Live Review: The Beths, Miss June

You wouldn’t expect to see one of the best nights of live music of the year with less than two weeks to go, but two Auckland bands proved to be something special on a Wednesday night in December.

Miss June weren’t about to be upstaged and they proceeded to rip the Lansdowne apart – not only with seething, rock-infused grunge, but with an energy and enthusiasm that had the crowd enthralled. “We've got a lot of energy because we got a day off!” exclaimed lead singer Annabel Liddell before launching into a song about her ex called Scorpio. “It’s ok. She’s not here!”

Guitarist Jun Park didn’t hold back, swinging his hair around and absolutely shredding, while the rest of the band looked to be having as much fun as the considerably full room. Despite a relatively small back catalogue, there was a lot to like in their set, proving that we should be keeping an eye on the rock coming from the land of the long white cloud.

With the crowd primed and ready to go, we were excited for a band that has had their debut LP featured on ‘best of’ lists around the world. The Beths took to the stage and singer Liz Stokes broke straight into the opening lines of Great No One, the first track on Future Me Hates Me. Stokes' voice is the focal point of a band that rarely misstep. It’s precise, whether pitched high, low, fast or slow. She also has the speedy wit and easy humour her country's famous for and uses it to write exceptional songs.

The crowd started the percussive claps in You Wouldn’t Like Me unprompted, which won a smile from Stokes, while the backing vocals and guitar solo from Jonathan Pearce soared, almost J Mascis-esque, above the group's tight rhythms. Adam Tobeck's drumming was something else. Tight and loud, it drove the sound supremely through melodic verses and rocking choruses, especially impressive in conjunction with bassist Ben Sinclair.

Given the proximity to the holiday, seasonal treat Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas was a welcome respite from the wall of sound and the crowd chimed in sweetly. The speedy lyrics Happy Unhappy showed just how in touch with the music Stokes is, strumming fast and singing faster.

Despite inane calls for a shoey, politely declined by Stokes, the crowd were well-behaved and jumped around with abandon. Little Death ended the main set and an ultra-fast return to stage brought with it their album’s title track, the audience blissfully screaming the lyrics, “Future me hates me for! Hates me for!”. Uptown Girl (not to be confused with the Billy Joel classic) ended the show and a sublime showcase of Auckland’s finest.