The Beths at the Fillmore

by Roy Scopazzi

I love awkward banter.

There’s a certain level of professionalism that you have to uphold when talking in between songs but trying to sound too straight laced gives a sense of stuffiness or even blandness. The Beths didn’t make their short breaks between songs sound effortless but gave that kind of awkward banter about things like the air conditioning at the Japan Center and seeing an apple in a cup in the front row sound like just a bunch of friends talking amongst each other on stage.

Oh, also the music was good.

A finely tuned setlist of the newest album, Straight Line was a Lie, mixed in with three songs from three of their past albums was the perfect mix for the sold out Fillmore crowd. Their latest record follows the same excellent sound as their last album and fit alongside crowd favorites such as Jump Rope Gazers and Expert in a Dying Field, which they finished their set with.

By the way, before the show started, I was alerted by a friend that the vape pen looking thing in front was going to launch a recorder and I should get ready to catch the shot of Jonathan Pearce catching it. As you can tell, I totally nailed it.

Opening the night was Phoebe Rings who were performing their debut album Aseurai. An absolute perfect fit as their lighter style of indie pop was an effortless segway into the Beths. Giving that album a listen gives me great hope that their pristine brand of music will one day headline these hollowed grounds.