Beth McCarthy wowed the crowd with their biggest performance to date at O2 Forum Kentish Town
The York artist delivered a vibrant queer pop set to mark the milestone.
Photo: Billie Wheeler
Beth McCarthy has become a staple on countless queer playlists, and on Sunday night she proved exactly why. Tearing the roof off of O2 Forum Kentish Town, she delivered a performance that left the entire crowd stunned, emotional, and completely enamoured with their talent, stage presence and infectious personality. With vibrant lighting, a raised platform, and inflatable disco balls bouncing through the audience during Drama at the Disco, Beth transformed the venue into a euphoric, glitter-soaked playground.
The night opened with rising pop artist Catty, who floated onto the stage in a flowing white dress that contrasted beautifully with the chaotic, witty energy of her music. She gave a gorgeous performance, effortlessly blending raw lyricism with an angelic aesthetic. Fan favourites like I Don’t Miss You (I Just Miss Your Mom), Healing Out of Spite, and Joyride filled the room with bright, mischievous energy. Catty belted every note with confidence, commanding the stage for her unfortunately short 30 minute set and leaving the audience completely buzzing before the main event even began.
Beth launched into their set full throttle, accompanied by their band and opening with Cubicle in Heaven, a newer single already beloved by fans. She then flowed straight into IDK How To Talk To Girls, one of their biggest hits to date, before transitioning seamlessly to Exes in Bedsheets, a track that has rapidly grown in popularity for its lively rhythm and painfully relatable lyrics designed to read you like a book.
She kept the rebellious energy high with Hot and Stupid, a queer community favourite, followed by Hurting My Own Feelings, the closing track from their Hot and Stupid EP. Both songs carried the same fierce edge and unbridled confidence that defines this era of their music. She doubled down with First, Best, Hottest…, creating a trio of high energy, empowering tracks that had the entire audience yelling every word.
Then came a shift into a slower, more introspective section of the set. Beth opened up emotionally with What Do You Call It?, a song exploring their long journey toward understanding their sexuality and identity. The honesty of the track hung in the air, creating a moment of quiet connection before she jolted the room back into chaos with You up?. What followed were two of their most emotional songs, How Am I Supposed to Love Myself, which left not a single dry eye in the venue, including Beth’s, and She Gets the Flowers, a fan favourite that hit just as hard live. During How Am I Supposed To Love Myself, the audience held up handwritten notes listing things they loved about Beth, a gesture that visibly moved them and projected the song to new heights for Beth in terms of its meaning.
With flawless instinct, Beth spun the energy back to full throttle with the explosive Drama at the Disco, complete with a giant illuminated disco ball onstage and blow-up disco balls drifting over the audience. The room erupted, fully immersed in the glittery, joyful chaos that Beth does best.
Then came an unexpected cover of Katy Perry’s 2000s hit Hot n Cold. Catty rejoined Beth onstage, and the two delivered a playful, powerful duet that had the audience screaming every lyric. Without missing a beat, Beth transitioned into their viral single All My Friends Are Hot, the track made famous through their TikTok videos featuring their iconic friend group consisting of Catty, Amy Spalding, and fellow artist Nxdia, who all joined them onstage for the performance, and the group danced around with carefree, infectious joy.
Beth closed the main set with their hit Good Bi, leaving the stage to thunderous applause, but not before (in true Beth fashion) being gifted a crochet toy by an audience member and belting out Let It Go from the Disney movie Frozen, a random, albeit hilarious distraction from the setlist. As chants for an encore filled the room, she reappeared not onstage but through the audience entrance, climbing to the balcony for a bold, unforgettable performance of their most-streamed track, She’s Pretty. She flawlessly mashed it with a cover of Chappell Roan’s Good Luck, Babe! to the delight of the audience below. After one final goodbye, she disappeared backstage, leaving fans breathless.
Beth McCarthy is rapidly becoming one of the most exciting names in queer pop, and this landmark show proved exactly why this is. She’s a powerhouse performer with both vulnerability and edge who refuses to stand still, and she shows absolutely no signs of slowing the momentum that has propelled them into queer pop stardom.
All photos by Billie Wheeler.