After catching The Beaches open for a show almost exactly three years ago, I’ve been trying and trying to see them again. It’s very rare that an opening band catches my attention, and it’s even more rare for me to like female bands.
After two shows that didn’t work out, I jumped for joy when I saw they were coming to Cleveland. I know that they are a Toronto based band, but I was surprised to learn it was their first time playing the city. And at a fairly large venue for that matter! I don’t know another single living soul who’s heard of this band, but I know they’re impressive in Canada. But apparently, they are also huge with the queer scene, because they were out in excited droves for the show. The energy for the evening was buzzing with excitement because of it.
I have to admit that I haven’t stayed fully abreast with most of their new music, but that didn’t stop me from appreciating the show they put on. Firstly, though basic from the outside, they had a legit lighted sign with their name on it that was flickering between all sorts of colors and patterns throughout the set. I personally appreciated the lack of noise on the stage set-up. They were masters of making the stage exciting with how they moved around the stage and engaged with the audience. I’m not usually one for a lot of movement on stage because most vocalists can’t handle it, but Jordan CAN. Her vocals are rock solid. She never wavered once throughout the evening.
I am used to seeing multi-instrumentalist, Leandra, have more around her on stage to tinker with, but I think they settled on having those sounds pre-recorded so as to not interfere with the simplistic stage set-up and movement across the stage. I’m fine with that. The rest of their sound was the real deal, and those girls can rip. Though I think they are decently young, they have such a polished maturity about their sound and stage presence, even when they’re telling the crowd they are “wild, rowdy girls.” They definitely have party songs and break-up songs, but just from a vocal and musical standpoint they are top notch.
Like I said, there were a majority of new songs on the setlist that I just never gave myself a chance to catch up on before the show, but they were plenty catchy for me to be tapping my toes to. Plenty of the choruses were also easy to catch onto and sing along with. I was psyched to hear “Desdemona” and “T-shirt” is a classified banger. I don’t think it’d be a show if they didn’t end with their latest high-pop hit, “Blame Brett,” which to their credit is insanely catchy. Even after a lengthy break for a medical emergency in the crowd, The Beaches seemed to have lost no momentum bringing the crowd back into their orbit immediately.
Hearing how good they are and seeing them have a blast onstage made me really happy to finally be able to see them again. And if anything, this second outing just proved that they are indeed worthy of that headliner slot.
