The Beths
XOYO, Birmingham
25th September 2025
Auckland indie rockers return to British shores to showcase the razor sharp hooks of recent album Straight Line Was A Lie. Sam Lambeth reviews.
Is Elizabeth Stokes the best thing to come out of New Zealand since Flight Of The Conchords? Hell, yes. In fact, she’s probably the best songwriter from those shores since the almighty melody machine Neil Finn. And there are more similarities to Crowded House than just geography – like Finn and co, Stokes and The Beths have hit that sweet spot that coalesces Beatles-esque melodies, imaginative couplets and an air of mystique.
It’s there in abundance on the languid melodies of Mosquitoes, a rich and contemplative ballad based around the destruction of a creek in Stokes’ hometown. Stripping things back to the bare bones is something The Beths can do very well. Mother Pray For Me was written in tribute to Stokes’ Indonesian mother and is a tender, subtle ode propelled by a simple guitar jangle.
And, yes, jangle is the operative word here. The New Zealand four-piece are probably sick of that term but they’ve really only got themselves to blame. When they churn out songs as pretty and engaging as Metal, which belies its title and instead ploughs a Marr-esque furrow, you can’t blame people for dropping the J-bomb.
New album Straight Line Was A Lie is another consistent entry into their strong back catalogue, and sees them sharing the same label as alt country legends MJ Lenderman and Waxahatchee. While The Beths aren’t flirting with steel pedals just yet, they do foray into the same kind of scrappy distortion when appropriate. The title track is a rousing rocker that gets the XOYO crowd pumped, while No Joy – one of the many frank and thought-provoking songs Stokes has written about anxiety – bounds along on sterling harmonies.
There’s plenty of time for some cuts from their older albums, too. Future Me Hates Me barrels along on Jonathan Pearce’s florid guitar work. Expert In A Dying Field soars. Happy Unhappy not only aches with The Beths’ trademark alt rock, but it’s also a neat description of their sound – uptempo, upbeat but with plenty of contrasting emotions bubbling beneath.
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You can find The Beths at their website.
All words and photo by Sam Lambeth. Sam is a journalist and musician. More of his work for Louder Than War is available on his archive. You can find his music on Spotify.
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