On May 29th, Beth McCarthy brought her completely sold-out ‘IDK How To Talk To Girls’- Tour to Gebäude 9 in Cologne, Germany. This is her first-ever European headline tour as well as her first headline show in Germany. The concert already looked promising beforehand, the anticipation was so big that the tickets were sold out within hours for most cities and the Cologne show got upgraded to a bigger venue.
Opening the night is Go-jo, an independent artist from Australia. As he enters the stage, a German AI voice plays from the speakers, introducing him to the audience. Whoever looks very closely can spot a tiny green sprout on his head, a hair clip gifted to him by a fan from Canada he later reveals, now something he carries everywhere he goes.
The room is boiling with anticipation and Go-Jo knows exactly how to win over an unfamiliar crowd, getting them to sing along to most songs.
His performance is followed by a whirlwind of a pre-show playlist full of queer and female hits and the crowd happily sings along to all of them until the lights are dimmed again and it’s time for Beth McCarthy.
Everyone can feel the energy in the room as the doors open and Beth walks up to the stage while the intro of ‘What Do You Call It?’ plays. Despite just having finished the UK leg of her tour and head-to-head festivals, she doesn’t lack any energy as she jumps up and down, visibly very excited to be there.
Looking around the room, there are spots of pink everywhere. Very on brand for Beth who rocks a soft pink vest and knee-high platform boots, complementing the bright pink hair she’s had for as long as anyone can remember.
She confidently moves around on stage to ‘No Hard Feelings’, ‘Friendship Bracelets’ and ‘Your Next Forever’, occasionally flirting with the audience and taking breaks between songs to sip on her beer that she previously mistook for her mic and nearly spilled.
After a quick intermission to check how many straight people are in the room with us tonight (spoiler alert: not a lot), the show moves into the more emotional part of the set.
Beth reveals she wasn’t always sure if she’ll be able to keep making music. She explains that being on her first European tour is extra special to her because her “whole reason to do [music] was to share it with people”. And that she does: Beth’s show pulls in queer fans from all around and truly creates a safe space for everyone in the crowd.
To show their support, fans pull out pink flashlights as she performs her unreleased song ‘What If I Never Make It’, which creates a beautiful sea of lights throughout the entire room. Truly an ‘I made it’- moment judging from the look on the singer’s face.
Since most people know Beth from TikToks where she promotes her song ‘What Do You Call It?’ by walking up to strangers on the streets and asking them what they label as and what their type is, she couldn’t miss the chance to do this same bit during the show. “What do you call it and it is you?” she asks while walking up to different people in the front handing them the mic. Getting back a loud “NO” from someone in the front row, she laughs and claims she’s never been rejected that hard in her life.
Next, she plays a cover of Pink’s ‘So What’ which even gets the token boyfriends and dads in the audience to sing and dance along. ‘XO’ is an unreleased song, but everyone joins in for the choreography demonstrated by Beth. ‘She’s Pretty’ is the last song before she jumps off the stage, but the crowd has decided the evening isn’t over yet. Even from outside the venue, the loud chanting for more songs can be heard.
Beth gives the audience what they want and runs back on stage to perform ‘IDK How To Talk To Girls’, the song which gave the tour its name. She’s beaming with energy, giving it her all: jumping with the crowd, kneeling down and getting as close to her fans as possible, even holding her microphone into the crowd for someone to finish a part of the lyrics. It’s a rarity to see someone enjoy themselves as much on stage as Beth does.
The night comes to an end with the new single ‘Good Bi’, an anthem for all bisexual people who’ve ever felt like they’re being misjudged because of their sexuality. Despite the song not being released yet on the day of the show, everyone joined in to sing the chorus, making this the perfect way to end the concert.
Beth’s show is definitely one you cannot miss. So, if you fancy a night out surrounded by a ton of queer people, this is the place for you. Be ready to dance the night away and get lured in by her presence, leaving the show already anticipating the next one.
Written by: Telja Riechel
Photographed by: Telja Riechel
Edited by: Marieke Weeda
