Balu Brigada – A taste of Auckland at Pinkpop this year.
Balu Brigada at this year’s Pinkpop Festival – recorded on June 19th at the Tent Stage by VPRO-FM.
Balu Brigada was formed in 2016. Originally the band was named Baloo, an homage to the character of the same name from the Disney film The Jungle Book. However, fearing legal troubles from Disney, the band was renamed to Balu Brigada. The band’s first lineup had four members: Henry Beasley as the lead singer and guitarist, his older brother Charles as the drummer, his younger brother Pierre on keyboards, and their childhood friend, Guy Harrison, on bass. Sometimes, Pierre was not allowed to play in certain venues since he was only 15. Their first two singles were “Weekend” and “Ricochet”. They started focusing more on writing and production after Pierre came of age. Charles Beasley and Harrison left over the next several years, leading Henry and Pierre Beasley to adopt multi-instrumentalist and dual vocalist roles.
In September 2022, Balu Brigada signed with Warner Music Australia and Atlantic Records in their first deal as joint partners. The band announced their signing alongside their first release under their new labels, debut EP I Should Be Home. The EP addresses issues from “messy break-ups to drunken epiphanies” navigated by an inexperienced “20-something”.[9] The band relocated from Auckland to New York City following the signing.
In July 2023, Balu Brigada released their sophomore EP Find a Way. The track list includes viral songs “Designer” and “2Good”. Spanning multiple genres, the six-track record has been described by the band as “about tripping up on all the subtleties of the dating game”. It spurred them back to New Zealand and Australia to tour.
Balu Brigada opened for Twenty One Pilots on the U.S. leg of the Clancy World Tour, which began in August 2024. Henry and Pierre Beasley were then joined by Harper Finn on the keys and Jacob Stockman on the drums. The four-piece returned for the Australia and New Zealand leg, concluding in November of the same year, and also supported the duo on the Latin America and Europe & UK legs in 2025. The New Zealand Herald‘s reviewer was appreciative of their Auckland performance, writing that their “catchy alt-pop riffs and endearing charm no doubt earned them plenty more fans in their hometown.”
In October 2024, Balu Brigada announced the Can’t Be Your Dog Tour, their first headlining tour. It took place in February and March 2025, spanning four shows across the U.S. They performed at “The Echo” in Los Angeles, CA on February 27, 2025, “The Rickshaw Shop” in San Francisco, CA on March 1, 2025, “Schubas Tavern” in Chicago, IL on March 3, 2025, and “Baby’s All Right” in Brooklyn, NY on March 6, 2025. This tour had minimal capacities, the biggest capacity being a capacity of 400 at “The Echo” and the smallest being a capacity of 165 at “Schubas Tavern.”
In January 2025, Balu Brigada was named one of SiriusXM’s Future Five artists for 2025.
On February 28, the band performed at an additional show at “No Vacancy” in Los Angeles that was part of Booker and Stryker’s “Friday Night Out.”
On March 5, 2025, Balu Brigada made their live television debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and performed “So Cold”.
Okay – grab a sandwich and dive-in.
