CHVRCHES | LIVE REVIEW
Solus, Cardiff, Thurs 13 Mar
Halfway through Chvrches’ Welsh debut – after I’ve already spent a sizeable chunk of the set distractedly trying to pinpoint who they remind me of – my plus one for the evening tells me she thinks they sound like the lovechild of Depeche Mode and t.A.Tu. Remember t.A.T.u, All The Things She Said? No? With the Russian schoolgirls snogging in the rain in the video? There you go. Alarmingly, I can see what she means and, at the risk of potentially alienating half of Buzz’s target readership, have taken up her generous offer of stealing her opinion for the purposes of this review as it’s actually pretty spot-on.
I’ve liked this band for a while. They’re a three-piece from Glasgow and play sweet, synthy electropop dusted over dark, spiky edges. On record, you’d be most likely to recognise singer Lauren Mayberry’s ingenuous, ethereal vocals first, but the assured punch of their overall sound also sets them apart and is reinforced dramatically in the live setting.
Chvrches kick off with the clear-eyed confident strut of We Sink and Lies, settling easily into a purposeful pace reflected back at them by the bounce of the sell-out crowd. Aside from the Mode and the pseudo-lesbian Russians, I find myself thinking of Robyn, La Roux and even early Sneaker Pimps; all knowing little-girl façades and scornful prods to the big boys’ chests.
Live, Chvrches are far darker, dirtier, all chunky pounding basslines and shattery, stompy drums, no less intense for being machine- rather than kit-sourced. Martin Doherty takes over vocals duty for Under The Tide, his abandoned stage pogoing super-charging an already euphoric set highlight, and the swirling, epic You Caught The Light, one of two inspired encore choices along with the summery sparkle and fade of By The Throat.
Chvrches are unashamed in their nods to their 80s influences, and I can’t be the only one to see occasional flashes of early 90s Britpop here too. What makes this work is that it’s never allowed to run amok with the band’s signature sound, which is smart, assured, bewitchingly uplifting pop. It just makes it even better.
words MEGAN CAMPBELL