The Beaches | Madison, WI
Canadian pop-rock group, The Beaches, brought the Blame My Ex Tour to the Majestic Theater in Madison on leap day, February 29 and played to a sold out crowd. The line to enter the venue stretched down the block when it was time for doors to open, which meant an almost-full house for opener Boyish. The indie-rock duo, composed of singer India Shore and guitarist Claire Altendahl, captivated the crowd with their vulnerable and emotive vocals paired with Altendahls strong guitar skills.
From early on, it was clear that this show would be a safe space for LGBTQ+ people, as indicated by Shore’s intro to song “Congratulations,” where she asked if anyone in the crowd was gay and many people cheered. She went on to explain that the song was about “falling in love with friends, which is the gayest thing you can do.” After a riveting guitar solo at the end of “Kill Your Pain,” the duo transitioned to “Fuck You Heather” that included raging screams, laying on the stage, and the crowd chanting “fuck you Heather” with the band. Fans of Phoebe Bridgers, Billie Eilish and Samia should enjoy this group.
After a brief changeover between sets, The Beaches came out strong and never looked back. The tone was set immediately during the opening song “T-Shirt,” when two members of the four-piece group came out looking like confident rockstars in dark sunglasses, and moments later, the guitarist flashed the drummer. These cool girls would be putting on one hell of a rock show.
Throughout the show, lead vocalist Jordan Miller, guitarist Kylie Miller (who is also Jordan’s sister), and guitarist/keyboardist Leandra Earl would switch up their formation, play off each other, or perform short choreographed moments that kept the audience’s eyes glued on them. All in all, their playfulness, their chemistry, and their charisma make them just a damn good rock band.
Miller’s grungy vocals paired with the group’s humorous, playful lyrics truly made the show memorable. Lyrics like “It’s raining, it’s pouring, everything is boring,” from “Everything Is Boring,” “She’s a fire sign, but I don’t really know what that means,” from “Edge of the Earth,” or “I wouldn’t let me near your dad” are hard to forget.
A highlight of the show was when TikTok-trending song “Edge of the Earth” came mid set. As Earl introed the song, she, similar to Boyish, asked where the gays were to a loud uproar from the crowd, but humoursly followed the question up with asking where the straights were, telling them “I see you. Love is love. You are safe here. I will always accept you.” The crowd cheered and transitioned to singing every word. The show closed with a rendition of “Blame Brett,” that had the audience chanting in unison “don’t blame me, blame Brett” over and over before heading into the encore.
The Beaches provide something for every type of music listener out there. Whether you’re looking for talented instrumentalists, catchy riffs, memorable lyrics, or a dynamic live show, they’ve got it all. Keep an eye on them - they’ll be going places. There was no better way to spend the extra day of the year than at their energetic pop-rock and roll show.
