大象传媒

The Naked and famous hail from New Zealand - they're a long way from home and I hope we made them feel welcome. As the band take to the stage, I was surprised by Alisa Xayalith - she is small, she is plainly dressed all in black, her hair is simple, and my brain just can't seem to associate the great voice I've heard on the radio with this tiny girl!



Until she starts to sing, that is. Her voice is incredible, unmistakeable, and so different from the female singers we are used to hearing. 'Punching in a Dream' is the second song of the set, and is when the dancing starts. It has to be said that the vocals sound a little artificial, but the song is such a winner that you could plaster on as much reverb as you wanted and it would still work. The crowd is on the young side, but they sing along, jump, try to touch the band, and are definitely enjoying themselves.



The set lasts about 45mins, ending with the newer single 'Young Blood', recognisable from the never-ending ads it seems to soundtrack. ATL isn't complaining; it's one of two songs available on a certain music streaming website and I can but hope that the encore, 'Da da da da da', quickly joins them. The drums recall Interpol's 'PDA' and the chorus of Queens Of The Stone Age's 'Go with the flow' (it probably sounds like neither) but the quirky, upbeat, overall feel is undeniably the Naked and Famous.



For such a young band they have crafted a distinct sound for themselves. They're fresh, they're different and their album is definitely on my 'To Buy' list!

Sarah McGlinchey