If there’s a local act you should keep your eyes peeled for (and catch at Meredith), it’s Brous.
The sense of atmosphere and sophistication provided by Sophia Brous’ headline performance at Abbotsford Convent’s pop-up music space, Good Hustle, was mesmerising.
What was already going to be a great performance became fantastic with the inclusion of support acts Olympia, Kira Puru and the Bruise, as well as a guest appearance from Kimbra.
Olympia, a solo chick on guitar, carried something of a likeness to Adalita with her sense of feminine vulnerability, but with raw power in her vocals. She often strummed close to the guitar pickups, making for a very angry guitar sound.
Her recorded vocal samples added to the atmosphere of her set, showing that a sweet voice and a guitar (and sometimes piano) can do so much. It was a hypnotic, skillful performance that made the audience shiver, setting the tone for what was going to be an enjoyable night.
Everything went quiet when Kira Puru and the Bruise took to the stage, with their titular singer also having a great sense of presence, totally centred as she prepared for her first number.
The sense of reverence from the crowd was perhaps fearful – Puru, unsmiling, seemed the kind of woman you wouldn’t want to mess with. But as the set continued, it became evident that the attitude she exudes is all part of the performance, and reflective of the music she and her outfit creates.
Each note and word coming from Puru’s mouth oozed with conviction, raw power and soul; meanwhile The Bruise, with their driving basslines, low guitar solos and penetrating drum beats helped the overall performance take off and fill the room.
It was an overall tight and professional performance which included a darker, more yearning take on Kylie Minogue’s ‘Confide In Me’ as well as a solid performance of their most upbeat and radio-friendly single ‘Streetlights.’
All eyes were on Sophia Brous when it was her turn to the stage, dressed in a classic but funky tweed dress and black porkpie style hat (though her bassist did try to upstage her with his large kaftan and Jesus haircut). She began with the whistle of ‘Little Ticket,’ and from that moment drawing the audience in – totally in the zone and ready to wow everyone with her extensive repertoire.
For any unfamiliar with the Brous product, her talent lies in her ability to create music that is timeless, that takes you to another place. Technically trained in jazz at Boston’s New England Conservatory and Berklee College, her music creates images of 50s film noir, 70s psychddelia, and mystery tales.
Brous’ songs are crafted with skill, like pieces of art that have been caressed and moulded into shape. She is not afraid to pull her own shapes either, her moves just as theatrical as her voice, samba-ing around the stage, kneeling engrossed in the music, or waving her arms around like a psychedelic back-up dancer.
The set was mostly a sampling of new and unrecorded material, though not without her crowd-pleasing hit ‘Streamers.’ Her newer cuts took on a slightly more experimental, even galactic sensibility. At times singing in what seemed like gibberish, creating sounds rather than words. Much of her new material though, such as the wailing ‘Predator’, continued to take on a very personal tone.
Technically, Brous may have faltered a little with slightly off-pitch wails, but it didn’t really matter. Her amazing vocal range, experimentation, and other-worldliness – created through the echoing microphone – shaped compositions that will always be highly impressive.
The intimate nature of the setting made the whole performance more fun than serious, and the audience were even treated to a guest appearance from Kimbra, appearing from within the audience to perform a duet on acoustic guitar.
Brous’ performance, along with her supports, was a night where music performance could truly be appreciated. Regardless of whether the soulful, jazz-laden, bluesy thing isn’t your bag, the sets transcended genre boundaries or preferences.
All acts provided a classy, sophisticated and mesmerising show that gives us more reasons to get very excited about Australian music and this excellent new pop-up venue.
