This delightful live album from The Beths is full of joy. The band was over the moon, the crowd was ecstatic, and daring to open with “I’m Not Getting Excited” was a gutsy move when everyone in the place was bursting with energy.
Acid Dad were a band I’d heard a lot about, yet didn’t know much about them. I caught them live about an hour from my house and was sold within two songs. Take It from the Dead is a fine psych-rock record with touches of surf that make it a standout.
Ty Segall added a bunch of synths and electronic beats to his already heavy fuzz rock, and the result, Harmonizer, was impressive. He showed his love for krautrock and even dance rock, and that he could pull off both genres as easily as psych jams.
Easily one of the loveliest and sexiest albums of 2022, Till I Start Speaking is a great mix of Morly’s vocals, electro-beats, and synths. I hadn’t heard of Morly until this record was sent to me, and it was a pleasant discovery.
Speaking of lovely records, here’s another one. Bossa nova, disco, ambient, and house all merge together for an album as pretty and trippy as its cover.
Matching with an accompanying concert film, The Beths‘ Auckland, New Zealand, 2020captures the band’s performance at Auckland Town Hall during the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic in one of the few countries that took the pandemic seriously at the time and was still able to hold live music events. The band’s joy at performing in front of a home crowd, and after so long of not being able to do so, is heard in every note – as is the bliss of the crowd.
The cheers before the opener of “I’m Not Getting Excited” are infectious, as is the opening guitar riff from Jonathan Pearce as Elizabeth Stokes actually encourages the audience to get so excited that their heads might explode. “Great No One” rocks and rolls straight into “Whatever” – with the whole crowd yelling / singing the title (and pretty much everything else) along with the band. “It’s not just the dawn that breaks,” Stokes sings on the sizzling “Mars (The God of War)” – a song about wishing she could move beyond a bad break-up.
The live version of “Future Me Hates Me” is as bouncy and loud as you’d hope it would be. “Jump Rope Gazers” is just as lovely live as on the album of the same name, if not more so. “Uptown Girl” blasts by you with some of Tristan Deck‘s fiercest drumming. His beats on “Happy Unhappy” get you dancing.
“Out of Sight” makes the turn toward the final act of the show, with Stokes thanking everyone behind the scenes at the show afterwards. You can hear the emotion in Stokes’ voice as she thanks the crowd before the band launches into “Don’t Go Away.” Benjamin Sinclair‘s bass line on “Little Death” is like a hummingbird zipping around the room. “Dying to Believe” closes the show, with the entire crowd singing along, before the band comes back for an encore of “River Run” that fades into a blissful state.
Not only is this a joyful recording, it’s also a good-sounding one. Stokes points out at one point that the sound crew has to work in a large, echoing chamber – and they do it quite well.
Playing a home show still feels special for The Beths, who began playing shows in 2015 and quickly won over local audiences with a low-key approach that disguised their drive for excellence. Today, the band announces its first live recording and film, Auckland, New Zealand, 2020, out September 17th on Carpark Records. The announcement also comes on the three-year anniversary of the release of their debut album, Future Me Hates Me. Auckland, New Zealand, 2020 showcases the infectious energy The Beths bring to every performance. Native birds, wonkily crafted by the band from tissue paper and wire, festoon the venue’s cavernous ceiling while house plants soften and disguise the imposing pipes of an organ. The presence of the film crew isn’t disguised: much of the camerawork is handheld; full of fast zooms and pans. “Watching the film for the first time brought back all the emotions of 2020 for us. Sports Team have done such an amazing job of capturing the mix of anxiety and simple joy that was touring music in NZ at the time. We are so grateful that it happened and grateful to have it documented with so much love and care,” says lead vocalist/guitarist Elizabeth Stokes.
“Future Me Hates Me” is a fan favorite, as both band and audience feed off the mutual energy in the room.
After building a loyal following through live performances and their 2016 EP Warm Blood, The Beths signed to Carpark Records and released the debut album, Future Me Hates Me, in 2018. Jump Rope Gazers, released in July 2020, was a slower, yearning follow-up that still fizzes and sparks with pop-punk sensibilities. Immediately seized on by both fans and music critics as a bright spot during an otherwise dark year, Jump Rope Gazers was named Album of the Year at New Zealand’s national Aotearoa Music Awards in 2020, and secured the band awards for Best Group and Best Alternative Artist for the second year running. The releases catapulted the band straight into lengthy international tours that saw them support legends like The Pixies and Death Cab For Cutie as well as headlining increasingly large shows of their own.
Auckland, New Zealand, 2020 has its genesis in an urge to share the now-rare experience of a live show as widely as possible. The accompanying film makes the deep bond Stokes, lead guitarist Jonathan Pearce, bassist Benjamin Sinclair, and drummer Tristan Deck clearer than ever: capturing the in-jokes they share with audiences during on-stage banter, and foregrounding their mutual preoccupations with the game of cricket and New Zealand’s native birds. It’s a collective exhalation, in one of the few countries where live music is still possible. They deliberately include the date and location, because “That’s the sensational part of what we actually did,” says Pearce. In a mid-pandemic world, playing to a heaving, enraptured home crowd feels miraculous.
The band will follow up the release of Auckland, New Zealand, 2020 with a North American headline tour in 2022. “Our last North American tour was in summer of 2019, which feels like a century ago. There is no way to describe how much we have wanted to be over there playing music. Finally it is happening?! See you soon. xo,” says Liz. An artist pre-sale will begin on Wednesday, August 11 at 10am local time, with a Brooklyn Vegan pre-sale running on Thursday, August 12 at 10am local time. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, August 13 at 10am local time. Tickets are available at thebeths.com. Fans can join the band’s new Patreon in the meantime.
Live Album Tracklist: 1. I’m Not Getting Excited 2. Great No One 3. Whatever 4. Mars, the God of War 5. Future Me Hates Me 6. introduction 7. Jump Rope Gazers 8. Uptown Girl
9. bird talk 10. Happy Unhappy 11. Out of Sight 12. thank you 13. Don’t Go Away 14. Little Death 15. Dying to Believe 16. River Run
Film Setlist: 1. I’m Not Getting Excited 2. Great No One 3. Whatever 4. Mars, the God of War
5. Future Me Hates Me 6. Jump Rope Gazers 7. Uptown Girl 8. Happy Unhappy 9. Out of Sight 10. Little Death 11. Dying To Believe 12. You Wouldn’t Like Me 13. River Run
Tour Dates: Fri. Sept. 17, 2021 – Auckland, NZ @ The Others Way Tue. Sept. 28, 2021 – Auckland, NZ @ Whammy Bar Wed. Sept. 29, 2021 – Auckland, NZ @ Whammy Bar Thu. Sept. 30, 2021 – Auckland, NZ @ Whammy Bar Fri. Oct. 1, 2021 – Auckland, NZ @ Whammy Bar Sat. Oct. 2, 2021 – Auckland, NZ @ Whammy Bar Fri. Oct. 22, 2021 – Tauranga, NZ @ Tauranga Arts Festival Sat. Oct. 23, 2021 – Hawke’s Bay, NZ @ Labour of Love Fri. Oct. 29, 2021 – Wellington, NZ @ San Fran Sat. Oct. 30, 2021 – Wellington, NZ @ College of Creative Arts, Massey University (AA show) Sun. Oct. 31, 2021 – Nelson, NZ @ Nelson Arts Festival Thu. Nov. 4 – Sydney, NSW @ Factory Theatre Fri. Nov. 5 – Brisbane, QLD @ The Zoo Sat. Nov. 6 – Melbourne, VIC @ The Night Cat Sat. Dec. 4 – Auckland, NZ @ The Outerfields
Thu. Jan. 20, 2022 – Washington, D.C. @ Black Cat Fri. Jan. 21, 2022 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts Sat. Jan. 22, 2022 – New York, NY @ Rough Trade (in-store signing) Sat. Jan. 22, 2022 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall Sun. Jan. 23, 2022 – Boston, MA @ The Sinclair Tue. Jan. 25, 2022 – Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz Wed. Jan. 26, 2022 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace Fri. Jan. 28, 2022 – Chicago, IL @ Metro Wed. Feb. 2, 2022 – Calgary, AB @ Commonwealth Fri. Feb. 4, 2022 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret Sat. Feb. 5, 2022 – Seattle, WA @ NeumosSun. Feb. 6, 2022 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom Tue. Feb. 8, 2022 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent Thu. Feb. 10, 2022 – Los Angeles, CA @ Regent Theater Sat. Feb. 12, 2022 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar Tue. Feb. 15, 2022 – Austin, TX @ Parish Wed. Feb. 16, 2022 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada Fri. Feb. 18, 2022 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade (Hall) Sat. Feb. 19, 2022 – Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge Sun. Mar. 27, 2022 – Southampton, UK @ The Loft Mon. Mar. 28, 2022 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club Tue. Mar. 29, 2022 – Glasgow, UK @ St Luke’s Thu. Mar. 31, 2022 – Manchester, UK @ Club Academy Fri. Apr. 1, 2022 – Bristol, UK @ SWX Sat. Apr. 2, 2022 – Birmingham, UK @ The Castle and Falcon Mon. Apr. 4, 2022 – London, UK @ O2 Forum Kentish TownTue. Apr. 5, 2022 – Brighton, UK @ Concorde II Thu. Apr. 7, 2022 – Paris, FR @ Point Ephémère Fri. Apr. 8, 2022 – Lyon, FR @ Le Marché Gare Sat. Apr. 9, 2022 – Dudingen, CH @ Bad Bonn Sun. Apr. 10, 2022 – Lausanne, CH @ Le Romandie Tue. Apr. 12, 2022 – Milan, IT @ Biko Wed. Apr. 13, 2022 – Munich, DE @ Feierwerk Fri. Apr. 15, 2022 – Vienna, AT @ B72 Sat. Apr. 16, 2022 – Prague, CZ @ Underdogs’ Mon. Apr. 18, 2022 – Berlin, DE @ LidoTue. Apr. 19, 2022 – Copenhagen, DK @ VEGA Ideal Bar Wed. Apr. 20, 2022 – Hamburg, DE @ Molotow Thu. Apr. 21, 2022 – Cologne, DE @ Bumann & Sohn Fri. Apr. 22, 2022 – Brussels, BE @ Ancienne Belgique Sat. Apr. 23, 2022 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso Sun. Apr. 24, 2022 – Esch-sur-Alzette, LU @ Kulturfabrik
