Biggy Jiggy Fitty Committee

Friday night, I was at The Danforth Hall for the 1st of 3 sold-out hometown shows for the all-female rock band The Beaches. With a capacity of around 1500 (4500 total), their popularity is not quite arena-level yet but getting there. Opener Valley played to a good-sized crowd. Though their fresh-faced enthusiasm got ironic smirks from some older concert-goers, the younger people at this all-ages event showed them some love. Their music was pop-rock but having modern influences with some electronica beats and crackles. I thought their drummer, Karah James, did great work keeping their songs varied and interesting. With enough people knowing the words to Swim and other songs,  signed to the same label as The Beaches (Universal Music), and having fans wearing custom-made jean jacket inspired by the cover art of their EP, it looks like Valley is also on their way up.

After their pre-requisite Avril Lavigne intro, The Beaches came on stage to loud roars. They launched into Snake Tongue, a recent hit about cat-calling misogyny and dick pics. These types of feminist anthems distinguished them from the cock rock bands of the past. But their mainstream popularity also rests on using those same musical foundation: propulsive drumming, catchy and repetitive refrain, wordless chorus, and chunky rock riffs or chords. Songs like Fascination and Money inspired plenty of sing-along and dancing. This updated take on arena rock continued on their latest EP, sometimes creating another incisive and fun hit (Want What You Got's nod to status envy) and sometimes a merely serviceable number (The Professional).

All members were quite comfortable strutting and prowling a large stage but Leandra Earl has fully embraced the rock star/David Lee Roth persona. Whether on guitar, synth, or the occasional lead song, she was all hair-twirls, leg-kicks, and jumps. The crowd was also approaching near stadium-level participation with even a girl or two being hoisted up on their friend's shoulders for the encore T-Shirt. No crowd-surfing yet, but in a few years this band will likely scale up to even bigger venues: a long way from playing rinky-dink bars with their parents as roadies.