Lamps Are Cool! : The Beths at Emo’s on 11/4

Written by Bridget Cole

Photos by Claire Hookstra

On August 29, 2025, The Beths released their fourth studio album, Straight Line Was a Lie. The New Zealand four-piece graced the stage at Emo’s on Tuesday, November 4th, on their North American tour, bringing along fellow Kiwis, Phoebe Rings. The bedroom-pop unit kicked the night off with a dreamy set, explaining their fan-made descriptor of “sleepy disco,” which was quite fitting with the elusive vocals and production of their set. Being their first time in Texas, the audience welcomed the group warmly; the band even commented that our cheers were especially long here in Texas. 

After Phoebe Rings, The Beths came out to sound check and set up their own instruments, sporting hoodies with “guitar tech” written across the back. The audience was not fooled, erupting in cheers as the band slyly tuned their guitars and set up their stage themselves. The stage was set, with color-changing lamps all around, which would be happily noted by Stokes later in the set, and a seemingly hand-painted backdrop displaying “The Beths” in leafy vines. 

Not long after 9 p.m., the band shed their black hoodies and took the stage with the album's title track “Straight Line Was a Lie,” the audience singing along with lead vocalist Elizabeth Stokes to the lyrics, “I thought I was getting better / But now I’m back to where I started / And the straight line was a circle / Yeah, the straight line was a lie.” As cheers flooded the venue, the band quickly moved into “No Joy,” in the middle of which plastic recorders launched into the air in front of guitarist Jonathan Pearce, bassist Benjamin Sinclair, and drummer Tristan Deck. It was later explained that Deck had actually built these recorder-launching contraptions himself, as there was a need for a quick instrument transition, much to the amusement of the crowd. A bit funny for a song with lyrics repeating “no joy,” the recorder gag proved successful with the audience. “Silence is Golden,” a track off the group’s previous record, Expert in a Dying Field, followed, yet another song where the lyrics did not match the group’s cheerful actions, as this performance was anything but silent. Pearce meticulously shredded his guitar throughout, receiving whoops and screams from the captivated concertgoers. Following an older track, “Future Me Hates Me,” the band addressed the crowd and said, “It’s good to be back!” They continued through the set playing tracks from their new album and previous ones. Taking a more emotional turn, the audience was entranced by the track, “Mother, Pray for Me,” in which Stokes stood alone on the stage, playing the track acoustically. After “Dying to Believe," the band took a moment to introduce one another. It was here that we learned of the breakfast and travel blog titled Breakfast and Travel Updates run by Sinclair. They assured us that this was, in fact, a real blog, and one fan took the liberty of pulling it up on their phone to show the audience.

They moved along with another melancholy track, “Mostquitos,” Stokes singing, “Lay me here on the stone / I’m only here to feed mosquitoes.” “Roundabout” and the album title track from their second album, “Jump Rope Gazers,” continued on the night, audience members smiling and dancing with one another. Adding to the list of uncommon instruments, Stokes whipped out the triangle for “Best Laid Plans,” much to the audience’s delight. Followed by two older tracks, “Little Death” and “I’m Not Getting Excited,” they ended the main set with the title track from their previous album (and one of my personal nominations for best song ever), “Expert In a Dying Field." The Beths sound amazing in all forms, but their live performance was something special, one might even call it a religious experience. (It is me, I am one.) The band exited the stage, soon returning for a quick encore of “Take,” as the audience sang along, then gave the band a Texas-sized applause as they left the stage for good. You haven't truly heard The Beths until you’ve heard them live, as it was an overall outstanding performance.