The Beths at Wonder ballroom PDX
With the recent announcement of The Beths playing Newport Folk Festival this summer, we knew we’d have to check them out asap. Luckily, the New Zealand band started their six-month world tour right here in Portland with a sold out two-night stint at Wonder Ballroom. We got to catch them on night two with a giddy crowd which took no time filling the venue after doors opened.
As The Beths walked onstage, a giant fish head inflated from behind the amps and they immediately went into their first song, “Future Me”. Between songs, name suggestions for the fish were thrown out from the crowd for a few fun interactive moments. The Beths haven’t toured North America since 2019 and the crowd was clearly exhilarated for the indie rock band’s set and fish name suggestions continued throughout the show; which made for a clever means of connecting with the crowd.
Touring their new record Experts in a Dying Field, the band brought harmonizing melodies and energetic guitar riffs. They also brought open-hearted lyrics like those in “Silence is Golden” (featured on NPR ‘s #NowPlaying in June 2022), a song that starts with fast paced drum beats, gritty guitars and quick lyrics, and ends in punk like distorted electric guitar and repeated “Silence is golden, is golden is golden”. The crowd stayed quiet until the last syallable then erupted into thunderous applause and cheers, which continued throughout the entire show and through the encore. The band made quick work of their impressive 16-song set list and 2-song encore for a fantastic start to their tour.
The onstage fish however, left Portland still unnamed.
photos by Julia Varga
