LIVE REVIEW + PHOTOS: THE BEACHES AT THE O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON, LONDON 18/02/26

Canadian rock band The Beaches brought their vibrant party to the O2 Academy Brixton in London; it was the last night of the UK leg of their NO HARD FEELINGS WORLD TOUR which saw the four-piece group travelling across Europe and the UK for the past two weeks. It surely was a night to remember and full of surprises; the edgy outfits, rock and roll attitude and fierce and upbeats riffs accompanied by incredible vocals, left a lasting mark on the legendary venue.

The night started with the Irish folk-rock duo Dea Matrona, which consisted of Orláith Forsythe and Mollie McGinn accompanied by two other touring members on drums, guitar and percussions. The harmonious vocals and charm shone throughout the entire set, whilst they skilfully swapped between playing guitar and bass. Becoming very at ease with the audience song after song, the duo recounted the anecdote on how they met during a talent show where they were forced to compete against each other and ultimately joining forces by forming the band. They blended effortlessly powerful riffs and ethereal vocals, invoking a mysterious and witchy vibe as hinted by Forsythe when she asked if there were any witches in the crowd, and the audience responded back in an explosive and cheerful way. Classic-rock and blues influence intertwined seamlessly with their poetic songwriting during their seven-songs set, leaving the audience bewitched.

Leaving the fey-esque atmosphere behind, it was time for The Beaches to take centre stage, the last time they played in London was in August 2024. Whilst the rest of the band came up the stage and started playing the intro to ‘Last Girls at the Party’, which is the closing track of their latest album NO HARD FEELINGS, singer Jordan Miller has entered the stage twirling in a grey top and underwear, leather jacket, sunglasses and knee-high boots, mesmerising the crowd from the get-go. The first song already had the fans jumping and singing their heart out, which they continued doing on to the next, ‘Touch Myself’ before Miller shared her story on being newly single and taking herself on solo dates and embracing her own happiness, introducing the next song ‘Me & Me’, which was followed by ‘Cigarette’ and ‘Grow Up Tomorrow’.

Guitarist Kylie Miller (Jordan’s sister) took the mic to say hello to the fans and shared how they lived in London in the early days of their career, and how crazy it was going back to the city as well as having fond memories of the time spent here and drinking pints. Guitarist Leandra Earl chimed in shouting to the ever-so-buzzing audience “London, put your drinks up!” before playing the next song ‘Shower Beer’.

It was the time for one of the few surprises of the night, Jordan Miller asked the question to the cheering crowd “Has anyone ever said too much before or overshared too much? Does anyone want to come up on stage to share their story?” A keen fan joined the band on stage to share an embarrassing story, leading to ‘Did I Say Too Much’.

‘Fine, Let’s Get Married’, ‘Dirty Laundry’ and ‘Can I Call You In The Morning’ all from their latest release were clearly already fan-favourites, having the audience singing along and clapping in time so much so that the floor was vibrating.

Giving the crowd a moment to catch their breath, drummer Eliza Enman-McDaniel thanked the fans for coming to the show and how, even after 10 years of them coming to the city, London still holds special memories, being one of the first cities to support them outside of Canada.

It was the turn of ‘What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Paranoid’ and ‘Everything is Boring’ before the vibes switched into a more intimate atmosphere. Kylie Miller addressed the audience by saying that they had a special plan for the night, she said “We recorded a cover at the BBC Studio the other day, and we are going to play it here tonight”, her sister Jordan then added “This is my favourite song of all time!”, sharing an anecdote how she kept playing the song whilst going through her breakup and concluded with “You’ll never get away from the sound of the woman that loves you”. The crowd roared as they recognised what’s about to come, the iconic ‘Silver Springs’ by Fleetwood Mac.

The waves of deep emotions didn’t stop here though; it was Earl’s turn to introduce the next song which she said held a special place for her as it related to her past relationships and the challenges faced when coming out to her family, and how she hoped the song would help other people too. On the stage there was only Miller singing, accompanied by Earl on the keyboards, the crowd followed along by waving their phone lights in what was certainly one of the cathartic moments of the night.

After the heartfelt ‘Edge of the Earth’, it was the turn of the last and final surprise, it seemed that The Beaches couldn’t get enough of interacting with the crowd, which was great to see and very welcomed.

Jordan Miller was now wearing a sash that said ‘Jocelyn’ and shouted, “Who wants to be our Jocelyn?”, she then went into the crowd to find the ‘Jocelyn’ which is the title of the next song. Miller sang the entire song off stage amongst the crowd, and at the end she crowned the Jocelyn by gifting the sash to one of the fans in the front row.

The already hyped audience exploded with the next two fan-favourite with an anthemic flair ‘Takes One to Know One’ and ‘Blame Brett’, the fans kept dancing and singing along in a joyous unison that yet again it had the floor shaking.

The band thanked the fans and shortly left the stage before returning for the encore, which ignited the crowd once again with ‘I Wore You Better’ and the final of the set ‘Sorry for Your Loss’, where they all sang with their full chest.

Before closing the night, and whilst the band switched to play the chorus of ‘Last Girls at The Party’, Jordan Miller shouted, “Fuck it, one more!” whilst the crowd loudly clapped back clearly ready for one last dance.

The last notes of the chorus played whilst the band waved goodbye to the fans shouting a heartfelt “Thank you London!” before leaving the stage.

It surely was one hell of a party, The Beaches let their talent and unapologetic rock and roll shine through the night, the infectious riffs and cheeky humour sprinkled with joy were masterfully alternated with a deeper lyricism and the ability to truly connect with the fans, beyond the banter. I hope it won’t be long till the band returns to the UK and perhaps see them playing to a summer festival, because there would be nothing better than singing and dancing along with The Beaches in the sunshine.

Words by Mari D

Photos by Eva Grant