Photos and words David McEneaney
The Beths played a jam packed set list to a jam packed Whelans on Wednesday 31st May, and it was absolutely delightful.
When the New Zealand four piece took the stage (beside a giant inflatable fish taken from the cover of their their latest album ‘Expert in a Dying Field’) you could immediately tell that this was going to be a fun gig.
They came across as a band who genuinely loved playing music and were very happy to be there, which could be seen clearly by the constant smiles on their faces and the funny interactions with the crowd.
Elizabeth Stokes led the band through an extensive list of songs spanning their 3 album catalogue with such infectious energy you could almost see it travel through the crowd of smiling faces spread out in front of her.
Even the crowd was one of the nicest bunch of people I’ve seen at a gig in a long time, not only accommodating me squeezing in front of them to get the shots, but in some cases inviting me to take their place so I could get a better angle.
Also, guitarist Jonathan Pearce had forgotten his guitar slider and the band had put out a request on Instagram earlier that day to see if someone could take one for him to borrow, and when this was brought up I genuinely felt like I was the only person in the place who didn’t bring one.
The indie rock band are known for their upbeat music and relatable lyrics, utilising vocal harmonies from all four members that form songs that instantly make you feel happy and give you that feeling where they could have been written just for you.
They moved through the set playing banger after banger to a crowd who were dancing and singing the songs back to them the entire time, and this constant back and forth between the band and the crowd seemed to create a loop of non stop energy that I also got sucked into and realised I was shooting the gig with a huge smile on my face and bopping along in-between shots.
They also spent a lot of time in-between songs speaking to the crowd and sharing stories and jokes, and you can see that they are genuinely nice people who care deeply about their fans and what they have to say. This feeling is mutual too, and you can tell their fan base is very loyal.
The band have just hit Europe in May after their North American tour, and later this year they will tour North America once again with Death Cab For Cutie.
Despite being three albums in already, it somehow feels that this is still just the beginning for The Beths, and I can see great things ahead for them. If you manage to get yourself a ticket, I’m sure you will see some great things too…and a giant fish.
