Beach Slang brought all the feelings to Lee's Palace

“Drink vodka it'll french kiss your veins,” was one of the first things Beach Slang frontman James Alex said in the midst of taking a quick gulp of what looked to be a cranberry vodka and then proceeded to adjust his guitar. Alex walked out onto the stage wearing his trademark corduroy suit jacket, bow tie, and pirate-esque dress shirt, which did not go unnoticed. A fan yelled out “nice shirt,” and Alex addressed him with a quiet thanks and proceeded to tell us he found his shirt at a Philadelphia thrift shop for 75 cents. Alex was in high spirits and ready to rock with his drink in hand, which was a bit different than the last time I saw Beach Slang perform at The Opera House opening up for Minus The Bear, where he was drinking to curb a road stricken sickness he was battling with (see those photos here). Each gulp of vodka at Lee’s on Thursday night was more fuel to his angsty fire that translated into one hell of a live show. 

The band played a fast paced set, diving into tracks from both of their full-length albums 2015’s; The Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us and 2016’s A Loud Bash of Teenage Feelings, but the band didn’t just perform their own music. In order to “win the fans over” Alex’s playful and endearing onstage banter resulted in the band playing quick covers from t The Eagles, Lit, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and then finished with a full cover of the Pixies “Where is My Mind”.

It was soooooo good.

The band “closed” their set with “Atom Bomb” and walked off the stage to fans immediately cheering and clapping for them to get back out on stage. Thankfully for me, Alex strolled back out to centre stage popping some mints and lead the band through a few more tracks ending the set with “Young & Alive”… probably my favourite track from Beach Slang. It was a solid set and as always the band made the night fun, welcoming, and fostered a positive environment. Stoked on these guys.

Check out all the photos from their set above and their setlist below:

The Setlist:

1. Noisy Heaven
2. Hard Luck Kid
3. Porno Love
4. Ride the Wild Haze
5. Punks in a Disco Bar
6. Dirty Cigarettes
7. American Girls and French Kisses
8. Spin the Dial
9. Bad Art & Weirdo Ideas
10. Wasted Daze of Youth
11. Punk or Lust
12. Where Is My Mind? (Pixies Cover)
13. Atom Bomb
14. Too Late to Die Young
15. Filthy Luck
16. Young & Alive

Words / Photography by: Steve St. Jean

**All photos © Beyond The Watch. Do not use or reproduce w/o permission**