Live Review: Brooke Fraser

“We’ve come a long way, you know,” sings New Zealand songwriter Brooke Fraser as she belts out her new single Kings & Queens. It’s a fitting lyric to summarise her Brutal Romantic album tour, with a distinctive new sound that sees her evolving from an acoustic singer-songwriter into an innovative, electronic musical direction. As the strobe lights flicker erratically, her distorted and breathy vocals on Psychosocial set the tone, showing off a fresh sonic palette as she pushes her creative boundaries. This bold track is dark and eerie with heavy drumbeats joined by haunting, choral group chanting throughout. At the heart of her newfound electronic flavour, Magical Machine presents Fraser’s lush vocals against a mechanical juxtaposition of digital sounds that transcend with a beautiful pop melody.

Sprinkling in some old favourites for the die-hard fans, Fraser gives her back catalogue a new lease on life with different arrangements to reflect her matured style. It has been over seven years since she dusted off the once-piano-driven ballad Shadowfeet, now re-worked into an uptempo, synth-heavy, ‘80s-style dance track. She uses quirky analogies to describe her older songs such as Arithmetic, which was written when Fraser was just 12 years of age – she explains her music has evolved from adolescence into adulthood. Excited to be free from what she calls her “astronaut boot” after a recent mishap that involved dropping an electric guitar on her foot, Fraser is happy to have two working feet planted firmly on the stage. To express our gratitude, we join in with Fraser’s self-proclaimed awkward dancing to the infectious and powerful Thunder. 

First and foremost, Fraser is a songwriter. She has a natural ability to craft engaging stories through intelligent, powerful lyrics that make us think and express underlying emotions. In search of her heritage, Fraser explains the discovery of her family motto, Je Suis Pret, which inspired the song of the same name. French for “I am ready,” this phrase epitomises the Brutal Romantic album – a time for growth and change. 

New takes on CS Lewis Song and Something In The Water are unlike anything this scribe’s ever experienced before. This encore of her beloved songs is brilliantly executed with an edgy, electronic production of sweeping digital effects and incredible drum beats. Fraser proves that the challenge of taking a step out of her comfort zone really pays off. She radiates brighter than ever, continuing to push her music to new heights and connect with us on a whole new level.