The Beths land in Manchester in support of their brilliant new album, Straight Line Was A Lie. Support comes from fellow Kiwi’s, Dateline.

Pictures: Dominic Walsh

DATELINE

Te Whanganui-a-Tara natives, Dateline, amble on stage to a hush. Before a note is struck, singer Katie Everingham confesses she’s not feeling great. Still, she has a brilliant smile plastered across her face. As do all the band. The Kiwi’s are happy to be here.

Patter between songs is endearing and the band shift between slower indie tunes and quicker grungier numbers. Guitarist Reuben McDonald lays down some searing lead lines as the rest of the band energetically bound around the stage. For the thirty or so minutes they have, they take their chance to the soggy masses (it is hoofing down outside – it is a proper Manchester day).

Everingham builds the rapport with the crowd brilliantly. The band offer two word summations of their day in Manchester, and thanks are offered to all; both those fully engaged and those with folded arms. Many are left smiling before The Beths, and it is nice to see a decent amount of people at Dateline’s merch desk after their performance. It is clear they have picked up a few new fans.

THE BETHS

A troubadour once sang that rain falls hard in a humdrum town and on this night it falls as hard as the seasoned umbrella-wielding Mancs had experienced. The rain is relentless from the afternoon and bus strikes and traffic strife frustrate. Yet, as the clock hits 9pm, the packed room is full of anticipation for Auckland’s favoured sons and daughter, The Beths.

The Albert Hall feels like the perfect setting for this humble act. Throughout the set, they recall their previous visits to Manchester as though they were never too distant from the city; in this there was great humility. Despite being lead singer and songwriter, Elizabeth Stokes never tries to command full ownership of the stage. There is a sibling-type relationship between the four members of the band – Jonathan Pierce, on lead guitar, has the dry New Zealand wit and monotone delivery to offer riposte in each available interaction. The Beths, on this night, are a band at ease with themselves and, despite the obvious weather references, were happy to be on the other side of the world sharing their most recent release. Straight Line is A Lie is their most intimate album yet and the crowd are appreciative and warm towards the new material. 

RECORDER CAMEOS

By the second song, the crowd get what must be a rare recorder cameo. Both Jonathan Pierce and Benjamin Sinclair produce the favoured primary school woodwind instrument for some unexpected novelty amid No Joy. This is where the band flow best; when normality mixes with a little of the weird and wonderful.

Out the first six, four songs are new ones from their latest work. Sandwiched in-between No Joy and Metal (two songs narrating Stokes recent health issues) are fan favourites Silence is Golden and Future Me Hates Me.

With four albums, they have a rich repertoire to pull from and neither the new nor the older songs feel out of place. In fact, it was one of the new releases, Til My Heart Stops, that has the crowd most captivated amid the first half of the set. 

THE FRONT ROOM FEEL

There are regular notes of appreciation toward their sound tech, who clearly understands the front-room feel the band want. As the lyrics broach some of Stokes’ most intimate portrayals of her recent years, there is the aim of pulling the fanbase in closer and through the sound and venue selection they manage this well. When she stands for Mother Pray For Me, the most intimate moment of the night, there is a gentle ushered silence. They respond rapturously to the close of the song and her off-beat comments after.

Further poignancy in When You Know You Know, Mosquitoes and Best Laid Plans juxtaposes nicely against the more jaunty Roundabout and raucous Jump Rope Gazers. The band don’t have immense stage presence. There was some movement through the later tracks but they seem more comfortable when in formation. Stokes did manage some interaction with drummer, Tristan Deck, towards the end but it never feels natural for them to bound around the stage – a point they do note earlier in the set. 

A WHOLESOME BAND

The Beths met largely through their Jazz studies at the University of Auckland. This rich musical background comes to the fore when playing live. Benjamin Sinclair is a subtly-wonderful Bass player and his modesty makes him all the more endearing. One discussion the band had mid performance was regarding his and Jonathon’s run around Manchester earlier in the day and it’s hard to imagine both pounding the soaked streets of Piccadilly prior to their onstage arrival. This is a wholesome band who clearly enjoy the process of writing, recording and performing; perhaps something of a rarity now?

As the set draws to its close, the band unleash two of the most anticipated numbers: I’m Not Getting Excited has the speed and force to almost whip a mosh at the front, although there’s too much forgiveness amongst the fans for that! To close the set, the band lean on their biggest hit to date. Expert In A Dying Field is given the singalong of approval from the fans. It’s rightly a highlight of their set and all around the room the couples pull their loved one slightly closer. Prior to enduring the rain and the transport mayhem that had besieged the city, the band return for a one-song encore with Take from their latest album. Although new to the fan base, it has the pace, crescendo and ripping chorus that will set it firmly in future tours for a band steadily growing a passionate fan base.

A BAND TO EMBRACE

The Beths are a band to embrace and they do so warmly; their music is humble and quirky bordering on the esoteric and their performances match this perfectly. 

You have ample opportunity to catch this wonderful band on tour for the rest of this year, globally. Do not miss out.

The Beths: Website / Facebook / Instagram / X / TikTok

Dateline: Bandcamp / Facebook / Instagram

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