New Zealand’s Balu Brigada Takes Brooklyn

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New Zealand's Balu Brigada Takes Brooklyn

New Zealand Duo Balu Brigada at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center

Hailing from Auckland, New Zealand, the alt-pop duo Balu Brigada is composed of brothers Henry and Pierre Beasley. The band took to the Barclays Center stage to open for Twenty One Pilots on their Clancy World Tour. Henry and Pierre both play guitar and are supported by drummer Jacob Stockman and Harper Finn on the keys. The band pretty quickly caught my attention and had me taking mental notes of which songs I knew I’d be adding to my playlist. Both brothers give off a rockstar aura, making lots of facial expressions, jumping around and having fun on stage. They seem quite passionate about their music and the performance they are giving.

Great Chemistry

Henry and Pierre were charismatic and personable as they interacted with each other and their audience. After introducing their third song “2good” Pierre said to Henry “let’s play it bro!” and Henry put his hand up for a high five just as Pierre looked away to ready his guitar. The crowd awed and laughed while Henry was left hanging as Pierre started the song, failing to return his high five. Pierre realized what had happened and finally returned the gesture resulting in a host of cheers. As the brothers played they interacted a lot with each other and the other band members. They took turns singing in unison and also giving each other some solo moments. Their alt-pop-rock sound had me bopping my head as I worked on capturing their energy through my camera lens.

Seamless Transitions

For their fourth song “Designer”, Pierre ditched his guitar for a handheld microphone while Henry took to the far right of the stage on his own podium to play guitar, leaving the vocals to his brother. When the next song “Question” began, this setup switched as Henry grabbed a mic and Pierre joined in on guitar. During the unreleased tune, Henry donned a pair of sunglasses and asked the audience to put their flashlights up while he sat on the floor of the stage near the crowd.

Balu Brigada put on a great show and I am glad that I had the chance to be introduced to them in a live setting. Their music has catchy hooks and a groovy, punchy sound. A big portion of their set were songs off their 2024 album “BALU” which I will definitely be listening to and I hope to see them rocking their own headlining tour in the near future.

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