NOTE: All photos are copyright of Howard Shiau Photography 2025
As a fan of Alvvays, Phoebe Bridgers, and indie rock in general, it was a no brainer to cover The Beths at Toronto’s Phoenix Concert Theatre as they continued to tour in support of their third studio album “Expert in a Dying Field”. If you haven’t heard the songs and have been following popular music in general, you might think The Beths are referring to rock music as the “dying field” and they as the experts. But it’s not so depressing as that as the song itself is about the breakup of a relationship. Rock music continues to thrive with young bands like the Beths, even if it continues to be mostly ignored by MTV and Billboard. But the album is arguably their best yet, with catchy melodies and solid harmonies. The sold out show was bound to be a good one!
The opener for the evening was American singer/songwriter Sidney Gish. A one woman band who uses a loop station to layer the various instruments was not what I had expected but peaked my interest. Having recorded, produced, and released her first two albums in 2016/2017 while a student at Northeastern University, Gash had been relatively silent until she released a new single “Filming School” earlier this month. While I had personally never heard of her, that was not the case with the audience this night as many were singing along to her songs and cheering ecstatically when she introduced various tracks. Her self deprecating humor both on stage and in her lyrics sometimes ventured into a bit of the absurd, as if a college student sitting on her bed at night wrote down every random thought and make them into lyrics. But that’s part of the attraction of Gish, a vulnerability that is ultimately relatable to young people. Unfortunately, DIY releases don’t typically have physical media but Gish will have more music coming out soon so keep your eyes and ears peeled!
Click on photos to enlarge
By the time the Beths hit the stage, the venue was packed to the gills, nowhere to turn without bumping into someone! They surprised me by not kicking off the show with a single from their most recent record but with “Future Me Hates Me”. Still an upbeat and great way to open up a show! With lead vocalist Elizabeth Stokes and her smooth vocals and the excellent musicianship of lead guitarist Jonathan Pearch, bassist Benjamin Sinclair, and drummer Tristan Deck (sitting in the dark), the Beths played a fun set that showed why they’ve become so popular in a short amount of time. The band mostly played one song to the next with little banter in between, with the exception of introductions of the band including the giant fish prop that dominated the stage! The setlist covered most of the latest record and had some small changes from previous shows. It’s nice that there’s a little variation so the fans don’t get complacent. When they came out for the encore to chants of “one more song!”, Stokes joked that maybe they would play two more if that was okay with everyone. The first was an beautiful acoustic version of “You Are a Beam of Light”, a quiet melody with the most incredible harmonies. This was probably my personal highlight. Closing out the night with the whole crowd singing along to “Silence is Golden”, the band scratched every indie pop/rock itch for me. The Beths have a busy rest of the year as their headlining tour continues across the US through March before they head over to Europe from May through July. They finish the year by supporting The National on some August shows and Postal Service/Death Cab for Cutie in October. This means you have many opportunities to catch this wonderful act this year if you haven’t already or to see them again. You can find dates and buy tickets on their website https://thebeths.com/#tour.
Click on photos to enlarge
