Chvrches, Scotland’s own electro-pop wizards, took the internet by storm over the last year or so.
Chvrches, Scotland’s own electro-pop wizards, took the internet by storm over the last year or so. Lauren Mayberry (lead vocals, additional synthesizers and samplers), Iain Cook (synthesizers, guitar, bass, vocals), and Martin Doherty (synthesizers, samplers, vocals) each bring unique talents to the band’s live stage performance.
Walking in I wasn’t sure what to expect – in an interview I did with Chvrches before their Richmond show, Doherty spoke about how the band came together as a studio project. They spent many months holed up together perfecting the album and the final product reflects those efforts – The Bones of What You Believe is a solid album with nearly zero dull moments. But a band perfected in the studio doesn’t always translate well to a live performance.
The subtleties associated with live performance – everything from unmodified vocal to exactly how you “perform” sections of songs built entirely on samples – can fall apart once a band gets before a crowd. But this wasn’t Chvrches’ first rodeo; they’ve been touring for a while and they’ve certainly honed their live skills.
I guess when I said I didn’t know what to expect when I walked into the show it was kind of a lie. The Chvrches catalog only consists of a total of 45 minutes or so of material, so I figured they’d play everything they had, and they did. The show opened with one of my favorites off the album, “We Sink,” and segued nicely into the fan favorite “Gun.” It was obvious which attendees had invested in the album and which had recently jumped on the bandwagon, but less familiar fans still fist-pumped and half-danced through the lesser-known tracks.
The crowd exploded when the opening riff to “Recover” blasted over the National’s sound system – by far the peak of the show, it was a pleasure to hear one of my favorite songs of 2013 live.
When the show wrapped, about 50 mins after the band took the stage, the crowd was noticeably disappointed. The encore of “By The Throat” was solid enough, but Chvrches has a really solid (and wildly successful) cover of Whitney Houston’s “It’s Not Right, But It’s Okay” under their belt, and it would have been nice to hear them pull that out for a show ender.
Parts of this review may not seem like I enjoyed myself that cold November night, but don’t be fooled – Chvrches is by all means a live performance to catch. There was little deviation from their album’s sound, something that can make or break a live show, but luckily the craftsmanship and talent behind Chvrches shows sometimes all you need to do is go out there and perform your songs to a T and your fans will be pleased. Lord knows I was.
