October 19th, 2017
The Beaches played a set sandwiched between American Lips and Death From Above at the Bronson Centre to kick off a North American tour on Thursday, October 19th.
“This is our first real tour”, bassist and lead vocalist Jordan Miller informed the crowd. The word ‘real’ is emphasized here because the Toronto quartet has played in the nation’s capital at the likes of RBC Bluesfest and The Ottawa Dragon Boat festival.
Before the show, the general admission filled – a rarity for an opening act. I had listened to the band’s new release, Late Show, and September 2016’s single Give It Up, but I had never seen them live. Although it is a solid album, I wasn’t sure it justified the size of the crowd. I would soon find out that I was wrong.
The band has an immediate presence on stage. The sound is what one may expect from an indie band, but the songs all have a sense of acceleration to them – but not in the actual speed of the music, the tempo, or the rhythm. This acceleration is in the sense that each song is taking you somewhere and while it may be an unfamiliar journey, it’s a fun one. Turn Me On along with the album’s first song, Back of My Heart feature a steady bass drum to carry the audience forward while infusing salty riffs from both guitars and solid basslines.
The Beaches are gritty. Their attitude on stage reflects the grittiness in the music while leaving room for the band to channel their talent and “let loose” persona that is reflected in many of the lyrics. Moment is smothered in the message of doing what feels right in, well, the moment:
I’m open and I’m broken 
And I’m just fine
Every single Moment
When you feel it
You don’t want to miss out on the Moment
Those lyrics could have been the mantra of the audience. The diversity amongst the crowd was evident in all of the style, gender, and age, but the four women from Toronto had the attention of the venue. Both the audience and the band were having fun. Leandra Earl, the guitarist, keyboardist, and backing vocals of the band particularly contributed to the energy of the crowd. When she jumped, the audience jumped, and it was as easy to notice that she enjoyed being on stage as it was to notice the audience enjoyed watching her band play.
I spoke with members of the audience with Death From Above t-shirts that loved the set. The reports from my colleagues and friends were unanimously positive – and for good reason. There were no surprises when the band ran out of their white t-shirts reading “GRL BAND” at the merch booth after the show.
If you are around the next time the band is in Ottawa, we highly recommend checking them out live – and to prepare you for this date – whenever it is, we’ve created your “The Beaches Starter Kit” as a playlist for Apple Music.
Stay in tune.