Last Saturday afternoon (July 20), amongst a rainy day and a crowd of footy fans, a buzzing group waited in anticipation at Melbourne’s Federation Square, eager to hop on a bus to Nando’s’ first-ever Chicken Shop Sessions event in Australia.
A short ride later, they were at Nando’s Fitzroy on Smith Street, but in place of tables and sauce bottles were spotlights, pale ales and an intimate party atmosphere soon to showcase some of Australia and New Zealand’s hottest emerging artists – and even hotter chicken. It felt very timely, given the event was hosted on what would have been the weekend of Splendour In The Grass (if this year’s festival wasn’t cancelled back in March); a rep for Nando’s confirmed they made sure to invite guests who had been ticketholders for Splendour.
“From Ed Sheeran to Post Malone and everyone in-between, Nando’s has a long history of supporting artists across the music industry,” said Tom Blackburn, Nando’s Head of Brand & Marketing for the ANZ market. “The Chicken Shop Sessions are all about giving emerging artists the opportunity to take centre stage in the wake of major festival cancellations and the mass closure of live music venues.”
Nando’s has a long history in helping people express themselves musically. 2018 saw the launch of a free-to-use music studio under the Nando’s branch in Frith Street, Soho. Three years later, Johannesburg’s Constitutional Hill was similarly morphed into creative recording hub Flame Studios. “Creativity and music have always been a huge part of the brand globally,” said Blackburn.
UNIFIED Music Group were collaborators in the organisation of last weekend’s event. “It was a bit of a combined effort on this one, and we came together to program an event that made sense for the brand and the intention of the night,” said Michelle Rose, UNIFIED’s Head of Staff. “It also helped that a lot of the artists already work with Nando’s.”
“We were really excited when we heard that the client was Nando’s because we know that they really love the industry. Artists have lived off the back of the generosity of Nando’s for a long time.”
The first Chicken Shop Sessions was an intimate snapshot of the emerging music scene in Australia and New Zealand, capturing a diverse array of artists and an equally varied selection of genres, ranging from singer-songwriter to pop R&B, all the way to reggae-tinged rock over the course of the event.
Blending it all seamlessly was local DJ Nina Las Vegas, who kept the vibe flowing with house edits and Charli xcx cuts as platters of PERi-PERi tenders, chips and Portuguese tarts made their way around the room.
“It was really fun – I think it worked really well because we had all these different acts,” she said at night’s end. “People don’t realise how ingrained Nando’s already are with music. Everyone in the music community knows that if you do a video shoot or have a band thing – because there’s not a lot of money in music right now for emerging acts, we can go to Nando’s with what we’re doing and they’ll send a [meal] voucher.”
“Working with [Nando’s] was great,” said Melbourne singer-songwriter ISHAN, who opened the night. “It was almost like I didn’t work with them, they just kind of gave me a stage, and they brought the people and said, ‘Do your thing’. In that sense, they were brilliant.”
And so was ISHAN – genuine and humble, the 20-year-old singer played an all-acoustic set that showed off his knack for instantly connecting melodies and authentic songwriting. Opting to play without his typical loop pedal, the crowd were more than happy to be his percussion at request for the songs that called for it.
“That’s kind of how I started,” he said. “Whenever I write a song, it’s all just strung on the acoustic guitar like I’ve played today. That would have been what it was like.”
ISHAN’s time spent busking – three-to-four times a week on Melbourne’s Bourke Street – has been paying off big this year, supercharged by a clip of My Mouth (la la la) going viral on TikTok; it’s boosted his socials to over 18 million views and counting.
Multi-genre rapper/producer CHAII came next, bringing danceable energy with slick beats and cruisy R&B synths. The Persian-NZ performer boasted a friendly and fun set, intertwined with some surprising Nando’s lore about her family’s business: “We used to make the chickens on the table numbers. That’s my Nando’s backstory.”
CHAII is on the upswing; her music has found its way to advertisements, game soundtracks and television, in no small part thanks to her wide-reaching creative vision. Her variety showed onstage; a set highlight was Eshah, sung in Parsi and paired with dynamic electronic production.
Coterie headlined the night with smooth reggae vibes. Cheeky with the occasional friendly go at the crowd, the four brothers partied on the Nando’s stage with an on-the-fly setlist, closing out on laidback hit Cool it down. The group are in the midst of a huge year, having recently been announced as openers for Tones And I’s upcoming Australian tour this August.
Adding further to the night was a collaborative real-time art installation courtesy of multi-disciplinary queer artist La Vanesso.
Nando’s Chicken Shop Sessions are set to offer exciting opportunities for emerging musicians and fans alike across Australia and New Zealand, with more events set to be announced in the near future. So begs the question: Where would you want to see the next Chicken Shop Session? And who would you love to see perform at it?
