After “Blame Brett” went viral on TikTok, Toronto’s own indie rock band returns cooler than ever.
By Isabella Soares
The Beaches performing at Massey Hall on Nov. 1, 2023 (Isabella Soares/CanCulture)
The Beaches have come a long way from playing smaller venues such as The Opera House and The Danforth Music Hall. The band originally named Done With Dolls is now formed by sisters Jordan (vocals) and Kylie Miller (lead guitar, backing vocals), Leandra Earl (keyboards, guitar, backing vocals), and Eliza Enman-McDaniel (drums). The indie rock group has two Junos up their sleeves for Breakthrough Artist in 2018 and Rock Album of the Year in 2022. Although the two awards are major achievements, the successful turnaround of post-breakup anthem “Blame Brett” is their greatest accomplishment thus far. The lead single to the band’s latest album, Blame My Ex, has blown up on TikTok and has accumulated more than 21 million streams on Spotify, getting the attention of Nelly Furtado and the Jonas Brothers. After performing in the U.S., The Beaches returned to Toronto playing two sold-out shows at Massey Hall.
The first of their two concerts had the band jamming on stage, exuding cool and carefree energy throughout their 20-song setlist. Like their catchy album, the indie-rock group seemed like they were in their comfort zone, playing for fans who have known them for more time than the rest of the world and with their family cheering in the crowd.
As the cheeky banger “Kismet” began to play, Jordan Millerlet loose, dancing and playing around with her white sunglasses and silk dress. The song eased into a set that combined tracks from Blame My Ex and their early hits, including “T-Shirt” and “Desdemona.”
Although all of the songs were engaging live, there were a few that stuck out as most crowd-pleasing. The first being “My Body ft. Your Lips”, featuring a guest appearance from Beach Weather's frontman Nick Santino singing and flirting with the lead singer on stage. The performance was chemistry-filled and had the audience blushing, almost forgetting that most of the follow-up anthems are about heartbreak and angst.
It is important to note that Santino had come on stage prior to the show with his band to open for The Beaches, which allowed the audience to familiarize themselves with Beach Weather’s groovy tunes before the electrifying duet.
Kylie Miller and Earl playing their guitar riff for “Want What You Got” was another highlight. With their backs to each other, the two musicians took centre stage and grooved while Jordan played her bass near Enman-McDaniel’s drum set. At the end of the song, Jordan Miller even told the crowd, “It is so great to play in your hometown.” This particular track from the band’s earlier work showcased their signature sound, with catchy indie guitar parts and bold vocal delivery similar to bands like Franz Ferdinand. Despite their latest tunes still holding onto to the group’s sonoric style, they have adopted more of a pop approach with short verses and anthemic choruses.
While there were a lot of rock’n’roll moments (with Earl even getting underwear thrown her way), there were also some intimate ones. A special shout out to the acoustic version of “If A Tree Falls”, a song off of their new album that was written with Valley's Karah James.
Yet, nothing on the setlist prepared the audience for the enthusiasm that filled Massey Hall when “Blame Brett” began to play. Needless to say many people already had the song stuck in their heads throughout the summer, but getting to jump and scream the lyrics at a fan-filled concert was unmatched.
The band left the stage after the lead single finished, but only for a few minutes until they returned for the encore. Even though the show would’ve already ended on a high note with “Blame Brett”, “Edge of the Earth” and “Money” were an additional treat.
After saying goodbye to the full venue, The Beaches left the crowd in high spirits on an otherwise wet Wednesday evening.
The Toronto band finished their Canadian tour leg on November 13 and will play several sold-out shows in Europe for the rest of the month.