CHVRCHES + HIGHSCHOOL – BRIXTON ACADEMY, LONDON 16.3.22
Scottish synth-pop trio CHVRCHES are all briefly back in the UK on a whistle-stop five date tour, taking in Edinburgh, Newcastle, London, Birmingham and Manchester. Sadly there was no Brighton concert date this time around, so we had a look to see what they had to offer at their Brixton Academy concert.
It’s fair to say that a whole decade ago I was obsessed with the band. They formed in Glasgow in the Autumn of 2011 and I can remember them posting up just four of their as then unreleased compositions onto YouTube. I believe that at that time, that is all that they had written, but boy what corkers! I kept them on play for at least two years, until their debut long player ‘The Bones Of What You Believe’ dropped in September 2013. Four months prior to this, on 18th May, they performed at Digital in Brighton as part of The Great Escape, when they performed a terrific nine song set
There was a massive buzz wave building around CHVRCHES back then and I can remember them being nominated for the ‘BBC Sound of 2013’. I also recall that they chose to spell their name in capitals and with a ‘v’ instead of a ‘u’, because their Australian friend who had something to do with their marketing suggested it. That was a masterstroke.
The CHVRCHES line-up has remained constant for over a decade now with Lauren Mayberry taking care of lead and backing vocals, drums, percussion, additional synthesizers, Iain Cook sorting the synthesizers, piano, guitars, bass, backing vocals and cap wearing Martin Doherty on synthesizers, samplers, piano, guitars, bass, backing and lead vocals. When they tour, their number is bolstered by a live session drummer, which tonight was Jonny Scott.
The seed was initially sown when in 2003, musicians Iain Cook and Martin Doherty met as students at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. They were both for a time in alternative rock band Aereogramme, but the two quit in 2007. In September 2011, Cook produced an extended play for the band Blue Sky Archives, and asked vocalist and drummer Lauren Mayberry if she would be interested in singing backing vocals for an electronic music project he and Doherty were working on, and the rest as they say is history.
The band made a welcome return to Brighton in 2015 in support of their second album ‘Every Open Eye’. They performed an uplifting 17 song memorable set at the Dome Concert Hall and my eldest son was so impressed that he bought a t-shirt from their merch stall. Prior to that, I had travelled up to London to witness their boiling set at the iconic Somerset House on the hottest day of 2014. They were supported by the enchanting Emilie Nicolas, who too was great. It was a day that I will remember for decades. The atmosphere was brilliant.
This second album ‘Every Open Eye’ was just as brilliant as their debut ‘The Bones Of What You Believe’ from two years earlier. But for me personally, ‘Every Open Eye’ will always be etched into my heart by way of fact from the closing number ‘Afterglow’. This haunting melody was played during both of my parents’ funerals and so it will ALWAYS be with me.
Around the time of their album, 2018’s ‘Love Is Dead’, Mayberry decided to go and conquer the USA and so set up shop in Los Angeles. The lads had stayed this side of the pond and the dynamics of the trio was altered as Lauren became rather active in feminism and women’s rights and United States politics and their album was the first time the band have worked with outside producers. For me, their sound had wandered away from their mighty beginning as was heading off into arguably over-produced mainstream mega-pop stardom.
After a three year gap, CHVRCHES returned with their current long player ‘Screen Violence’ which dropped on 27th August last year. The album was announced alongside the second single, ‘How Not To Drown’, a collaboration with none other than Robert Smith, lead singer of The Cure. This was a masterstroke for the band as it opened up a whole new set of goth and rock fans that might have previously not taken notice of the band. And so that leads us here to tonight in rainy Brixton at the 5000 capacity sold out Academy. Boy were the fans present in for a surprise and that includes the 17 photographers in the pit!
The eighteen track show opened to John Carpenter-esue analogue synth intro music. At the back of the stage, there was a huge screen showing distorted images and flashes which were based on their latest album. The set was bathed in blue light and there were plenty of strobes giving the place a sci-fi feel, like a scene from ‘Blade Runner’, especially combined with the vocalists Lauren’s sparkly red leather mega-shoulder padded outfit, accompanied by tall glam rock proportioned footwear, which was to be discarded for the encore. Lauren’s concert performances these days are more animated than in the early days, and thus tonight she twirled around the large stage with carefree abandon. As usual, Iain Cook and Martin Doherty were mainly stationed behind their keyboards, when not on ever increasing axe-wielding bass and guitar duties, and stixman Jonny Scott powerhouse drumming was the final piece in the jigsaw which brought the CHVRCHES sound to full arena sound.
They opened with ‘He Said She Said’ from the latest album. Their career spanning set was powerful and the audience were well on board. ‘Forever’ from their 2018 ‘Love Is Dead’ platter and ‘Leave A Trace’ from the 2015 ‘Every Open Eye’ album followed. Sadly, we were only given permission to photograph the first three songs, which was rather annoying, especially as what was in store for the very fortunate punters around an hour later.
Clearly CHVRCHES have become a tad more experienced in their live work during the past decade as can be seen from tonight’s performance of tune five ‘Violent Delights’. This was followed by the timeless ‘Science/Visions’ from 2013 ‘The Bones Of What You Believe’ album.
The sky punching ‘Bury It’ was quite rightly given an outing. It is such an uplifting composition. Before everyone knew it, they had been served a baker’s dozen of gems and it was time to vacate the stage.
The encore consisted of a handful of numbers. I would suggest that tracks two to five will live long in the memory as after first encore number ‘Asking For A Friend’ found on ‘Screen Violence’, on strolled the man with arguably the biggest backcomb in the business – Fight it out with Dr John Cooper Clarke I say – none other than goth godfather and Sussex resident Robert Smith of The Cure. Not surprising the room erupts! The opening bars of recent collaboration ‘How Not To Drown’ flow through the arena. The musicians then whisk the crowd back to 1987, with a performance of ‘Just Like Heaven’ from The Cure ‘Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me’ album. Cue the CHVRCHES credibility shoots through the roof and they are now arguably becoming a Scottish music institution.
CHVRCHES setlist:
‘He Said She Said’ (from 2021 ‘Screen Violence’ album)
‘Forever’ (from 2018 ‘Love Is Dead’ album)
‘Leave A Trace’ (from 2015 ‘Every Open Eye’ album)
‘California’ (from 2021 ‘Screen Violence’ album)
‘Violent Delights’ (from 2021 ‘Screen Violence’ album)
‘Science/Visions’ (from 2013 ‘The Bones Of What You Believe’ album)
‘Good Girls’ (from 2021 ‘Screen Violence’ album)
‘Bury It’ (from 2015 ‘Every Open Eye’ album)
‘Miracle’ (from 2018 ‘Love Is Dead’ album)
‘Night Sky’ (from 2013 ‘The Bones Of What You Believe’ album)
‘Final Girl’ (from 2021 ‘Screen Violence’ album)
‘Recover’ (from 2013 ‘The Bones Of What You Believe’ album)
‘Never Say Die’ (from 2018 ‘Love Is Dead’ album)
(encore)
‘Asking For A Friend’ (from 2021 ‘Screen Violence’ album)
‘How Not To Drown’ (with Robert Smith) (from 2021 ‘Screen Violence’ album)
‘Just Like Heaven’ (The Cure cover) (with Robert Smith) (found on 1987 ‘Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me’ The Cure album)
‘The Mother We Share’ (with Robert Smith) (from 2013 ‘The Bones Of What You Believe’ album)
‘Clearest Blue’ (with Robert Smith) (from 2015 ‘Every Open Eye’ album)
Find out more at chvrch.es
Support this evening came from Melbourne based HighSch00L who are Lilli Trobbiani, Luke Scott and Rory Trobbiani. They WILL be visiting Brighton this month, as they will be supporting West Coast Irish band, NewDad at Chalk on Monday 28th March. Purchase your tickets HERE.
HighSch00L dropped their toe tapping jangly guitar and synth New Order/The Cure/The Smiths sounding ‘Forever At Last’ six track EP last November. Check it out on their Bandcamp page.
Check them out by visiting their ‘linktree’ HERE.
