PHOTOS / RECAP: BROODS @ The Fonda Theatre, Los Angeles 3.5.15

It only took seconds for Georgia Nott to hypnotize the entire room. She begins restrained and small–her delicate tone floats in mid-air as she dives into “Never Gonna Change”. From there, the concert comes to life organically. The lights intensify as the bass begins to drone. Multi-instrumentalist/older brother builds the framework underneath her. With a live drummer added to the mix, their performance has been taken to the next level. Chills ran up my spin with each transition. They are other-wordly.

This massive show sold out within days of being announced last fall–it’s hard to believe that the last time they were in town, Broods was barely-known and playing for free at an itty-bitty Monday night standing showcase. Now here I stand – less than a year later – looking at a packed house at one of Hollywood’s most beloved venues singing along with every single word.

This beautiful brother-sister duo hails from New Zealand (instant crush on both of them), but their sound fits perfectly into the current musical landscape of the US. Synthy and poppy yet heavy and jarring, their unique brand of love songs (and love-gone-wrong songs) are blissfully addictive. They haunt me in a wonderful way. The instrumentation is visceral and creative, while Georgia’s lyrics are nothing short of poetic. It could be the sibling factor, but these two are endlessly in-tune with each other. The craziest part is that they’ve only been creating music together for a year and a half – some things are just meant to be.

Georgia is the front-woman that alt-pop has been waiting for. She is infinitely cool. In the movie version of Broods, she will be played by Jennifer Lawrence – no question. As she strides on stage, her elegance is breathtaking. Her talent knows no bounds – breathy, angelic melodies and belted power-notes blend effortlessly. Each song was a new surprise. In a floor-length, sheer, white dress, she was stunning. (Caleb isn’t so bad either.)

Their sweeping ballad “Evergreen” was all-consuming. I felt the entire room take a sharp inhale as the chorus swelled with ethereal layers of vocal harmony and synthy melodic waves. There is something nostalgic and wistful about this track – I felt indistinct memories of broken curfews and first loves breezing through my mind. Followed by Georgia’s solo slaying of “Medicine”, the room was filled with heavy–though not necessarily dark–emotion.

Next came a string of pop-anthems-in-the-making like “Four Walls” and “Sober” (I’d believe you if you told me this was a Lorde cover), which broke the tension and gave us something we could sing along to. The most upbeat moment of the night came with the danceable “L.A.F.” – and you could tell they were having a blast up there. There isn’t a jaded bone in their bodies–it’s clear this all very new and exciting still. Their onstage banter is divine.

To close the show, they delivered the poignant track “Mothers & Fathers” – a ballad about the simultaneous excitement and sadness that comes with moving away from home. In the same moment celebrate your freedom, you are equally terrified of it. As a 25-year-old living in a enormous city thousand of miles away from my family, this song hits me right in my heart. They sing about relatable situations & emotions – that’s what makes Broods so accessible.

Balancing between melancholy and euphoric, this show was overwhelmingly evocative. Hope, regret, longing, passion – there was something for everybody. I’m so thrilled to see that their live show stands up to the excellent studio album they presented early last year. There is huge potential for the Nott kids – they could easily grow into a well-known musical force a la Phantogram or The XX. Their talent is raw and their attitude is enthusiastic – the sky is the limit. As they continue to tour the states, we can only hope that they are working on new music simultaneously. Although I’ll continue to listen to Evergreen on repeat, I’d love to throw some new tracks into rotation.

This isn’t the show you want to miss. When they are slaying massive festival mainstages a year from now you’re going to want to be able to brag about “that one time you saw them at that tiny venue with like 500 people”. Don’t worry though — they’ve got plenty of tour left in front of them—click here for dates & tickets.