Article and Photography by Hallie Gay
Entering the Georgia Theater on September 28th, I am only somewhat familiar with the New Zealand band The Beths. I had heard their name in discussions of the indie rock scene and listened to a small number of songs in the days leading up to their Athens tour date. Otherwise, I’ve planned to attend this show with as little prior knowledge as possible, and looking back, I’m glad that I did.
I arrive about 30 minutes after doors open to a bustling crowd of people clustered at a table by the bar. Scattered across the table are multicolored sheets of paper, which, upon further inspection, I realize are request forms for the upcoming setlist. As indicated by the title of the tour, “By Request,” all of the songs tonight are chosen by the audience. I decide to write in “Out of Sight,” one of the few songs I know but am particularly fond of.
Opening tonight’s show is Chelsea Jade, another artist based in New Zealand whom I am unfamiliar with. As the first song of the night begins, Jade removes her microphone from its stand and exits the stage. After a few moments, I avert my gaze to the left and realize that she has entered the crowd. She weaves between audience members like a spectre floating among the crowd, a comparison which is only enhanced by her haunting, breathy vocals. She occasionally grants her full attention to individuals in the crowd, singing directly to them. I recognize the potential for a perfect photograph in this moment but don’t dare to break the trust she has created with us. In addition to her unconventional performance, Jade’s lyrical storytelling is equally engaging. “Laugh It Off” is an incredibly catchy synth-pop track that sticks with me even after leaving the venue that night.
The Beths take the stage not long after Chelsea Jade bids farewell. The ghostly, mysterious atmosphere crafted by the opener has been completely uprooted by the headlining group’s enthusiasm to greet the crowd with wide smiles.
To begin curating our setlist, the band first calls back to the papers we filled out at the table by the bar, inviting us to throw them on stage at the count of three. Some people have crumpled their requests into balls, while others, like myself, opt to fold them into a paper airplane. Mine doesn’t quite stick the landing, unfortunately, and my airplane drifts off of the stage. A bizarre figure with a pineapple mask covering their face enters the stage to start composing the setlist on a chalkboard. Over the course of the night, the band employs various methods to take requests from the audience, from tossing an inflatable fish into the crowd to wheeling out a lottery machine, among others. At one point, a fan asks for “Silence is Golden,” to which the pineapple-headed figure dramatically flips the chalkboard to reveal that the “Song of the Day!” has been chosen. I’m not entirely sure as to what this entails, but the audience erupts in cheers, which I decide is noteworthy enough on its own. Between the colorful characters and emphasis on audience engagement, this performance has a campy, over-the-top energy that I can only compare to a children’s variety show.
The Beths have a bright indie-rock sound, backed by vocal harmonies that are done justice by a live setting. Some songs lean into catchy power-chord-driven pop, while others take on a more ethereal, melodic quality. No thanks to my sad paper airplane and poor excuse for a throw, “Out of Sight” is never played that night. Instead, I find myself paying closer attention to every detail of the successfully requested songs, considering why they might have connected with people to earn their place on the setlist.
In a world that is more interconnected, yet also more isolating than ever, The Beths successfully create a space dedicated to community and forming artistic connections without taking themselves too seriously.
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