BENEE brings her energetic tunes to Portland
portland, oregon - august 6, 2024
BENEE, the incredible indie-pop artist from New Zealand, returned to Portland for her first stop opening on Wallows’ Model Tour. As always, she was brimming with infectious energy that the crowd in Portland adored. I’m sure opening for a band with such a dedicated fanbase is no easy feat, but she left everyone with a wonderfully sweet taste in their mouth.
Photo via Instagram
To kick off her set, she played “Kool” from her 2020 album, Hey u x . She strutted on stage wearing a bright outfit that fully represents what it feels like to be at a BENEE show; it seems that you begin to see the world in technicolor as she performs. She was full of life and fun to share with the crowd. The irony of her song “Kool” is that she sings of wishing she could be cooler, but she was, in fact, the coolest person in the room. My mouth was beginning to hurt from smiling so hard while she joked with the crowd in between songs.
It always pleases me when artists choose to play their older songs during an opening set, so when the initial notes of “Soaked” began, I was elated. Fire on Marzz, her first EP, was released in 2019, and holds one of her most popular songs, “Glitter”, which was also a pleasure to hear live. And on top of those two, “Wishful Thinking” made the setlist. To hear three songs from that project was an incredible choice and brought me so much joy as a long-time fan.
I will say, I was heartbroken that only one song from 2022’s Lychee was played. That album is incredibly special, but I’m still grateful I got to hear “Beach Boy”. Appropriately, the song is very surfy and smooth, encapsulating the vibe of its name. This was a highlight of her set— and one that the crowd seemed to agree with. As I looked around, everyone was swaying and nodding along with the melody.
There’s no better way to make a fan feel special than to play some unreleased music. Even more so because Portland was the first crowd to hear the new songs live. BENEE debuted two previously unheard tracks, “Sad Boiii” and “Animal”, and now I’m beside myself with excitement to hear the studio versions.
But, there was one song that truly stood out not only for the energy that it provided the room with, but the iconic lyrical content as well. That song was “Green Honda”. BENEE sings, “I pull up in my green Honda / To tell you that I don’t want ya / I’m having all these guys over / A baddie, now a showstopper.” The very second I first heard that song, I knew it would go down in history, and from there crossed my fingers that it would be part of her set. That song is the life of the party, and only someone outstanding as BENEE could pull off a feat like that.
Now it wouldn't be complete with “Supalonely”, the classic for BENEE fans. It was a lively and perfect way to close out her set. I can’t express how much life she brought to the stage! She was an exquisite choice to get the fans hyped for Wallows. Even the most casual fans were able to sing along which brought it all the more joy. BENEE will be on tour throughout the fall with Wallows, so be sure to catch her!
Photo via Instagram
