THE BETHS + CHERYM – CONCORDE 2, BRIGHTON 5.4.22
Perhaps it was the gig’s midweek placement, but the atmosphere in Concorde 2 was a lot more chill than audiences usually expect from Brighton’s premier rock venue and nightclub. Both bands taking to the stage – New Zealand four-piece The Beths, and their support on their first UK tour since 2020, Derry trio Cherym (pronounced CHAIR-UM) – had a bit of an uphill battle to unfold the arms of the Radio 6 crowd. However, their shared charisma did manage to amp up spirits at the front of the venue, turning stoic nods into joyous dancing.
Indie-rockers Cherym set this precedent by leaving the crowd far more enthused than they were when they first stepped into the Concorde’s glittering lights. Their first two songs were a love letter to long-term fans as they played early singles like ‘Pretty Boys’. The real highlights, though, were their more recent releases; while the ‘Hey Tori’ EP sounded brilliant, it doesn’t hold a candle to the infectious charm the band have when they play its unstoppable power-pop on a live stage. With wry smiles and self-deprecating humour, the band quickly won over crowds, successfully drawing out a sing-along chant for the finale of the endlessly catchy ‘Kisses On My Cards’.
‘Listen To My Head’, as one of their poppier tracks, was a similarly upbeat performance, as vocalist and guitarist Hannah careened around the stage amidst snarly Undertones-esque riffs. The set featured a good few tracks that let Cherym perform more emphatically, a personal favourite being the pop-punk tinged ode to the outcasts that is ‘Weird Ones’. ‘We’re Just Friends’ uses a similarly nostalgic sound to stunning effect in a really genuine sapphic love song. Breakup bangers are class when you need ‘em, but hearing Cherym’s swelling riffs behind a frothy indie love song like this really does tug on the heartstrings. I was ever-so-slightly disappointed that they didn’t play ‘Gone Girl’, which would absolutely fit that atmosphere, but you know, can’t have everything in life.
Cherym are:
Hannah Richardson – lead vocals/guitar (she/her)
Nyree Porter – bass/backing vocals (they/them)
Alannagh Doherty – drums./backing vocals (she/they)
Cherym setlist:
‘Abigail’ (from 2019 ‘Abigail’ single)
‘Pretty Boys’ (from 2018 ‘MouthBreatherz’ EP)
‘Kisses On My Cards’ (from 2021 ‘Hey Tori’ EP)
‘Telepathic Kelly’ (from 2018 ‘MouthBreatherz’ EP)
’Listening To My Head’ (from 2021 ‘Hey Tori’ EP)
‘Weird Ones’ (from 2020 ‘Weird Ones’ single)
‘We’re Just Friends’ (from 2021 ‘Hey Tori’ EP)
‘Take It Back’ (from 2018 ‘MouthBreatherz’ EP)
Find out more about Cherym from their ‘linktree’ HERE.
Unfiltered and unassuming, The Beths came out with a down-to-earth presence that an outsider could easily mistake for nervousness. They filled their stage patter with nervous laughter and reassuring in-jokes that felt more like snippets from a chat with your quietly confident mates in the pub garden. It’s a smart way of fostering the intimate environment that makes an ideal backdrop for The Beths’ confessional lyrics of self-deprecation. In one of my favourite indie music tropes, their set was filled with upbeat tracks that masked relatable stories of self-doubt with swirling stage lights and a good ol’ crunchy guitar solo every now and then.
The band’s earnesty also came through in frontwoman Beth Stokes’ voice. In ‘Not Running’, a clear fan favourite if the dancing of the people around us was anything to go by, Stokes used the higher end of her vocal range to convey an awful lot of vulnerability without sounding like she was yelping her pain at the audience. The song’s gentle intro allows lyrics of romantic self-doubt to hang in the air, making it all the more impactful when they’re replaced with confidence in a chorus that fizzes with guitar distortion and possibility. By sardonic track ‘Happy Unhappy’, a once-stationary audience were singing their wee hearts out along with the backing “oh-woah”s. It’s almost difficult as an audience member to balance your desire to listen attentively, letting the songwriting talents of the band envelop you like waves down on the seafront, with the urge to bop about to their ostensibly sunny-sounding tunes.
Amidst their better-known singles, the most beloved of which seemed to come from their 2018 album ‘Future Me Hates Me’, The Beths also treated us to some unreleased material. Even though it’s yet to be released, ‘When You Know’ is sure to be a future staple if the reaction of Tuesday’s crowd is anything to go by. Taking influence from jangly college rock, the song’s intricate lyrics and earworm chorus couldn’t help but entice crowds, and led brilliantly into another fan favourite in ‘Mars, The God Of War’. As an addition to their set, which closed out with a true crowd-pleaser in the form of ‘Future Me Hates Me’, the complexity and catchiness of this new material should fit right in for a band capable of making tunes that truly sit with you.
The Beths are:
Elizabeth Stokes (vocals/guitar)
Jonathan Pearce (guitar/backing vocals)
Benjamin Sinclair (bass/backing vocals)
Tristan Deck (drums/backing vocals)
The Beths setlist:
‘I’m Not Getting Excited’ (from 2020 ‘Jump Rope Gazers’ album)
‘Great No One’ (from 2018 ‘Future Me Hates Me’ album)
‘Not Running’ (from 2018 ‘Future Me Hates Me’ album)
‘A Real Thing’ (from 2022 ‘A Real Thing’ single)
‘Happy Unhappy’ (from 2018 ‘Future Me Hates Me’ album)
‘Out Of Sight’ (from 2020 ‘Jump Rope Gazers’ album)
‘Acrid’ (from 2020 ‘Jump Rope Gazers’ album)
‘Jump Rope Gazers’ (from 2020 ‘Jump Rope Gazers’ album)
‘Uptown Girl’ (from 2018 ‘Future Me Hates Me’ album)
‘When You Know’ (unreleased)
‘Mars, The God Of War’ (from 2020 ‘Jump Rope Gazers’ album)
‘Whatever’ (from 2018 ‘Future Me Hates Me’ album)
‘Little Death’ (from 2018 ‘Future Me Hates Me’ album)
‘Future Me Hates Me’ (from 2018 ‘Future Me Hates Me’ album)
(encore)
‘Idea / Intent’ (from 2016’ Warm Blood’ EP)
‘Dying To Believe’ (from 2020 ‘Jump Rope Gazers’ album)
You can further listen to The Beths material HERE and find out more about the band HERE.
