The Beths Thrive During Powerful Show at LA's Fonda Theater
Making a much needed stop in Los Angeles this past week at The Fonda Theater, finally we got to fulfill some of our music dreams by witnessing The Beths throw down a beyond memorable show. We were there front and center to recount the night, so please check out our full review of the night below.
The Beths are maybe the hardest working live act going right now. They are ping ponging all over the US and Europe, headlining and opening for The National and supporting The Postal Service/Death Cab for Cutie’s 20 year anniversary of Give Up and Transatlanticism tour. All of those projects are going to be counting themselves lucky to have Beth Stokes and her band of merry kiwis on tour with them. Friday night at the Fonda started off with the charmingiIndie folk of guitar looped songs by singer songwriter Sidney Gish whose charisma set the stage for what was to come.
She made a fan out of this reviewer when she said, “It takes me about 2 minutes to loop this song so…” encouraging us to check our socials while she prepared and then blew us away with her new single, “Filming School” and teasing us about an “inflatable set apiece soon to grace the stage” which she promised we would love.
The Beths hit the stage next and tore through all the best tracks from their brilliant 3rd album, Expert in a Dying Field and the previous two albums. The ease with which they present songs like “Head in the Clouds”, which are all Ramones-esque downstrokes against melodic harmonies, was astounding. It became obvious to me, hearing them live in person for the first time, that they understand better than most groups how to work sound systems that seem to be aggressively bass heavy in venues like this, reaching heights of clarity and soaring Stokes’ clever lyrical wordplay throughout to every fan. The frenetic but light on-stage interplay showed a band that seems to love making music and playing it with each other. They genuinely appear to be having a great time up there.
Every member had a moment to show off their cheeky but amiable personalities but never taking too much time with banter before launching into the next indie Power Pop banger and make no mistake, there is a direct line from The Beths’ songs all the way back through the timeline of Power Pop. It’s confection meets confession. But, more than that, the music, already beautiful on all three of their LPs, were more so in person. The 18 song set, half of which came from the excellent Expert record, flew by, leaving this reviewer anxious to see them again. Oh, the inflatable? A fish that Beth decided was named Sidney Fish. And that was just one more delightful moment in an evening replete with them.
Review & Photos by: @areallulu
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