Returning to Rock City for the first time since 2019, CHVRCHES are performing a short string of shows to bring the Screen Violence era to a close before they take a break from touring for a little while and enter the studio to record LP5. Gemma Cockrell reviews.
Opening the show was fellow Glaswegian band Dead Pony. Capturing a heavier sound than
CHVRCHES’ upbeat synth-pop, they brought some high voltage rock energy to the evening and warmed the crowd up nicely with their 30-minute set.
Playing an array of new songs which all received a positive reaction from the crowd, they are definitely a band to watch.
After an instrumental introduction that almost went on for too long, with the anticipation beginning
to dwindle as time dragged on, Mayberry finally twirled onto the stage with her bandmates to open
the show with He Said She Said. This spinning was her signature dance move throughout the set,
with an electric fan positioned at the front of the stage serving to both keep her cool and make her
hair blow dramatically in the breeze as she moved.
After performing How Not To Drown, Mayberry ran off stage and when she returned, her matching
Scottish flag-patterned top and trouser set had been replaced with another matching set, this time a
black skirt and top. It wouldn’t be the only outfit change of the night, as she again left the stage after
Night Sky to return wearing a T-shirt bearing the words ‘Final Girl’, before predictably performing
the song of the same name.
The main part of the set ended with Never Say Die, with the chants of “Didn't you say that? Didn't
you say that?” which are repeated throughout the song serving as the perfect audience participation
moment. After a short while, Mayberry disappeared again, returning for the encore smeared in fake
blood, leaning in the underlying theme of the horror film genre that runs throughout Screen
Violence.
Starting the encore with the album opener Asking For A Friend before bursting into their
breakthrough hit The Mother We Share, CHVRCHES ended the evening with euphoric dance-along
track Clearest Blue. While it is a shame that this is one of the final Screen Violence shows, as well as
one of the last times the band will perform live for some time, it ended the era on a high and will no
doubt leave fans eagerly awaiting their return from the studio.
Gemma Cockrell
Edited by Olivia Hannant, Photo courtesy of Paul Dixon
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