Live Review: Youth Lagoon, Broods

Auckland siblings Broods opened the night with a languid set of songs that swayed between pink synth pop and slightly more cinematic stuff that brought to mind Bat For Lashes. The big difference between vocalist Georgia Nott and Natasha Khan is confidence. The group lack the cojones to go full on getting all emotional or to get truly widescreen with their sound. They're content to hover around the middle ground of “nice”, offering few memorable moments and twiddling their creative thumbs. This sucks, because Georgia has a killer voice, and her brother Caleb could easily conjure up a stormy synth cloud for her to fill with thunder and lightning. It's obvious they have the raw ingredients, but for now they're settling for less. That said it's only their fourth show. Hopefully we'll see something better in the future.

The thing you don't expect from a Youth Lagoon show is volume. Trevor Powers has recorded two albums of atmospheric bedroom pop, with an emphasis on introverted psychological states represented by hazy, dream-like production and twee vocals hiding right at the back of the arrangements. His songs are warbly and scarred with texture, but also feel feather-light and would blow away if someone opened the window. His OAF show was a different take all together, and felt uncomfortably abrasive.

It seesawed between abstract explorations and shape design, with Powers layering patiently unfolding noise over warm minor bass chords and psych-pop drama, where the band would push forward, buoyed by a rich rhythm section and brittle guitar work softened by reverb. All the while Powers would really work his synth effect kit, straining to squeeze out each tone.

The whole night was let down by inexplicable volume. Where it should have been lightly massaging nerve endings it felt shrill, and mid-level swells felt hard and punishing. It changed the vibe, and not for the better. Artists pushing boundaries should not be discouraged, but this just felt like an anomaly. Hopefully it was.