Singer Alisa Xayalith strutted out wearing a white chiffon cape, resembling some kind of gypsy spirit as her long, flowing sleeves trailed behind her. Even before the band members took their places the crowd abandoned containing their excitement. Alisa and vocalist-guitarist Thom Powers took a brief moment to exchange a quick glance in preparation and then a slight nod; barely seconds later, they tore into the blaring guitar intro for “A Wolf in Geek’s go.” He also dedicated the song “Girls Like You” to “all the girls out there” as he stared pensively off into the crowd, as if he were waiting for the girl he was singing about to appear. It was during these raw moments that it felt as if there were no barriers between them and us. Somehow, we knew Thom and we hoped from the bottom of our hearts that his girl would come back.
The on-stage chemistry between Thom and Alisa was noticeably still being developed but still captured the crowd’s interest. During a lengthy synth solo, they began to sway in unison, just barely inches away from each other, eyes locked. As the intensity built and the tension became too palpable to bear, cries from the audience begging Thom to “Do it,” and “Kiss her,” danced through the air. As the solo began to wane, they finally broke eye lock and retreated to their respective spots on stage as the crowd sighed in disappointment. It became near impossible to pull my focus off of Thom and Alisa as they became even more comfortable onstage and entranced the crowd.
As Alisa delivered the chorus of their finale song and hit single “Young Blood,” the crowd jumped in unison and screamed at the top of their lungs, as if they had been transported to the carefree days of childhood. The jovial screams drowned out Alisa’s flawless vocals. The only sound that prevailed was the instantly recognizable bouncy synth riff, with its deafening volume and catchy rhythm.
The DePaulia had the opportunity of talking to founding Naked and Famous members Alisa Xayalith and Aaron Short about their climb to fame and future plans.
Alisa: Well, we first toured with foals for South by Southwest. We went into all these tiny towns all over America and it was a great taste of the country and landscape. But we did go a little stir crazy for a while after being on a tour bus for months and eating truck stop food. We did all these little things to keep ourselves somewhat sane, y’know?
Thom: This time we’ll be on our own tour bus for, as well. It will be a bit nicer this time.
Do you feel that your hometown of Aukland, New Zealand, has influenced your sound at all?
Alisa: Not consciously. It’s isolated and far away, but we still get the same commercial radio as you do in America. I guess the actual music hasn’t directly influenced us, but the do-it-yourself attitude of New Zealand definitely has.
Is there a big music scene back in Auckland?
Alisa: It’s very small, if there is one. There’s only like one or two bands from each genre. There’s only maybe one or two bands from there we could tour with.
What artists inspire you?
Alisa: Definitely the 80s aesthetic. Nine Inch Nails will always be a constant.
Thom: As a band we have a lot of common ground. I come from more of an electronic background. But since we all have different taste we get a lot of different influences. But right now, for me, it’s a lot of LCD Soundsystem, The Kills, Bon Iver…
Did recording a full-length album feel different from recording your EPs?
Thom: Things were much more evolved at that point. The first two EPs were bedroom-based projects. “Young Blood” was actually the very first song we recorded in the studio.
How is your new EP “No Light” different from your previous works?
Thom: it just got re-released here in the U.S. It’s really stripped back production compared to our album.
Alisa: They were the first songs we recorded together. If you listen closely, I’m actually singing a lot differently. The EPs really showed we were starting out for the first time as a band.
You had huge commercial success with your single “Young