Auckland Indie Rockers The Beths have emerged as one of the most exciting young bands around, and 2019 is proving to be their breakout year. Pitchfork put it best last year in their review, stating “it’s an absolute thrill to think about where this young band will take their talent next.”
We’re thrilled to announce that they will be stopping off at Ramsgate on May 19th. Keep an eye on this one folks – it won’t be long until The Beths are way beyond our capacity!
“Happy-go-lucky and stuffed with catchy as hell pop punk, The Beths have crafted a cut diamond of a debut.” – The 405
New Zealand four-piece The Beths channel their longtime friendship into high-energy guitar pop with a smart lyrical bite. Guitarist, lead vocalist, and primary songwriter Elizabeth Stokes and guitarist Jonathan Pearce attended high school together before meeting up with longtime mates bassist Benjamin Sinclair and drummer Ivan Luketina-Johnston at the University of Auckland, where all four studied jazz. After gigging together in a variety of configurations, the quartet came together for a project exploring the pop and rock sounds of their youth. Everything clicked, and The Bethswere born.
Their debut EP, 2016’s Warm Blood, overflows with explosive guitar riffs and infectious indie-rock hooks. Produced by Pearce and featuring all four members on joyful vocal harmonies that recall the best ‘60s pop, tracks like ace lead single “Whatever” and impossibly catchy standout “Idea/Intent” earned the all-killer, no-filler release rave reviews from the New Zealand music press.
2019 promises to be a breakout year for The Beths. A beloved live act across Australia and New Zealand, the band will tour the U.S. and Europe. Their freshman album, Future Me Hates Me, also produced by Pearce, arrived in August 2018 on Carpark Records; fans of artists like Sleater-Kinney and Best Coast should remain on high alert.
“Really impressive—hook-filled songs filled with energy and attitude, written with depth and played masterfully” – Pitchfork
“It can tend toward the simplistic–the title track apes early Weezer, for example–but the middle of the album (particularly “Not Running”) shows that when the band embraces its more rambunctious and harder-edged sound, it captures something powerful.” – The A.V. Club
“A wonderful little record that never lets up, piling on unassumingly buzzy fun until you start realizing you might be in the presence of a true power-pop monument.” – Rolling Stone