Scottish synth-pop trio Chvrches paid their dues on a debut album campaign that clocked up hundreds of shows around the world and sales approaching a million.
Rather than frittering their earnings away on a big-name producer, the band went shopping for vintage synths for their Glasgow studio and refined the retro style on a confident second album, Every Open Eye.
Their towering tunes will come in handy when they play their biggest show yet at Alexandra Palace in November. Last night’s gig at The Dome, a cosier venue, was a chance to try out nine new songs ahead of the record release tomorrow.
An evening of unfamiliar music can be trying, but Chvrches won over the audience with a punchy set that switched seamlessly between both their albums.
With her lilting yet steely vocal, singer Lauren Mayberry held her own amid the imposing synths on Never Ending Circles, resembling a Scottish Kate Bush during the song’s dolorous moments.
But while she was the focal point, the blokes in the band were not completely forgotten. Iain Cook stepped away from his keyboards to wrestle with a bass guitar, while Martin Doherty revealed his toddler’s tantrum performance style when he was allowed to sing Under The Tide. “I operate at a reasonable energy level, but that’s mad,” said Mayberry, who had earlier blurted the admission she was “lazy”. A former journalist, she clearly had visions of a bad headline and ordered any critics present not to mention it, before quickly relenting.
Latest music reviews
In fact, she was an impassioned vocalist on Keep You On My Side, a pristine new tune with a flurry of beats on which those analogue synths sounded like a wise investment. Clearest Blue could have been Erasure in their pomp, while older song Lies offered a similar Eighties pop rush.
There was variety in this performance, though, including a set of drums for Mayberry to bash during the infectious Empty Threat and even a floaty ballad, Afterglow, for the encore.
Like Chvrches’ second album, their live comeback was simply bigger and better.
Playing November 27 (020 8365 2121, alexandrapalace.com)
Follow Going Out on Facebook and on Twitter @ESgoingout
