There were a lot of expectations lining the walls of The Paramount Theatre as the audience cheered, waiting for the lights to dim. Ambient music started playing in the background, and magic seemed to enter in the form of vibrations from the loud synth that literally spread through the audience.
The sound of wind chimes found its way into my mind as CHVRCHES, wearing matching black outfits, walked onto the stage. The light shining in the background matched the vibrations working their way up from the ground, through my feet and legs, and up to my heart. The quaking ground produced by the indietronica sound reminded me that CHVRCHES does something truly unique with their instrumental choice.
While they play electronic, synthpop music, it is not solely synthesizer based. The synthesizer plays an important role, but their live performance emphasized the use of drum beats throughout their set to define their tone as well.
Most of their music only required an electronic drum box — until one point in the middle of their set when Lauren Mayberry (the spunky lead singer) proceeded to walk over to a small snare drum kit. She held her sticks high as she jammed on the drums, adding to the already existing electronic beats in the background. This helped prove her to be the badass we already knew she was.
One of the best parts about the vocals throughout the show was the harmony between Mayberry and Martin Doherty, who controls the synthesizers along with Iain Cook. Without Doherty’s harmonization, Mayberry’s voice was at times entirely inaudible. It was difficult to make out her vocals over the intense electronic sounds.
The first time she spoke, I couldn’t help but equate her with a mouse: She has unbelievably high energy. Witty banter about her accent and the fact that she’s a Death Cab For Cutie fan got the crowd riled up and laughing. Her high pitched voice easily cut through the instrumentals, but the lyrics were unfortunately totally lost in the wash. This made it very difficult to decipher which song was being played — due to the repetitive nature of each song — from their two LPs.
I’m not fully on board yet with this new disco, electronica, indie genre they’re creating, and I’m not sure my generation is either. The crowd was surprisingly older than expected, reaching a demographic in their early-30s through mid-50s. But hey, maybe CHVRCHES brings them back to the original synth pop days of the ’80s.
Regrettably, the show didn’t pick up until near the end, when the group played “Bury It.” Despite the length of time it took for the concert’s energy to fully pick up, this song stole the show, which was largely based off their most recent album.
The end to each song was perfectly on cue. As CHVRCHES exited the stage, it was apparent they were coming back for an encore. But their encore was a bit weak, starting off really slow and melodic, killing the vibe. And of course their final song was “The Mother We Share.” All in all I was grateful they played this (because it would’ve been an omission if they hadn’t) but it was a little cliche to end with the most famous song they’ve ever released.
Their music is one of the most refreshing reinterpretations of synthpop that’s been released in the modern media. They’ve produced a highly unique sound compared to other modern electronic artists, due to the heavy snare and tom sound not usually not present in synth music. CHVRCHES’ ambiance and fluidity were consistently omnipresent, but they weren’t able to create great breadth within their set, causing the show to be underwhelming.
The verdict: Next time CHVRCHES is in town, maybe don’t spend $45 on a ticket.
Reach writer Rebecca Gross at arts@dailuw.com. Twitter: @becsgross
