★★★☆

Chvrches returned to Scotland for the first time since performing at TRNSMT festival last July. Currently on a tour that will visit Australia, the UK, Japan, USA and Mexico, the Scottish band took to the Hydro arena stage to perform a selection of the exquisitely 80s-inspired synth-pop tracks from their new album Love Is Dead.



Glaswegian pop punk band The Ninth Wave and English pop duo Let’s Eat Grandma, fittingly opened the show. When vocalist Lauren Mayberry came on stage on the notes of Get Out, wearing a swirling see-through yellow dress and her colourful signature makeup, the mood was set for an 80s-style dance party.

Chvrches were propelled to fame by their first single The Mother We Share. Since then, they have gone from playing in small venues in and around Glasgow, to securing a solid world-wide fanbase and playing festivals around the globe.

Martin Doherty voiced this sentiment during the set between his vocal performances of God’s Plan, part of the band’s latest effort, and Under the Tide, from their debut album The Bones of What You Believe.

“Every person on this stage knows what it feels like to play a gig where the band outnumbers the audience,” said the keyboardist looking out to the packed arena. “I will never forget that,” he added before bursting into a wild dance with the next tune.

The celebration of the band’s Scottishness continued between songs, with heartfelt discussions on the Glasgow patter and the meaning of phrases such as “chips and hame”, culminating with vocalist Lauren Mayberry downing her first Buckfast on stage.

She was the true star of the night, with impeccable vocals delivered smoothly through her frenzied dance moves.

There was time for some politically charged moments as well. The band declared they felt comfortable enough to shout “Fuck Brexit”, which, they confessed, was not well received elsewhere. After all, more than one track inevitably contains Mayberry’s journalistic spirit and activism.

An example is Graves, excerpt from the new album, that features the lyrics They’re leaving bodies in stairwells/ Or washing up on the shore/ You can look away/ While they’re dancing on our graves.

The setlist included many other tracks from Love Is Dead, including the new single Graffiti, Miracle, and Never Say Die to conclude the show. Nonetheless, this choice was well received by the audience, who had the time to become familiar with the new material, released in May 2018.

The band performed only a couple of tracks from their second album, Every Open Eye, so far their biggest-selling, and opted for older tunes, much to the fans approval. The crowd sang along to Gun, We Sink, Tether and the unfailing The Mother We Share to open the encore.

Despite the seemingly 80s vibes in sound and appearance, Chvrches’ live shows are a breath of fresh air with their overwhelmingly entrancing tunes that keep the crowd going wild for the duration of the set. If anything, it can get a bit repetitive and – after all the dancing – tiring.

Words and Photos: Sara Paciaroni

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