Hot off the release of their second full-length album Blame My Ex -- and a featured spot at The Jonas Brothers concert the previous night (no, really) -- The Beaches returned to Vancouver for a sold out show at the Orpheum.

Unfortunately I missed the opener, Beach Weather, arriving just before the members of The Beaches, Jordan Miller, Kylie Miller, Leandra Earl, and Eliza Enman-McDaniel, hit the stage. They kicked off the set hard with three of my favourites; “Kismet” off the new album, before ramping into the gritty “T-Shirt”, and the frenetic “Me & Me”, another of my picks from Blame My Ex.

From there, they barely slowed down for the next hour-plus, their infectious energy pouring off the stage as the lights behind them danced to their catchy alt-rock. Even on the downbeat songs like “If A Tree Falls”, the entire theatre was rapt by Jordan Miller’s voice, and the band’s impeccable harmonies. Other highlights included the hard-hitting “Let’s Go”, “Everything is Boring” with its simmering intensity, and the sultry “My Body ft Your Lips”, which also featured a couple members of Beach Weather joining them onstage for the duet.

They finished off the main set with their latest smash, “Blame Brett”, and the entire crowd shouting the chorus. And when I say ‘singing along’, I mean the crowd was perfectly in sync with the song; a rare feat even in a small venue, let alone a sold out Orpheum, a testament to the song’s relatability (and catchiness). But of course, they were quickly back for another pair of songs, first “Edge of the Earth” before capping off the night with “Money”.

I've seen The Beaches a couple times before, but just as an opening act, and a free outdoor show. Both of which were great, but definitely paled in comparison to this night. Multiple times throughout the show, they expressed how excited they were to be playing the west coast in general, and the Orpheum specifically, and that excitement permeated through the sold out crowd for a really fun show, among the best I’ve seen this year.

setlist
Kismet
T-Shirt
Me & Me
Grow Up Tomorrow
My People
Desdemona
My Body ft Your Lips (ft Beach Weather)
Cigarette
Fascination
Back of My Heart
Shower Beer
If A Tree Falls
Kinkade
Want What You Got
Let’s Go
What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Paranoid
Everything is Boring
Blame Brett
(encore)
Edge of the Earth
Money