The Naked & Famous at the Music Box - October 17, 2011

As published in Rukus magazine:

http://www.rukusmag.com/2011/1111/concert_review_the_naked_and_famous.html


Appearing before a sold-out crowd, the band appeared fully clothed and ready to go.  Had they not been standing on stage, it’s unlikely that anyone in the audience would know exactly who they were.  That said, The Naked And Famous were still able to live up to the bold, tongue-in-cheek spirit implied in the band’s name by performing a powerful 65-minute set at Hollywood's Music Box theater on October 17th.

Hailing from Auckland, New Zealand, The Naked And Famous first came on the scene in 2008, where they released two EPs: THIS MACHINE and NO LIGHT.  In 2010, the quintet released their debut album, PASSIVE ME, AGGRESSIVE YOU, an inspired collection that included the band's first hit single, "Young Blood."  The Naked And Famous sound can best be described as dance-pop music, mixed with a rock and roll edge.   

By 10:40pm, the Music Box was packed to the gills.  There was very little room to move inside the theater.  Soon the lights went down, and there they were: Jesse Wood on drums, Aaron Short on keyboards, David Beadle on bass, rhythm guitar and keyboards, Alisa Xayalith on lead vocals and keyboards, and Thom Powers on lead guitar, keyboards and lead vocals.  They appeared young, healthy, and perhaps a little bit shy…yet The Naked And Famous were full of energy, and committed themselves to each and every song.


Opening with the delicate keyboards sound of "The Ends," the band soon launched into their robust barnburner "A Wolf in Geek's Clothing."  Without so much of a breath, The Naked And Famous quickly moved on to "Punching in a Dream," "Spank," and then "The Sun."  Thom Powers lead the band like a pro, going from one song to the other like clockwork.  Jesse Wood pounded the drums with raw power and machine-like precision.  David Beadle would sway to and fro towards the back of the stage.  Aaron Short would hold steady on his keyboards, and Alisa Xayalith kept herself at bay.  With her hair planted firmly in front of her face for the majority of the show, Xayalith played timid with her body, yet was free and forthcoming with her strong vocals.

Neither Thom Powers nor Alisa Xayalith spoke much to the crowd that night; they preferred to keep their focus primarily on the music alone.  The two singers also choose to not hog the spotlight from their bandmates (when does that ever happen?).  For the most part, Powers and Xayalith stayed close to their keyboards…rarely letting their presence stand out from the band as a whole.
After performing "Bells" and "Frayed," Thom Powers introduced the upbeat, dance track "All of This" as the first song The Naked And Famous played when they first got together all those years ago.  Like many songs that evening, the band infused "All of This" with a strength and excitement not found on the original recording.  The crowd picked up on this right away; some danced and even sang along to the song word-for-word.

However, for the most part the packed crowd offered little in the way of enthusiasm for what was happening on stage.  Before playing "Young Blood," the final song of the evening, Thom Powers remarked, "You're a bit quiet this time around."  He then invited the audience to sing along to the song's catchy chorus of "yeah-e, yeah-e, yeah-e, yeah!"  Fortunately, the audience happily complied…coming to life for the first time all evening.  It's a shame that The Naked And Famous did not make more of an effort earlier to engage the crowd, yet all's well that ends well.

…and The Naked And Famous have done well.  They’re young and innocent enough to still approach their music (and their audience) with a sense of joy, naiveté, experimentation, and wonder.  Perhaps they could use a little more education when it comes to live performance, yet that does not take away from the great things the band has to offer.  They may not have conquered the world yet, but don’t worry; The Naked And Famous are just getting started...