Broods at Fete: All You May Have Missed!

  I walked into Fete for about 2 minutes only to find myself back outside, standing in the parking lot with the rest of the crowd. The fire alarm had gone off during Jetty’s set. The openers took it all in stride and returned to the stage at full force as if nothing even happened. “It makes a good story. It just meant we were on fire,” laughed Jetty’s lead singer, Yeugene Barokha.  

To kill time in between bands, I decided to make some friends with my fellow concertgoers in search of the real cause of the alarm. After asking around, I ended up with a few leads.

• “It was probably because we’re so hot!” – Erin
• “I attract fire alarms. Yesterday I went to Local 121 and touched the door. Immediately the fire alarm went off.” – James
• “I think it was cigarette smoke.” – everyone else

The cigarette smoke makes the most sense, but I’d rather blame James. Come on, James.     Broods, a brother and sister duo, emerged onstage backed by a drummer. Georgia Nott’s smooth vocals pierced the applause and the inner circles of the crowd immediately began to sway along to the chill beat of “Never Gonna Change”. When I first heard the EP, I wasn’t sure how their slew of relaxed synths would hold up for an entire set. The addition of a drummer proved to be the essential factor in captivating the crowd. The pounding bass drum, though sometimes overpowering in the small space, was dance-inducing and the song went from chill to intense as Georgia threw her hair at each crash. It was the perfect tempo to dance Lorde-style, which isn’t surprising considering that both New Zealand acts’ albums were produced by the same guy, Joel Little. The comparisons stop there as their lyrics are certainly more straightforward and pretty, well, brooding.   Making up the other half of Broods, 21-year-old Caleb Nott provided subtle vocals wonderfully complementing his sister’s crooning. A talented multi-instrumentalist, Caleb switched between various synths and even brought out an acoustic guitar and shaker during “Taking You There”. He stayed true to the studio version of “Pretty Thing”, simultaneously triggering the chopped up vocal samples and the busy electronic beat with his fingers quickly dancing across his synth pads.   “This one’s for you guys.” The crowd’s applause was noticeably louder as the recognizable lyrics of “Bridges” began. Georgia performed effortlessly; with eyes closed, her hands moved along the keyboard on autopilot forming each chord perfectly. The most impressive part of Broods is certainly Georgia’s vocal talent. At only 19, her vocal control is phenomenal, hitting each note as she shifts between falsetto and her chest voice. Her voice is pure, practically untouched in studio recordings, and she sounds the exact same each time live.   The highlight of the show was when Georgia showcased this raw talent in “Four Walls”. Caleb and the drummer stepped down, and she performed solo with only the keyboard to accompany her. The stripped down version had the crowd’s undivided attention. She let the song build until she finally belted out the last chorus to swelling applause. It was absolutely beautiful — one of those moments where you sit back and just say, “Wow.”   The set ended with “Coattails”, and Broods left the stage as the crowd cheered without any signs of stopping. They didn’t keep us waiting too long before they returned for their encore. Although the crowd was so into it that the duo could have kept our attention for a few more songs, the show finally came to an end with their latest single, “Mother & Father”.     In the very front, some Broods superfans were dancing wildly like they were at Lollapalooza, singing along to every lyric. Their energy spread throughout the crowd, and by the end of the show everyone in the outskirts was at least bobbing their head along. These fans held giant cutouts of Georgia’s and Caleb’s heads. At one point, Georgia’s hair billowed as they fanned air onto her with the massive cutout of her face. Here’s the tweet from the literal fans that Broods retweeted.