On a rainy Wednesday night, Canadian alt-pop-rock four-piece The Beaches wrapped up the UK leg of their ‘No Hard Feelings’ tour at London’s iconic Brixton Academy for a night of roaring belters and intoxicating power hits.
Made up of frontwoman and bassist Jordan Miller, guitarists Kylie Miller and Leandra Earl, and drummer Eliza Enman-McDaniel, the all-girl group welcomed their awaiting (and screaming) audience with the familiar notes of their pop banger ‘Last Girls At The Party’, a fitting opener for the 90-minute set that followed. Serving as a red thread throughout the night, pre-recorded voice notes kicked off various chapters of the show, featuring an ex calling to apologise for their mistakes, friends gossiping about a recent night out, or a past lover asking for their sweater back. One would expect the recordings to be simply part of a fictional tale, but not so with The Beaches – from their lyrics all the way to the stories shared during the concert, it all comes straight from the heart, as well as their personal lives.
Flawlessly moving from one track to the next, the gig includes every song from the quartet’s latest full-length record that also lends its name to their tour, plus more hits from their eclectic discography. And while lead singer Miller swirls and sways across the stage and guitarists Miller and Earl hold the crowd in the palm of their hands, it’s fan favourites like ‘Touch Myself’, ‘Me & Me’, ‘Can I Call You in the Morning?’, ‘Edge of the Earth’ and ‘Blame Brett’ that take the energy in the auditorium to new heights. There are some quiet moments to be found, for example for the introspective ‘Lesbian Of the Year’ that is stripped back to only keys and vocals and follows a heart-to-heart moment from Earl during which she tells the captivated (and largely queer) audience about her coming-out and the ups and downs that came with it. And then there’s the surprise cover of ‘Silver Springs’ by the legendary Fleetwood Mac, introduced as a complete one-off and inspired by their BBC live session the week before.
What really makes the show shine, however, are the interactions the Toronto-based band has with their enamoured fans – whether that’s by bringing someone on stage for the electric ‘Did I Say Too Much’ to tell the filled arena about a time when they regrettably overshared, or vocalist Earl going down along the barricade with a blue sash in search of her ‘Jocelyn’ of the night.
In the end, the performance is nothing short of a dazzling celebration of womanhood and badass artists absolutely nailing their craft. And before the lights finally come back on, the concert finishes in the only way it ever truly could – with a starry reprise of ‘Last Girls At The Party’. Because what fun ever came from leaving early.
Written by Laura Weingrill // photography by Meg Moon
GEM Magazine 