The Beths, Womb @ The Gov, Adelaide 17/4/2026
Auckland indie rockers The Beths made a much welcomed return to Adelaide celebrating their newish album Straight Line Was A Lie which was released August last year. It is of no surprise that their music has taken them around the globe many times being in high demand and highly sought after. Laneway Festival 2023 seems like an eternity ago and they have gone on in leaps and bounds since. Their music is catchy and is infectious as anything and it was not hard to fall their indie rock charm. Straight Line Was A Lie is ten tracks of indie rock perfection and their show at The Gov featured pretty much all of it.
It would be remiss not to mention the opener Womb from New Zealand. Normally a trio but playing in solo mode. Playing to an appreciative crowd who seemed to be captivated by the performance which included songs such as One Is Always Heading Somewhere and Cosmic Dreaming. Sounding this good we can only imagine how great it would be complete with the rest of the band, maybe next time.
When The Beths took the stage it was a big crowd on hand for a band who we would definitely like to claim as one of our own. Right from the outset they tapped in to our collective indie rock feels creating this joyful vibe in the room with smiles all round. The title track is an absolute gem to open with the band kicking it up a notch with No Joy complete with blue recorders flicked up in the air and grabbed by guitarist Jonathan Pearce, bassist Benjamin Sinclair. No doubt a set staple in shows to come getting the crowd moving and singing a long to this catchy as all hell chorus.
Silence Is Golden and Future Me Hates Me followed when a crowd member yelled out “sweet as” prompting lead singer Elizabeth Stokes to say “we’re The Beths from Auckland, Australia has killer slang but I will defend sweet as ’til the death” in a moment of light hearted humour. The band are gig hardened and it shows with their on stage chemistry and how tight they are with an unbreakable bond. They all know their role and they execute that perfectly. It was great to stand back and be in awe of this awesome band for the next eighty minutes. It was a sheer joy on a Friday night.
More new tunes to come with Metal, Til My Heart Drops and Mother, Pray For Me before returning to more familiar territory with Out Of Sight and Knees Deep. The band intros were great with each band adding something but hard to top Benjamin saying it was a “satisfying stat playing the capitals in population size, trust Sydney to mess that up!” Mosquitos was stellar adding a footnote in reference to the bird noises at the end suggesting that the bird noises aren’t the same here. It was a real treasure trove of gold with Jump Rope Gazers, Little Death, I’m Not Getting Excited and Expert in a Dying Field to bringing a highly enjoyable and entertaining main set to an end. The encore had a couple more great selections with another new tune in Take topped off by another classic in Whatever. Elite! Really looking forward to what comes next for The Beths, great show.
Live Review By Rob Lyon