Words: Lauren Thackray, 14
Edits: Jerry Thackray, 64
Meandering along Camden High Street, I chance across a torrent of pastel and bunny ears more suited to a community Easter Egg Hunt than a rock concert. (What, lying in a heap in the street outside Camden Tube Station? Or are you referring to that surprisingly lengthy queue of Beach Bunny fans outside the Electric Ballroom, patiently waiting and chatting. at least an hour before doors? – Ed.) I say ‘rock’, but does Beach Bunny count as rock? With their harsh, abrasive lyrics and style, I would say so. (Why wouldn’t Beach Bunny count as rock? They have a guitarist whose Instagram handle references Pavement, singer Lili who reminds me of a more energetic Gwen Stefani minus the confusing signals, and guitars which ROCK! All rock signifiers in my book! – Ed.) Boys in hoodies, girls in glitter, fashion choices which range from the passionate to the obsolete.
Upon finding my dad, I find myself starstruck. (What? At me? Thank you but that must make mealtimes quite awkward for you! – Ed.) Anthony, the lead guitarist for Beach Bunny, is standing right in front of me. (Whoa! Why? Just luck and happenstance? – Ed.) Of course, being the fangirl that I am, I ask him to sign my school tie and a piece of paper for my best friend. Very little goes through my head apart from “What am I doing here” as we all chat about music over burgers upstairs in a handily-placed outlet.
From where we are sitting, all I see for nearly an hour is a constant stream of people flood into the venue; I’m concerned about being stuck at the back of the crowd. Unbeknownst to me, the passes Anthony has procured for us (three legendary AAA passes, Access All Areas – Ed) allow everywhere in the sold-out venue to be easily accessible (possibly even the stage during the band’s set, although we didn’t actually try this theory out – Ed). Walking into the venue, it hits me. I am here. Beach Bunny live! In London! (Yeah, you’ve only been asking me to get you tickets for the last four months – Ed.) The excited chatter of like-minded fans draws me back to my unbelievable reality while I meet the drummer and scan the merch booth (whose seller is also delightfully friendly – Ed).
I stroll up to the blissfully isolated balcony as Blondie plays in the background. As I settle into my not-so-hard-earned view of the stage, I wonder if I’ve prepared my voice enough for all the screaming I’m about to do. Lead singer Lili Trifilio takes centre-stage, and I find myself completely removed from the moment. (Lost in the moment, surely? – ancient Sister Sledge-loving Ed.) The surf-rock ‘Cloud 9’ begins, and all the fans below me lose it. I would be lying if I said I didn’t do the same towards the end of the set (‘Good Girls Don’t Get Used’, ‘Clueless’), but I would like to believe I kept my composure for the first few songs. (You sure about that? – Ed.) Or at least my turning point wasn’t until ‘Year Of The Optimist’, their newest single. (I too thoroughly enjoyed the first five or six numbers, in particular Lili’s balletic energy, and Anthony’s guitar pyrotechnics and odd explosion of sound: after the opening salvo, I found myself thinking of Ramones – how everyone who loves them loves them and everyone who doesn’t complains about how the songs sound the same. Ramones samey! No way. This is punk! This is pop! This is ace live music for all 1,500 of us here – Ed.) (That’s enough Ed – Ed.)
I will now list some personal highlights of the show.
- During self-described punk-pop anthem ‘Chasm’, the song was stopped halfway due to a ruckus in the crowd. Upon Lili’s enquiry, several people shouted up to the stage that this obnoxious man was pushing. Ironically, he put his hands up as he was indeed caught red-handed. Upon security escorting him out of the venue, all was well and corrected. What I find so hilarious about this encounter is that I caught it all on video, able to watch his guilty face again and again. Also, the crowd booing the man on his way out was humiliating for him yet incredibly funny for us.
- Lili’s constant yet futile attempts to coerce the crowd into moshing. Throughout the show, Lili begged the crowd to break loose but it consistently only ended in energetic jumping. My personal theory is that most of the crowd was too shy to do so, or didn’t know how to. However, before the third encore ‘Painkiller’, she successfully managed to create a very, very mini wall of death. From where I was, it looked like they were practically bouncing off each other, and therefore a lot of missed-out fun.
- The age of nearly everyone attending the show. When my maths teacher labelled Beach Bunny as “young people music”, I was very much offended. He is in his early thirties. After this concert, I think I owe him an apology. I estimate that nearly everyone in the venue who wasn’t a chaperone was under 25.
Overall, Beach Bunny are a fantastic, energetic, bubbly band in concert who do not disappoint. Lili’s kicks and chatter are exciting, Anthony’s riffs and edgy rockstar moves are enchanting, and the way the band play together is enlightening. (I particularly enjoyed the way the crowd screamed whenever Anthony moved closer to them or held his guitar in the air like he’d just found a trophy, and the way he waved at the three of us in the balcony at the start of ‘Mr Predictable’ – Ed.) Personally, I’m betting on Beach Bunny taking over the world before the next TikTok trend does. (That’s a six-seven from me – Ed.) Dad! That is so cringe!