Concert Review: Kids of 88, The Naked and Famous at the Powerstation

Thom Powers of The Naked and Famous performs at The Powerstation. Photo / Bevan Crothers

Who: Kids of 88 and The Naked and Famous
When and where: Saturday night, The Powerstation

Kids of 88 vocalist Sam McCarthy said he was both giddy and a little awkward to be on such a massive stage. Of course they played on the same one a few months ago in support of American sensation Passion Pit, but last year, his new wave act was more likely to play at a much dingier local drinking hole with a minimal cover-charge.

That was when the young lads feared they would be a one-hit wonder. And while it was their Vodafone NZ Music Award Winning single Just A Little Bit that really got their R18 fans squealing like school-children, the ample-sized crowd knew the words to at least five songs from their debut album.

Closing with dance single My House, McCarthy revealed the secret to his svelte figure - bouncing furiously about the stage - and showed off some very flamboyant hip gyrations and fist-pumps that may have been influenced by the star of a certain MTV show set on the Jersey Shore.

Theirs was a short, sweet pitch-perfect collection of songs from their record, punctuated only by a brief technically-inflicted sound glitch and McCarthy's evangelising about the act to follow.

That was the Naked and Famous, who changed their status from cute underground indie-rock band to chart-topping heavyweights with the release of their debut album Passive Me, Aggressive You this year.

Their record, and powerful pop single Young Blood not only topped charts here, but earned them the title of "the next MGMT" by a Guardian reviewer.

In actual fact, last night's sophisticated performance suggested the Naked and Famous could be even bigger than those American electro-poppers.

Uber-cool vocalist Alisa Xayalith lead the band through a undulating, atmospheric set, that meshed pulsing pop with loud, industrial drums, holding their Silver Scroll-winning powerful pop-tune Young Blood until the end, then rewarding their fans with their hypnotic rendition of The Mint Chicks' Crazy Yes, Dumb No in the encore.

Sure, they may be proud Kiwis, but they are world-class. And audiences at their string of sold out New Zealand shows can walk away wearing smug "we saw them here first" grins.