Chvrches @ Village Underground
Thomas Leeman reviews Chvrches
Fresh from playing the Alexandra Palace with Everything Everything and Two Door Cinema Club the trio Chvrches came to the Village Underground with the weight of expectation lying squarely on their shoulders. They recently won best new non-US band at SXSW and made it into the top 5 of the BBC’s sound of 2013. Little surprise then that the gig sold out in minutes and the queues to get in started an hour before doors opened.
Through the delicate vocals of Lauren Mayberry and pulsing synths of Martin Doherty and Iain Cook, Chvrches have found a winning formula. Critics have drawn comparisons between them and the Canadian duo Purity Ring, but live the ominous bass sounds more like an epic blend with their fellow Glaswegians Mogwai.
They opened with their debut release ‘Lies’, a hypnotic electropop tune which set the mood for the rest of the gig. With trippy laser beams and lots of flashy lights they slowly built up to the climax of the evening, performances of their most commercially successful tracks ‘Mother we Share’ and ‘Recover’. On the way though Chvrches showed they aren’t just a one trick pony, with Doherty taking the mic to perform the intimate ‘Now is not the Time’. There can be no doubting the true star of the evening, the elfine Lauren Mayberry. Her immaculate delivery and presence really captured the hearts of the audience, as did her playful banter on themes as diverse as Game of Thrones (their cover of the theme went viral on YouTube), kittens with laser pointers and boy bands in the audience. Add to that her ability as an intriguing lyricist and Chvrches have found a new indie heart-throb.
To round off the evening Mayberry performed (as promised) a karaoke version of Little Kim’s ‘Lady Marmalade’ rap followed by a stunning cover of Prince’s ‘I would die 4 U’, a song which could have been written for this band. So did Chvrches live up to the hype? Although they aren’t quite the finished article yet a fantastic gig showcased their massive potential and left the audience hungry for more.
