Live Review: Broods + Jarryd James – The Waiting Room, Nebraska (10.08.16)

Thousands of miles from home on a hot August night in the middle of the United States, Broods and Jarryd James had a night they won’t soon forget. Three hours before the show and right after Broods’ soundcheck, a thunderstorm hit the downtown Omaha, Nebraska area and wiped out the power of three city blocks. Unfortunately, one of those blocks housed the concert hall The Waiting Room, the venue the two bands would be playing that night.

Fans unknowingly arrived for the 8pm opening of the doors and a massive line wrapped around the building in a complete pitch black city block. Two hours later after much doubt, fear and pessimism the street lit up and the worried crowd erupted in cheers.

Jarryd James started the night about 10 minutes after the power had come on. He had not had any time for a soundcheck but was ready to go on anyway. Walking in, the charging piano riffs and his soulful voice met me with “Claim My Love”. There was no evidence to be found of anyone unprepared as James, in his signature style of reserved stage presence, stood tall in the middle of the stage. James came off incredibly sincere and thoughtful after his first song when he checked in on the audience. A large majority of the crowd had been standing and waiting for nearly three hours with no knowledge if the show was even happening. James expressed his gratitude and continued to check in and thank the fans who stuck it out.

The path has been paved of late by artists like Vance Joy and Matt Corby, and James is doing a fantastic job representing the singer-songwriter Australian movement that is being eaten up by Americans. James’ had to cut three songs from his usual set, but in his six songs it was clear he was winning over an audience and thrilling some of the fans that came especially for him. The reaction of his songs “1000x” and “Do You Remember?” show the traction he is getting here in the U.S. He is truly a star on the rise.

“Do You Remember” was definitely the highlight of the show. His solid backing band help the song bring an especially strong driving punch that packs even more energy and groove into this fantastic single. James voice is haunting, soothing and captivating. Broods spoke of how much they love having him on tour and how he has become a member of their family. His presence on the tour is so well deserved and was the absolute perfect way to start off an amazing night.

JARRYD JAMES SET LIST

Claim My Love
How Do We Make It
Burning Out
1000x
High
Do You Remember?

Broods came on an hour after their originally scheduled time, but you never would have been able to tell by the audience’s reaction. There was absolutely zero energy or anticipation lost.

On a pitch black stage, the opening chords of “Conscious” hit the room. Lead singer Georgia Nott snuck on stage, approached the mic then started in with her impeccable voice. Nott eased into the smooth, slowly escalating beat of the opening song and belts “Wait for the explosion…”, which was her way of telling the audience, “Let’s Go!” As the beat dropped, bodies and arms flung into the air and the show was off and running.

The evolution of this New Zealand band from their first album Evergreen to Conscious is staggering and quite evident in their live production. The rich layers and volume of their new tracks come off pitch perfect in this new set which features twice as many songs from Conscious as Evergreen.

Their 20 song set was a masterclass in the ebbs and flows of their discography and how versatile their music is. The show started on an absolute high note with “Conscious”, that flowed perfectly to “Hold the Line” and “Everytime”. After the dance fest broke out from those opening trio of songs Georgia addressed the crowd and acknowledged her shock that the entire venue was packed. She apologised for the delay but the crowd would have none of it. At this moment, you knew this was a special show for Georgia, her brother Caleb Nott, and the rest of the band. They were faced with some adversity from the power outage, but they had a mass of loving fans waiting for them in the end and this seemed to propel the entire band into an incredible show on this Wednesday night in Omaha, Nebraska.

Broods slowed their show down a bit and nearly halfway through, Caleb joined his sister front and centre with an acoustic guitar. Georgia reminisced of a time when they would play tiny pubs in New Zealand for five people with just her voice and Caleb’s guitar. She asked the crowd if they could go back to their roots and thats exactly what they did playing “All of Your Glory” and “Taking You There” from their debut EP, released nearly three years ago. Caleb is exceptional on the guitar and Georgia’s voice is allowed to shine in a way she can’t with the constant bass and percussive backing. It’s also a truly special moment to see a brother and sister together so far from home who have achieved so much in such a short time.

In just three years, this brother and sister have gone from dropping out of University to headlining U.S. tours. It is all so fresh for them and that freshness and energy catapults their show to being as great as it is.

Their sound, light show and Georgia’s stage presence is big enough to fill an entire arena but for the lucky few hundred people in Omaha, they were lucky to experience this massive show in such a small intimate space. The smaller venue didn’t hold Broods back as their hypnotizing light show beamed into the audience and Georgia filled the small stage by playing so close to the adoring crowd and truly giving them a deeply connective, rocking experience.

Some of the highlights of the show were “Heartlines,” “Mother & Father” and “Are You Home?”, which even brought Jarryd James out onto the floor to jump up and down with the crowd.

In a time where a lot of electro-rock groups are emerging like Phantogram, CHVRCHES and more, Broods rises to their top with their live show. The band that accompanies Georgia and Caleb provide the support behind their masterful production that is led by Caleb in the back center throughout the show. But it is Georgia who is a revelation on stage. Her voice is pitch perfect throughout the entire show and she even stretches herself farther than she does on her albums,and it is how she commands the stage and the audience which makes them truly special. She is as charming and funny as she is talented. She connects so effortlessly to the audience even making fun of how weak her high fives are. There is a sincerity and joy that resonates from the stage that makes this band so damn likable while they are rocking so hard.

This was the first time I saw Broods live but I absolutely guarantee it is the first of many in the future.

BROODS SET LIST

Conscious
Hold the Line
Everytime
Never Gonna Change
Bedroom Door
Freak of Nature
All Of Your Glory (Acoustic)
Taking You There (Acoustic)
Recovery
Are You Home?
Heartlines
Pretty Thing
L.A.F.
We Had Everything
Full Blown Love
Mother & Father
Free
Four Walls
Bridges
Couldn’t Believe

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