The One Eighties – DREAM TOUR

In this Dream Tour segment, the singer-songwriter duo, The One Eighties, reveals who they would want on their ultimate tour lineup. You can check out their picks, after the break.

We’ve got several Dream Tours in mind, but we’ll give you this unlikely combo we’d love to see. It would be Pony Bradshaw and Broods. And since we’re talking dreams here, we’d be sharing the stage. In a way, those two artists represent two ends of a spectrum where most of our music falls. One side is dark, lamenting Americana; the other is synth-heavy indie-pop.

Pony Bradshaw’s “Sudden Opera” album was a big inspiration for the first couple of songs we wrote for The One Eighties. It rings like the quintessential Americana album, yet it doesn’t fit any genre mold. And it seems like barely anyone has heard of it, which is baffling. It’s haunting, yearning, and has the grit and maturity of someone who’s gone through some real shit. You’ve got poignant imagery and soaring vocals, which together feels almost like a southern gothic author channeling Pink Floyd somewhere out in the swamp. Maybe it’s not the swamp, but it’s somewhere lonely where all you can do is drink while the regret of your sins eats you alive. We’d love to see a live rendition of this album on stage.

Once Pony Bradshaw finishes his set and we feel appropriately depressed, we lighten it back up with Broods, a New Zealand pop duo made up of siblings Georgia and Caleb Nott. There are few people we can think of whose voice we love more than Georgia’s (we can call her Georgia because on this dream tour we are friends). Their lyrics are generally pretty simple and palatable, yet they’re very smart and thought-provoking. As far as the sonic approach, we love their use of “space synths,” drum sequencing, and strange effects. That, and pretty much every melody they write is immediately catchy. What we really want to embrace about Broods as an influence is how they can one minute be playful or even kitschy, and the next minute they’re somber or even tortured. But it’s their hooks and thoughtful production that are unmatched. It would certainly be a good note to end on after watching Pony Bradshaw do “Sudden Opera.” And if The One Eighties were somehow able to take part in that rollercoaster, that would be a Dream Tour indeed.

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