The Beths have signed to Anti- Records, and, with that announcement comes plenty more news. The New Zealand indie-rockers are heading out on a lengthy tour of North America and Europe, and they’ve shared a video for the new song “Metal.” It’s the first new music the Beths have released since the expanded edition of their 2022 album, Expert in a Dying Field. Watch the clip, and see their full list of tour dates, below.
In a statement, singer-guitarist Elizabeth Stokes said “Metal” is about living in a human body and her personal “health journey” as of late: “For parts of the last few years, I kind of felt like my body was a vehicle that had carried me pretty well thus far but was breaking down, something I had little to no control over. All of the steps in the Rube Goldberg machine of life are so unlikely, and yet here we are in it. I have a hunger and a curiosity for learning about the world around me, and for learning about myself. And despite all the ways that my body feels like a broken machine, I still marvel at the complexity of such a machine.”
She continued: “I can hold that knowledge in one hand, and yet with the other hand I can point to my reflection and just be like ‘you are shit.’ Or ‘ugly.’ Or ‘worthless.’ I can reliably respond to any suggestion that I might be able to achieve any small thing with ‘no.’ And these are variations of the ‘short word’ referenced in the song.”
The Beths’ tour begins in Dublin, Ireland, on September 18. From there, they’ll perform across Europe and the United Kingdom before heading to North America to perform in dozens of cities in the United States and Canada. Opening select concerts are Phoebe Rings, Flight of the Conchords’ Bret McKenzie, Squirrel Flower, and Illuminati Hotties.
Read about Expert in a Dying Field in “The 50 Best Albums of 2022.”
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The Beths:
09-18 Dublin, Ireland – Button Factory
09-20 Manchester, England – Albert Hall
09-21 Glasgow, England – SWG3 TV Studio
09-22 Leeds, England – Project House
09-24 Bristol, England – O2 Academy
09-25 Birmingham, England – XOYO
09-26 London, England – Roundhouse
09-27 Brighton, England – Chalk
09-29 Tourcoing, France – Le Grand Mix
09-30 Paris, France – Le Trabendo
10-01 Brussels, Belgium – Botanique
10-03 Cologne, Germany – Kantine
10-04 Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso
10-05 Hamburg, Germany – Krust
10-07 Stockholm, Sweden – Slaktkyrkan
10-08 Oslo, Norway – Parkteatret Scene
10-09 Copenhagen, Denmark – Pumpehuset
10-11 Berlin, Germany – Lido
10-12 Munich, Germany – Strom
10-13 Zurich, Switzerland – Plaza
10-15 Barcelona, Spain – Razzmatazz 2
10-16 Madrid, Spain – Nazca
10-17 Lisbon, Portugal – Lisboa ao Vivo
10-30 Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel &
10-31 Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse &
11-01 Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl &
11-03 Dallas, TX – The Studio At The Bomb Factory &
11-04 Austin, TX – Emo’s &
11-06 Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren &
11-07 Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern & ^
11-08 San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore &
11-12 Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades &
11-14 Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom &
11-15 Seattle, WA – The Moore Theatre &
11-16 Vancouver, British Columbia – Commodore Ballroom &
11-18 Salt Lake City, UT – Metro Music Hall &
11-19 Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre &
11-21 Kansas City, MO – The Truman &
11-22 Saint Paul, MN – Palace Theatre &
11-23 Chicago, IL – The Salt Shed (Indoor) & +
11-25 Cleveland, OH – Globe Iron &
11-26 Pittsburgh, PA – Roxian Theatre &
11-28 Toronto, Ontario – Danforth Music Hall &
11-29 Montreal, Quebec – Beanfield Theatre &
12-02 Boston, MA – Royale &
12-03 Providence, RI – Fete Music Hall &
12-05 Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount & #
12-06 Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer &
12-09 Washington, D.C. – 9:30 Club &
