New Zealand born-and-bred siblings BROODS are no strangers to the Australian stage.
Most recently in the country earlier this month for Vanfest, they've quickly returned for an album tour in support of their third LP Don't Feed The Pop Monster. On Tuesday night, it was Sydney's turn to see the pop powerhouses do their thing.
LA duo Moby Rich were on support, and they got the crowd warmed up very quickly. Their energetic set jumped from genre to genre, keeping us on our toes. While it wasn't the smoothest set ever, it's clear to see that the pair is well on the path to stardom.
The crowd was close to capacity by the time BROODS took the stage. It was an unexpected turnout for a Tuesday night, particularly given the number of events on in Sydney this week as part of the Vivid festival. The crowd was well rewarded though - although it started slow, the set had everyone moving by the end.
The show kicked of with 'Sucker', a track from Don't Feed The Pop Monster. Lead vocalist Georgia strutted around, grabbing the crowd's attention immediately. Although there were three other people on stage, she was by far the centre of the show. Next up was another cut from Pop Monster, 'To Belong'. The dark lighting on stage gave a very moody feel to the track, but that didn't stop Georgia from shimmying her way around the stage.
An unexpected highlight was 'Eyes A Mess'. The track samples two Gotye tracks, 'Hearts A Mess' and 'Eyes Wide Open'. It slowed the set right down, and allowed Georgia to showcase her stunning voice without any theatrics. Given the popularity of Gotye in Australia, it felt like the song was more appreciated than it might be elsewhere.
The band really hit their stride halfway through the set. It had taken a while for us to warm up to them, but by the time we reached 2016 hit 'Hold The Line' there was a lot more movement and singing from the crowd. This encouraged the band, and Georgia began to interact a lot more with her audience. "Can you guys help me sing this one?" she asked in her heavy New Zealander accent, before launching into 'Free'. The crowd happily obliged, singing the lyrics at the top of their lungs. This continued for the rest of the show, prompting Georgia to remark that she doesn't "think I've heard people sing that loudly on this tour".
We hit the final run of hits hard, with 'Bridges', 'Hospitalised' and 'Everything Goes (Wow)' played in close succession. The band looked to be enjoying themselves as much as the crowd, which is impressive considering how many times they must have played those tracks. The show ended on 'Peach', a song that has been basically inescapable over the past few months. Almost everyone was singing along, and the middle of the dancefloor was full of swaying arms and bodies.
The stage went dark but the house lights stayed off, indicating we hadn't seen the last of BROODS yet. It was unclear which track they would play, given we had just heard most of their biggest songs. After a short break the band walked back on stage, and launched into 'Couldn't Believe', a track from 2016's Conscious. With a chorus that's quite easy to pick up as it goes along, it was a good choice that catered to both longtime fans and new followers. Georgia thanked her band, crew and support Moby Rich mid-song, making sure the crowd appreciated the hard work that went into the show. As the last notes of 'Couldn't Believe' rang out, she thanked us one last time before leaving the stage.
Overall, the best way to describe the set is satisfying. The band traversed their discography ensuring everyone would hear their favourites, while keeping things interesting on stage. If you haven't managed to catch a BROODS show yet, make it a priority next time they hit our shores.
This review first appeared on Put On A Banger. The full review can be found here.