Excited to be playing “The biggest show we’ve ever done as a headliner,” the adorable duo created a mix of bass-thumping party anthems and as lead vocalist Georgia Nott put it best, “Happy songs that sound a bit sad.”
With a live drummer behind them, Never Gonna Change, Everytime and Killing You had the eager crowd jumping from the start. It was obvious most had memorised their songs word-for-word, and sang along the whole time. Evergreen, which is also the name of their debut album, was one of the highlights. At one point, Nott sang in complete darkness, letting her incredible vocals do all the work. The siblings proved to be multi-talented, with older brother Caleb shifting from behind his decks to play acoustic guitar on Taking You There, and Nott played keys for a few songs, including Sleep Baby Sleep and her acoustic solo Four Walls. With the first bar of Bridges came a deafening noise of female (and male) high-pitched screaming but instead of hands going up to dance, the room filled with the light of a hundred mobile screens to record the moment.
Highlights came in the form of Sober and an aggressive new track that hasn’t been released, which Nott said: “Makes me picture I’m a hot girl shooting guns in a film like Transformers.” Pretty Thing showcased their impressive male/female vocal dynamic, while L.A.F. revealed their love for playing to a live crowd – encouraging everyone to dance along. They finished the set with Coattails, but didn’t leave us waiting long before reappearing for a two-song encore, with Superstar and Mother & Father.
BY CHRIS BRIGHT
Photo by Mark Stanjo
Loved: Georgia Nott. It’s hard not to fall for her.
Hated: Not being able to see over mobile phone screens.
Drank: Mountain Goat.
