The set Broods played to thousands on the main stage at Rhythm and Vines this past New Year’s Eve was a far cry from their set at the same place a year prior. At the end of 2013 Georgia and Caleb Nott, the two-parts of the brother and sister duo from Nelson, played their first ever public show. About 50 people turned up, Georgia says, and it was terrifying.
“We were shitting our pants. Like honestly, it was so terrifying. I was extremely nervous and I feel like I kind of know what I’m doing now. Which is good, because I’ve had a whole year, so you’d hope so.”
WATCH: Georgia Nott sits down with Ollie Neas and Molly McCarthy to reflect on Broods’ biggest year yet.
It’s been a rapid rise since then for the pair, and their waning nerves aren’t the only sign. 2014 saw Broods release an EP and an album, tour with Haim, Sam Smith and Ellie Goulding, and win the New Zealand Music Award for Breakthrough Artist of the Year. Quite something for a pair who once dreamt of being exactly like The Corrs.
Georgia Nott on stage at Rhythm and Vines. Photo: Ollie Neas
“We’re not exactly like The Corrs these days,” Georgia says, “but we are musicians and we’re kind of doing the family band thing, which is what we had always dreamed to do. So everything’s kind of worked out exactly, if not way better, than we ever thought it would.”
Though like The Corrs, their musical talents go way back—all the way back to the ‘Richmond’s Got Talent’ contest at Richmond Mall, which they won in 2010. As such, their success is truly their own—and that's notwithstanding the Midas touch of their producer, Joel Little of Lorde fame, whose signature can be heard in the minimalist, synth-laden sound of Broods’ work.
Despite the glories of 2014, their ambitions for 2015 are humble. “Take on 2015 with a little bit more direction,” Georgia says, “and not be so overwhelmed like a bloody fish out of water.”
