The first concert from Lullaby Entertainment this year belonged to the Auckland indie-pop band The Naked and Famous, who took the stage on Jan 17 at Moonstar Studio. Overall it was a solid gig, with our only major complaint being that it finished too soon—and too abruptly—even for a band with only one album and an EP. Front woman Alisa Xalith was captivating to watch, with her Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs meets Janis Joplin affect, as was other lead vocalist Thom Powers. The show opened with the first song off their smash hit album Passive Me, Aggressive You, “All of This,” following straight into “Punching in a Dream,” which really got the audience moving. The energy waned a bit in the middle, but some banter with the audience from Thom Powers and “Girls Like You” recovered it. Just as the show hit its peak with “Young Blood,” it suddenly ended without a true encore. The band cleared out, but keyboardist Mark Foster stayed, morphing into a DJ and dropping beats—a bit random, but still a lot of fun. Keep an eye on Lullaby; let’s see who they give us next after bringing in some exciting names last year. www.facebook.com/LullabyEntertainment.

Photographed by M.D.A