Chicago Was Lost In Love With BROODS

Chicago – Caleb and Georgia Nott quietly and humbly walked onto the tiny stage in dimly lit Schubas on Saturday night to booming applause and cheers. By the looks on their faces, it was clear that the New Zealand siblings are still adjusting to their growing popularity. The electronic pop duo has been receiving more and more attention since releasing their self-titled EP BROODS. Between their singles “Bridges” and “Never Gonna Change” becoming radio jewels and the myriads of music blogs clamoring for news and interviews from the Kiwis, it came as no surprise that their Chicago show sold out. With Joel Little (Lorde) by their side and an LP on the way, it’s a pretty safe bet that BROODS will continue to sell out shows.

BROODS started the night off with “Never Gonna Change.” The room immediately started to move to the beat. People were singing along with Georgia, who looked like she was having the time of her life. Every so often she made her way to the center of the cramped stage to dance around the best she could. Pretty soon she’ll have plenty of space to dance when she and Caleb join Ellie Goulding on her Australian arena tour – you can read more about that in my interview with Caleb – but I’m also positive that BROODS will be playing arena shows of their own soon enough. It seemed the majority of the crowd were having as much of an amazing time as Georgia. Almost everyone knew the words to the songs off the EP. One young lady in the front let the beats fill every ounce of her, as she danced with eyes closed, hair whipping around, while mouthing the words to “Pretty Thing.” She certainly seemed lost in love with BROODS. Georgia thanked the room for showing them plenty of love and selling out the show, which she joked made it worth getting up at 2:30 a.m.

Caleb and Georgia ignited a sing along with their cover of “We Are The People” by Empire Of The Sun. The two also performed a handful of new songs, such as “Mother, Father,” “Killing You,” “Evergreen,” and “Four Walls.” Many of which had a 90s R&B feel to them. Every time they announced that they were playing a new song, people whistled and hollered in approval. When Caleb and Georgia ended the evening with “Bridges,” the whole room began dancing and singing with excitement. Georgia’s face lit up when the venue got extra loud at the chorus. Upon hearing so many people sing along with her, she smiled widely, looking as if she might cry with delight. She exclaimed, “Chicago, I love you!”

Before BROODS took the stage, Tennessee native Meg Myers opened with her intense, emotionally charged music. The petite brunette exploded with a fury of energy, and blew the audience away. Meg is raw like PJ Harvey, with a powerful voice that sounds remarkably like a young Fiona Apple, but she holds a much darker edge with her mix of heavy rock and occasional screamo. Her facial expressions and piercing eyes reminded me of Joan Jett. Well, that and the fact that Miss Myers doesn’t seem to give a damn about her reputation either. I’m sure her lyrics might seem crude to some, but I find them refreshingly honest. In the single “Desire,” Myers sings: “Baby, I wanna f*** you. I wanna feel you in my bones. Boy, I’m gonna love you. I’m gonna tear into your soul.” I have a feeling “Desire” is going to be this generation’s “Closer.” Meg also had her fair share of fans at Schubas that night, including Georgia Nott herself. Halfway through her set, Georgia dedicated a song to Meg and said, “I Love you, Meg! Meg’s a total babe, and we’re lucky enough to be joined on tour with her. You’re lucky, too.” Yes, we were lucky to bare witness to this star is the making. I have no doubt that Meg Myers will soon become a household name.

Broods just kicked off their U.S. tour. Hit up their Facebook page to scope out their tour dates. Be sure to also keep an eye out for their upcoming LP! Meg Myers will be accompanying BROODS throughout their entire U.S. tour. Over the summer she’ll also be playing the Governor’s Ball, Bunbury, and Lollapalooza.

(All photos by Sarah Hess: smhimaging.com)

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Sarah Hess

At the age of six, Sarah Hess discovered True Blue by Madonna. This resulted in her spending hours in front of the bathroom mirror with a hairbrush microphone, belting out "La Isla Bonita" off key. Her love for music only intensified over the years thanks to her parents; her mother exposed Sarah to The Jackson Five and had her hustling to the Bee Gees, while her father would play her albums like 'Pet Sounds' and 'Some Girls' from start to finish, during which he'd lecture on and on about the history of rock & roll. Sarah would eventually stumble upon rap and hip-hop, then punk and alternative, and fall madly in love with Jeff Buckley and film photography.

After attending The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Sarah went on to study education at Dominican University, earning a degree in history. When not teaching, writing, or taking in a show, she is most likely to be found with a camera to her eye or hanging out in a darkroom.

You can follow Sarah Hess on twitter at @Sarahhasanh and view her music photography on her website: smhimaging.com.