Live Review – Broods + Moby Rich @ The Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide 23rd May 2019.(
New Zealands Broods returned to Adelaide Wednesday night touring off the back of their third studio album “Don’t Feed The Pop Monster”. Those in attendance were treated to a mesmerising evening of sight and sound showcased in the always magical setting of The Thebarton Theatre.
Opening act Moby Rich from California LA began their set to an intimate yet attentive crowd which by the end thankfully had grown to a more respectable size. Despite the smaller crowd the (now) three piece looked like they were having an absolute ball, clearly displaying they were genuinely stoked to be a part of this tour and on Australian shores.
With infectious smiles and lyric hooks, by the end of their too short 30min set it was clear Moby Rich had a good number of new followers and those late arrivals wished they had been more punctual. This is a perfect example why you should always catch the opening acts!
Through the haze of the smoke machine fog we were treated to songs like the first single release “Yoko Ono” and “Just Mine” which was announced as the first track the (usual) duo wrote for this project. The setlist also included popular track “Sabotage” and a stellar cover of Weezers “Say It Ain’t So”.
After what felt like a short intermission which included some crowd sing-a-longs to songs like Friends TV series theme “I’ll be there for you” the lights further dimmed and the second wave of haze and backlit lighting began. From the first moment she stepped on stage Georgia barely stayed still instead dancing and moving her way through the entire set without missing a beat.
Visually, the background consisted of stretched material shaped like a half moon beyond a horizon which surprisingly wasn’t get used to project images onto. Instead the backdrop created a space for silhouette forms and ever moving light shapes and colour. In contrast to Moby Rich, there was very little introduction to songs instead many songs almost merging straight into the next.
After seeing Broods perform over the years, it was a surprise to see an additional keyboardist / guitarist and drummer appear onstage alongside the usual brother and sister duo line up. However, it really seemed a natural progression to the live sound and paired well with both the new and older tracks.
As to be expected a large portion of the setlist featured songs off the latest album which to much delight was played in it’s entirety. Broods opened with “Sucker” and finished the main set with hit “Peach” . Caleb emerged briefly as a standout during his lead vocals on “Too Proud” before blending back into the background. I feel this is the multi-instrumentalists happy place where he can simply be in the moment instead of the spotlight. In contrast Georgia whom continuously rewarded the front of the crowd with smiles and dancing close to the edge seemed to feed off the energy.
Long term fans were treated to early songs like “Bridges” and “Free”, both having the crowd singing along loudly. Stand out songs also included “Superstar” and “LAF”. Georgia’s vocals and stage presence both on point for the entire show.
Despite the fact the venue did not reach capacity it has to be noted that this was the most engaged and respectful crowd I have ever encountered for both a support and main act. There was no noticeable background crowd chatter during either performance, pure bliss! Can all gigs be like this please? .
What a perfect way to spend the night amongst other adoring fans and I sure I am not the only one eagerly looking forward to the next tour.(Insert choice of video clip)
No Comments