Twirling her way through red leather shoulder pads to the slasher surviving ‘Final Girl’, Lauren Mulberry and co deliver a crowd pleasing setlist fronted by the dystopian themes of 2021’s Screen Violence.
It comes after a tour night at Brixton Academy joined by Robert Smith, which landed the band in the pub for a late one. Whilst Mulberry claims the band are nursing a hangover – as you can’t turn down a pint with a rock legend, right? She relentlessly spins around carefree as the group deliver a thumpingly flawless set that hardly lacks lustre.
Chvrches may seem an unlikely band to release a horror themed album with their euphoric chorus’s and upbeat pop electronics. Yet theirs plenty to draw from for their horror themed record. Opening their setlist with ‘He Said, She Said’, pounding beats echo as lyrics recount a man’s gendered demands “Get drunk but don’t be a mess”, “Look good but don’t be obsessed”. The track surges as Lauren screams “I feel like I’m losing my mind over and over” with the added zest of live drums and synth.
There’s plenty more to come from Screen Violence, ‘California’ and ‘How Not To Drown’ hit back to back as they detail gracious setbacks and the freedom which comes through failure. It’s a contrast to the likes of hits such as ‘Recover’, ‘Bury It’ and ‘Leave A Trace’ which have seen the Glaswegian trio rise to the international pop scene, but a welcomed one.
Returning for an encore the mellow sweeping sound of ‘Asking For A Friend’ fills the academy before the undeniably familiar sounds of ‘The Mother We Share’ see the crowd at their most lively. Ending with ‘Clearest Blue’ Chvrches show they can deliver on every level. Not only showcasing stadium filling pop and romanticised lyrics but an edge of darkness combined with exhilarating escapism.
