THE BEACHES OPEN UP OUR EMOTIONS ON TOUR
Article written and photos by Kili Goodrich
The room is dark. Static begins to fill the space before a voice breaks through, compressed and hesitant. It’s a missed call with a left voicemail about a sweater being left behind. There are subtle pauses that make you think that the relationship between the caller and the owner of the phone is anything but casual. There is history there. Before my mind could delve too deeply into the imagination of filling the story, the lights lifted. The lo-fi aesthetic was created by walking feet belonging to the members of The Beaches. Who brought their No Hard Feelings Worldwide Tour to Phoenix, Arizona, on October 14th at The Van Buren.
It was member Kylie Miller (lead guitarist) who walked on stage first. Following (drummer) Eliza Enman-McDaniel, who walked up mirrored steps to reach her set. While front woman Jordan Miller walked on stage with hands waving to a full crowd, and guitarist Leandra Earl trailed behind, sporting black sunglasses and slick hair. The four Canadian members were the epitome of oozing-cool.
Being unapologetically impressive, the band kicked off the show with ‘Last Girls At The Party.’ The energy from the fans was already pulsing. Hands lifted in the air with excitement as voices sang the punchy anthem loudly. The song itself carries live-wire-like tendencies. A song that you sing out the car window, or with friends, to get the energy pulsing before a night out. Seeing the song performed live cracked a higher level. One song in and I was blown away.
‘Touch Myself,’ also from their latest album, No Hard Feelings (that came out a few months ago), was next. The lyrics wrap around intimate heartbreak. Balancing vulnerability with bright energy in its sound. Front woman Miller tells the audience the importance of self-love before breaking into ‘Me & Me.’ There is an admittance to a low-hitting past, and an acceptance of rejecting self-loathing. The lyrics give confidence not to allow heartbreak to define you.
‘Did I Say Too Much’ was a mark on the setlist I was personally excited to witness live. Earl expressed how the song is about the voicemail that played at the beginning of the show from an ex-girlfriend, who she left her sweater behind with. Having an unguarded and willing heart for falling for someone who was in an open relationship. Crushed emotions at the end, but on stage the performance was still jolting at a high pace. Kylie Miller and Earl bounced on the stage while Kylie's sister, Jordan Miller, continued to command the space of the stage. Encapsulating the messiness and tension within a relationship was sung out in ‘Fine, Let’s Get Married.’ It’s the strain of the push-and-pull stages of a long relationship. ‘Dirty Laundry,’ didn’t keep any feet still. The song has a bouncing tempo that you can’t help but feel your body restless.
Before ‘What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger.’ Miller asked if anyone in the audience had an embarrassing story where they had happened to overshare. Stating that they liked the confession’s dark. It was a deep dive into a story of what once made a fan paranoid for a moment, revealed. The fan came on stage to tell a story about a time they were watching the show Wentworth with their roommate, and their roommate's ex-boyfriend sent them a text. The text read ‘hey, what are you doing?’ When the fan shared the text with their roommate, instead of appreciating their honesty, the roommate threw out their things and forced them to move out. Tough. Dramatic, but now the fan was in a better place, sharing the stage with one of their favorite bands. The song scrapes something personally inside me. Moments of oversharing lead to insecurity and paranoia. Just classic overthought and social anxiety.
‘Everything Is Boring,’ had the lighting transitioning from a warm scheme to deep hues of blue. Rain pattered digitally on a screen behind. Even though the meaning is a state of boredom, the song is a cause for restless leg syndrome. You can’t help but dance around, just as the members do on stage. Their chemistry together is so organic and fun to watch. The tempo calmed with ‘Lesbian Of The Year.’ The band's queer members, Earl and J. Miller, sat perched on the mirrored steps. The two gave a tender speech about their personal stories of coming out, feeling settled in themselves, and the gratitude for the love and acceptance around them. Earl mentions blooming late in her queer life. The love and devotion wrap warmly before Earl takes to the keyboard to play a beautiful rendition of the song while J. Miller sings emotionally.
One of my favorite songs is ‘Edge Of The Earth.’ A song adored by me and many of my friends. It was the band's first song that centered around queer representation. The lyrics feel like pushed distance, but fighting with the desire to be pressed close together. As the song ended, J. Miller asked the crowd if there were any ‘Jocelyn’s’ in the crowd, and that she was in search of her own. As the song ‘Jocelyn’ began, J. Miller was sashed with blue satin that read the name. She exited the stage and came down to meet the crowd. The song was sung with serenading fans intimately before the singer decided on a fan to give the sash to. I was lucky enough to have a shared moment with J. Miller who took my hand at one point and jumped up and down with me as the song closed.
The most iconic anthem of theirs, ‘Blame Brett,’ rippled through the crowd. The song is gripping with a hardened self-defence. J. Miller sings the lyrics as if it’s a declaration, a warning to future partners that she’s not “over it.” That she might act out, treat them badly, cheat, hurt them because she’s still processing her past. The bundle of the song seems like pushing back against people who expect her to hurt them, or be forever the ‘sad girl.’ Whatever it may be, just make sure to blame Brett.
The show closed with a reprise of ‘Last Girls At The Party.’ With the constant fluidity of high energy, I didn’t feel exhausted. By the looks of fans around me, it didn’t seem like they were either. The room was fully energized. The band members handed out set lists to adoring fans and signed a few items for some. There was such a grateful exchange between the performers and their supporters. This was The Beaches’ first solo-headlining show in Phoenix, and it was
