The Beths at the Raccoon Motel -- August 10.
Wednesday, August 10, 7 p.m.
Raccoon Motel, 315 East Second Street, Davenport IA
Bringing their national tour to Davenport in advance of their mid-September release Expert in a Dying Field, the indie-rock and -pop talents of New Zealand's The Beths headline a Raccoon Motel concert on August 10, their second recording Jump Rope Gazers described by Pop Matters as "a sophomore album that makes even the most senior indie-rock acts feel rudimentary by comparison."
Originally based in the New Zealand city of Aukland, The Beths formed in 2014 after guitarists and vocalists Elizabeth Stokes and Jonathan Pearce originally met in high school. They, in turn, met Benjamin Sinclair (bass and vocals) and the band's original percussionist Ivan Luketina-Johnston when all four attended classes at the University of Auckland, studying jazz. Prior to The Beths, Luketina-Johnston was performing swing under the moniker of Sal Valentine, while Stokes, Pearce, and Sinclair were all a part of his backing band The Babyshakes, for various tenures. Combing their talents as The Beths, the musicians released their first single "Idea/Intent" via SoundCloud in July of 2015, and the following March, they independently released their debut EP Warm Blood. The recording consequently spawned a single, "Whatever," that was released with an accompanying music video in May of 2016.
A new single, "Great No One," was released in October of 2017, and the song was the first to be lifted from the band's debut album Future Me Hates Me. Prior to its 2018 release, the band announced their signing to Carpark Records in the U.S. (who also reissued Warm Blood internationally) and to Dew Process in Australia. The album was released globally that August, was followed by an international tour supporting the release, and its title track was nominated as one of five finalists for the 2018 Silver Scroll award in New Zealand. Later that year, Luketina-Johnston permanently departed from the band to focus on Sal Valentine, eventually being replaced by drummer Tristan Deck, and in November, the band announced the forthcoming release of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. The vinyl features the band's cover of the traditional title track, as well as a demo version of their song "Happy Unhappy," which was named by Rolling Stone as the song of the summer. In early 2019, The Beths undertook a tour of the U.K., and Europe supporting Death Cab for Cutie, and with Jump Rope Gazers a critical smash in 2020, the single "Silence Is Golden" was released this past June 13 alongside the announcement of a third album, Expert in a Dying Field, dropping next month.
The Beths play their Davenport engagement on August 10 with an opening set by Rosie Tucker, admission to the 7 p.m. concert is $25, and more information and tickets are available by visiting TheRaccoonMotel.com.
