Lake Monsters, Bus Rides & Sweaty Sets: The Beths On Tour In Europe & The US

New Zealand outfit The Beths have just wrapped up a huge 23-date tour of Europe and the US and they've detailed what went down in this exclusive tour diary. 

From making friends in Dublin, to fighting off lake monsters in Kiel, it's fair to say the band's overseas trip is one for the books. Singer Liz Stokes shares their best stories, on and off stage.

The Beths are gearing up for the release of their debut album, Future Me Hates Me, due out on 10 August vua Dew Process.

Dublin

This was taken before our first show of the tour was at the Workman's Club in Dublin. We spent five days nearby in a little township called Dunboyne, rehearsing and staying with the very generous promoter of the show, Dave. The night after we played, we ended up at one of the four pubs in Dunboyne until 3am having 'one more pint' while this local trad folk club was playing together. They were amazing and it was one of my tour highlights. The morning after was not a highlight.

Scotland

When we got off the motorway, the UK countryside was beautiful to drive through. I assumed it would be like New Zealand, but everywhere were these old dry stone walls, tiny cobbled towns, and friggen castles. This is Tantallon castle in Scotland. In case you need proof, Jonathan is holding authentic Irn Bru. 

Durham

We did five or so UK shows with our friends from London called Fresh. They are DIY angels and were super helpful to us while we were booking the tour. We trounced them in a game of backyard cricket next to a loch. Don't ask them, they will deny it. This was taken at our last show together in Durham. 

Lille

Our trip to Europe began with a nine-hour bus ride to Paris, after a 10-hour drive day the day before (it's complicated), so for our Paris show we were basically zombies and don't remember much. That was probably the hardest night of the tour. The next night in Lille though we were well rested and played a great set and got a bit loose afterwards, as shown. 

Mannheim

This photo is one of our nights off in Germany. It was in a tiny town called Hochdorf - Assenheim, halfway through a drive from Berlin to Langnau in Switzerland. It was a nice moment of calm. Our host made us dinner in the garden, and we fell asleep watching the BBC Pride and Prejudice. 

Kiel

Our last show in Europe was a friend's mini festival next to a lake. The water was so warm, but you had to paddle out past all the water-plants so you could swim. I was terrified of falling into the water plants as I was sure they would grab me and pull me under. In hindsight this seems unlikely. The eventual swim was monster-free and later that night we played a triumphant set in the barn.

New York

I am not very good at collecting photos of us playing, but this is one from Brooklyn taken by our friend Katie (I think). The Brooklyn show was the most nervous I had been for a show in years, which was exciting. I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my whole body, and my hands and voice were a bit shaky. The show was great though, and people were so lovely. We were a month into touring and it gave us this huge burst of energy that carried us through til the end. 

Amtrak - Washington DC to Chicago

This is us at the start of our 17-hour amtrak ride from Washington DC to Chicago. We were excited, although for some reason I look like the pale ghost of Pugsley Addams in this one. The first half of the ride was beautiful, riding through small towns and alongside rivers. The second half mainly consisted of trying to sleep on a train and was less fun. We all arrived in Chicago at 9am looking fairly undead. 

Yamo - San Francisco

I just realised I never introduced everyone, from left to right are Jonathan, me, Chris and Katie. Chris and Katie joined us on bass and drums for the tour as our original members couldn't make it, and they slayed. We miss them very much. This picture was taken in Yamo, our favourite Burmese restaurant in San Francisco, right before the proprietor yelled 'NO PHOTOS' at us. It was a delicious meal. 

Barcelona

We flew back to Europe (for reasons) and played our last show of the tour in Barcelona. Maybe it's because it we knew it was the last one, but we played our hearts out and it was one of the best and most fun (and sweatiest) sets of the whole tour. The venue and crowd were awesome and we can't wait to go back. Garyun Young took this picture after we played. We spent a few days in Barcelona together before Chris went on to London to live, and Katie started her journey back home to NZ.