Last Girls at the Party: The Beaches light up Bristol
Words: Ciaran Hiscox
★★★★★
I walked into the O2 Academy Bristol with the venue already buzzing with energy and excitement, even before the support act began. I was lucky enough to catch Dea Matrona on their headline tour last year at Clwb Ifor Bach, and tonight they warmed up the crowd with an abridged set, focusing on tracks such as ‘Magic Spell’ and ‘Red Button’, which went down brilliantly with the audience. I highly recommend catching them as a headline act and diving into their discography. If you would like to read more about them, you can here: Dea Matrona bring their Northern Irish flare to Cardiff
The set opened with a small telephone segment featuring an excerpt of dialogue, a framing device used throughout the night to add personality, context, and smooth transitions between songs.
The Beaches delivered an energetic opening performance of ‘Last Girls at the Party’. The unrelenting momentum brought a raw sense of camaraderie that felt like late-night conversations with friends. Early highlights included ‘Me & Me’, ‘Shower Beer’, and ‘Grow Up Tomorrow’, driven by sharp, witty lyrics and catchy pop-infused rock that pulled the crowd straight in.
Before ‘Did I Say Too Much’, they invited an audience member on stage to share a moment of oversharing, which led to a spontaneous chorus of happy birthday for the girl's sister in the crowd. Throughout the night, the band showcased a strong rapport with fans, even calling out to those they had met around Bristol. One particular emotional moment came from Leandra sharing their experience of coming out, which led to a heart-warming story of a mother who slid into the band's DMs to share how they and their music helped her daughter, who was in the crowd that night, find herself. The band dedicated the next song to that fan, which was a stripped-back keyboard and vocal performance of crowd favourite ‘Lesbian of the Year’.
The energy surged again with ‘Edge of the World’, before Jordan donned a sash emblazoned with the name ‘Jocelyn’ and danced along the crowd barrier, feeding off the fans as she searched for her Jocelyn. As the song ended, she presented the sash to the previous young fan whom they dedicated ‘Lesbian Of The Year’ to.
To close the main set, they played sing-along anthems ‘Takes One to Know One’ and ‘Blame Brett’, both of which the crowd screamed along with feral joy.
For the encore, they returned with ‘I Wore You Better’ and ‘Sorry for Your Loss’, before coming full circle with a reprise of ‘Last Girls at the Party’, truly leaving them and us, the last girls at this party.
The night was a blast. The surf-pop-inspired sound is instantly engaging, but it is the band’s personality and genuine ability to make their audience feel heard, welcome, and supported, along with relatable lyrics, that make them one of the coolest and most well-rounded live acts I have seen.