New Zealand indie rock quartet The Beths have had their gear stolen from their van in France and are appealing for its return. The band were on the European leg of their current tour in support of their fourth album, Straight Line Was a Lie, when the theft took place.
The news was announced via social media, accompanied by photos of the stolen gear, which includes some rare instruments – among them a Burns Club Series Double Six 12-string electric guitar and a custom handmade guitar by Trent Guitars.
“Our guitars, bass guitar, cymbals, snare, and my pedal board were stolen last night from our van in Tourcoing in France, near Lille. Along with the entire rented backline,” reads the statement.
“If you see any of these instruments turn up on resale, or if you have any tips please get in touch - info@lookoutkid.com. We’re pretty sad, these instruments have a lot of time and love in them. More than we can express really.”
Despite the theft, the band decided to move forward with yesterday's show in Tourcoing and today's show in Paris.
The statement continues, “Show tonight is going ahead thanks to the generosity of friends. Thanks so much @florianosaure and @admlg for helping with backline, @dateline3.0 for lending instruments and @gabriel_delicious for lending a pedal board.”
The band's tone is characterized by a host of boutique, New Zealand-made guitar amps – namely, the Fountain Mustang 30, the Jansen Bassman, and Jansen 6 Twenty, as revealed in a 2022 Guitar World interview.
According to guitarist/singer Elizabeth Stokes, the Foundation “is vaguely Vox-style and really, really bright” – a favorite of lead guitarist Jonathan Pearce, who uses it for much of his lead work, while the Bassman, is, in his own words, “honestly quite a strange-sounding amp.”
Elsewhere in the Guitar World interview, the pair discussed their knack for creating upbeat, distortion-drenched earworms, and why The Beths is “a band with an unofficial official ‘no synthesizers’ rule.”
