Canadian rockers The Beaches have opened for The Rolling Stones more than once, but the shock still hasn’t worn off.
“It was crazy,” drummer Eliza Enman-McDaniel exclusively told Us Weekly ahead of the band’s Weekend 1 performance at the 2024 Austin City Limits music festival. “I remember the first time we got the call, we all immediately phoned our parents.”
Despite their “disbelief” at being offered the opportunity, the group gave it their all. “The shows went super well,” Enman-McDaniel added. “They were really, really kind to us, and it was just an honor for us.”
The Beaches — whose other members are Jordan Miller, Kylie Miller and Leandra Earl — first joined the Stones in Ontario on their 2019 No Filter Tour. Five years later, they opened for the legends once again on their Hackney Diamonds tour, taking the stage in Santa Clara, California, in July.
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When it comes to backstage hijinks, however, the energy was fairly tame. “We saw Keith Richards and his wife on a golf cart,” Jordan told Us at Austin’s Zilker Park.
Earl, meanwhile, had her eyes on a one-of-a-kind souvenir. “I tried to steal a lazy Susan that was shaped like the tongue,” she recalled. “But it was before we went on stage and I didn’t wanna get kicked out for stealing a lazy Susan.”
The Beaches dropped two EPs before signing with Universal Records in 2016. Their debut album, Late Show, was released in 2017. Following a steady stream of new projects, the band broke through with 2023’s “Blame Brett,” the first single from their second record, Blame My Ex. The song went viral on TikTok, which Jordan called “a dream come true.”
“I think I knew it was gonna be a popular song, but I don’t think you ever release anything online and then expect for what happened with ‘Blame Brett’ to happen,” the lead vocalist told Us, confessing that there was “quite a bit of imposter syndrome happening” at the height of the song’s success.
Enman-McDaniel added, “I think it even took me a while to believe what was going on. I think it took me a solid week to understand the impact of it.”
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The band hit the road after Blame My Ex dropped last fall, selling out venues on their own tour and performing at festivals like Lollapalooza and ACL. Each stop along the way has brought out a unique audience.
“Obviously, when everyone is there and bought tickets to just see you, the crowds are so excited. They’re singing every word, all the deep cuts, all the songs that aren’t singles,” Enman-McDaniel told Us. “And then with a festival … it’s typically people who are up at the front, they’re there to see you, but the rest of it, maybe they don’t know all your songs. They might know ‘Blame Brett.’ It’s cool to make new fans at those kinds of opportunities for us.”
Still riding high off the success of their second album, The Beaches have already begun thinking about what’s next. Their newest single, “Jocelyn,” was released last month — but they aren’t trying to recreate the same TikTok phenomenon they experienced in 2023.
“We’re not one of those bands that will tease a song and then if it doesn’t go viral, [we won’t] release it,” Kylie told Us. “It’s not the be-all, end-all. There’s still some authenticity, but it’s a really useful tool.”
