The band is reintroducing themselves stateside with a club tour
Sheppard blew the roof off the intimate DC9 Nightclub on Tuesday (June 11) with an intimate show that didn’t sacrifice any of their signature sound.
The string-forward pop stylings of the Brisbane, AUS siblings—George, Amy, and Emma Sheppard—found global success in 2014 with the international hit “Geronimo.” The group relocated to Nashville in 2023. This tour is their effort to re-break the States and, in the words of George Sheppard, “reconnect” the song “Geronimo” to their band name to create more awareness of their broader catalog.
So far so good, it seems, as most shows on this club tour have sold out or are very near capacity. Fans at DC9 jumped, shook, and jammed out, making the second-floor venue rumble with energy. Sheppard, for their part, packed their setlist with the happy, revelatory tunes that they’re known for. It’s hard not to feel great when a song called “Good Time” is thumping through the speakers. Even their breakup song “Let Me Down Easy” is a carefree confection.
The band premiered “Got to Be Love” off their forthcoming album Zora. It’s a jumpy owed to loving one another with streaks of 70s disco echoing throughout. It’s a catchy winner—everyone was singing along by the end—and would make a great radio single.
Amy Sheppard shined on the tongue-in-cheek “Kiss My Fat Ass,” which seemed to offer the room a cathartic stress relief. As this reporter looked around the room, it was clear that each person in the crowd took certain numbers to heart. And that seems to be Sheppard’s goal as a band.
Pop music often gets a bad rap for being overproduced drack. I talked about this a little bit in our review of Big Time Rush. But there’s a subset of pop that’s as authentic as genres considered less vapid. Sheppard’s music falls into this category.
Are their tracks? Of course. With only two musicians backing them, plus George on rhythm guitar and Emma on Bass, the band is smart enough to never let the tracks overwhelm their live players. Zak Kuhn on guitar has adept fingers that seemingly fly through the songs, and John Butterworth keeps the band on point with his expert musicianship.
Sheppard and I talk about their album Zora—the story behind the title will move you to tears—plus what being an authentic pop band means to them on an upcoming episode of The Music Universe Podcast, out the same week as Sheppard’s new LP.
For now, the band is truly enjoying traversing the US in a Sienna and a U-Haul, reintroducing themselves to a very eager American audience. With their relocation to the States, the band is all-in on this new chapter. That’s how you say “Geronimo!”
