Up to this point, many of us only believed hobbits and wizards resided in New Zealand thanks to Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. The island is a world away from where most of us sit, so it’s easy to believe that these mythical creatures roam the lush countryside. Now a fresh Kiwi outfit known as The Naked and Famous has arrived to claim the country back for the human race and they aren’t stopping with their homeland.
Though the five-piece has been making music together since 2008 when Thom Powers and Alisa Xayalith were schoolmates, The Naked and Famous didn’t hit their stride until 2010. The self-proclaimed “home studio” duo enlisted Aaron Short to assist Powers in the production of the band’s first album and they recruited the rhythm section of Jesse Wood and David Beadle. Once the final pieces were in place, the band was ready to take over the world, but first they needed to make some waves in New Zealand.
The Naked and Famous’ first single hit the shores like a Tsunami when they became the first New Zealand artist to debut at the number one spot in over three years. The band was instantly anointed the next big thing thanks to the massive success of the fist pumping, exceedingly catchy and award winning track “Young Blood”. The track caught the attention of publications and blogs all over the internet and in no time the effortless tastemakers behind Neon Gold became the head cheerleaders for The Naked and Famous stateside. Below you’ll find the video for the stunning track that should make an instant fan out of any causal music lover.
Since their chart topping debut, The Naked and Famous has released the long player Passive Me, Aggressive You (Somewhat Damaged) that hit number one in their motherland. While we patiently wait for the albums arrival in the United States, the band has been kind enough to wet our starved American appetites with a two shows on each side of the continental U.S. Their New York shows include an appearance at Mercury Lounge on November 19 and another at Brooklyn Bowl on November 20. We highly recommend you purchasing tickets to either as they will surely sell out and you don’t want this band to land on your list of regrets.
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