[ATTENDED: February 24, 2022] The Beths
The Beths are from New Zealand.
I really enjoyed hearing them talk between songs–super cool accents.
They only have two albums out but they have a pretty rabid fan base–if the guys who sang along loudly to everything were anything to go by.
The Beths were originally supposed to play King Fu Necktie in April 2020. The show was moved to World Cafe Live, but was ultimately cancelled because of COVID. They scheduled a new date at Underground Arts for January, but that got pushed back a month as COVID cases rose again.
And then, finally, they were here!
I knew a little of their first album (the wonderfully titled Future Me Hates Me), but I knew their second album Jump Rope Gazers very well. This is one of the few instances where a band with a new(ish) album played more songs from their first album.
But that’s okay.
The Beths are a four piece: Elizabeth Stokes, singer and guitarist. Jonathan Pearce who plays lead guitar. Benjamin Sinclair on bass and Tristan Deck on drums. When introducing each other, Benjamin said that Liz plays half of the guitar and writes all of the songs. Liz then said she would be happy to play half of a guitar tonight.
Stokes writes very melodic, often catchy and sometimes really poppy songs. But she’s also got a rocking element–some of the songs even sparked a bit of a mosh pit–I wonder if she ever imagined that would happen.
“Not Getting Excited” is the perfect introductory song for anyone. The song starts with just Liz’s guitar and vocals. Then the band comes in and everyone rocks along. There’s wonderful backing vocals and a big sense of fun.
The guy to my right sang every word.
They played a couple of songs from Future Me (and he sang all of those as well). Then they played a new song (the single is on bandcamp) and he sang all the words to that too!
The show was sold out (and had been for quite a while), so the room got hot and bouncy after just a few songs.
Underground Arts even had a special drink made for the night: A Hot Toddy with Jim Beam, Honey, Hot Green Tea and Fresh Lemon. I don’t know if that’s what Liz was drinking all night (her cup did have a tea bag in it).
One thing I’d noticed when listening to their recent live album is that the guys add wonderful backing vocals and harmonies. It was really cool that sometimes it was two of them and sometimes it was all three–that sounded fantastic.
They chatted between every few songs. At one point Pearce said that we were going to do a cultural exchange. One the count of three they were going to say what New Zealand is most famous for. Sadly, I couldn’t make out what they said. But when he asked what Philly was most famous for, everyone shouted Cheeseteaks, and that made them all laugh very hard. Someone behind me muttered National Treasure, but it was lost amid the laughing.
The band sounded great throughout–tight as a drum on their stop/starts songs and with great punchy bass and lead guitar solos.
Midway though, the slowed things down with the lovely “Jump Rope Gazers.” They followed that up a little later with “Mars the God of War” with the super catchy chorus of
I wish that I could wish you well
Instead I’m hitting my head and hitting backspace on
“Can’t you just go to hell?”
After this is when things got a little out of control. There had been some loud drunk idiots in the back. By the beginning of “Whatever” they had pushed their way nearer the front. In fairness they knew every word, so they were definitely fans. But I know they knew every word because they were louder than the band. This was especially bothersome because “Whatever” has the sweetest backing vocal harmonies which this guys drunkenly screamed. 
I often wonder if bands can hear things like that and if it’s flattering to know someone wants to sing your words that loudly, or if it’s just as annoying for them as for me.
The drunk guy hung around for another song or two and then seemed to get pushed back a ways. They ended the set with “Future Me Hates Me,” and then took one of the shortest encore breaks I’ve ever seen. It was maybe a minute.
She joked and said, with a response like that I guess we’ll play two more songs. First was “Riverrun,” a mellow song that segued perfectly into what has to be the catchiest hook of 2020–the high guitar chords that shift the song from verse to chorus of “Dying to Believe.”
It was a terrific show. Well worth waiting two years for.
SETLIST
- Not Getting Excited Ω
- Not Running ¶
- Great No One ¶
- A Real Thing [new]
- Happy Unhappy ¶
- Out of Sight Ω
- Acrid Ω
- Jump Rope Gazers Ω
- Uptown Girl ¶
- When You Know You Know ¢
- Mars, the God of War Ω
- Whatever ¶
- Little Death ¶
- Future Me Hates Me ¶
- River Run: Lvl 1 ¶
- Dying to Believe Ω
Ω Jump Rope Gazers (2020)
¶ Future Me Hates Me (2018)
¢ Demos 2014-2020
Leave a Reply