After a well-received performance from opener Mansionair, the lights faded to black and an enormous roar erupted from the crowd, echoing off the walls of a packed Complex last night. The collective shriek continued until the steady beats of CHVRCHES’ (pronounced ‘Churches’) first song greeted a restless Salt Lake City.
With the bass thumping in their chests, hundreds of people filed into the Complex, ready to hear the familiar and the new, as CHVRCHES is currently on tour promoting their new album, Every Open Eye.
The band’s second song received just as enthusiastic a welcome, and so did the third. After a cheery “Hello!” from lead singer Lauren Mayberry in her charming accent, the crowd couldn’t contain itself. Down to the last song they played, Salt Lake told the band exactly how it felt about attending a few hours of CHVRCHES .
While Salt Lake City may be a far cry from their native home Scotland, CHVRCHES proved it doesn’t matter how far away from home they are — this band in no way balks at the thought of performing in front of a vast audience.
Mixing old crowd favorites with new crowd-pleasers, Mayberry and her fellow band mates abolished the line between catering to loyal fans and impressing first timers in one fell swoop. In fact, they simply did exactly what they were expected to do: they came, they saw and they entertained.
While CHVRCHES is a relatively new band, they’ve come a long way since starting up in 2011. Instead of just riding the electro-pop wave into the future, they’re helping define it. Their steady beats, rhythmic synth and Mayberry’s clear voice are what draws attention from various age groups. At the intersection of Matt and Kim and Paramore with the added splash of their own poetic lyrics, CHVRCHES makes a case for electro-pop being the sound of the future.
Throughout the concert, those who knew the words mouthed along and those who didn’t kept up by dancing. It didn’t matter where you were within the venue — you could feel the energy of not only the crowd, but the performers themselves.
CHVRCHES kept it light, joking between songs, allowing for “half-slow songs” as breathers between their high-energy hits. Begging everyone to be mindful of each other, especially at the front where the mosh-pitters danced rampantly, Mayberry relayed a story of her first concert (Jimmy Eat World) and how she was only able to hear a few songs before her head was trampled and she was carried away. “Be chill and don’t squash,” she said, and adorably made the case for helping out our fellow men during the concert.
Mayberry also referenced the last time they visited Salt Lake for a performance last spring at The Depot. Her bandmates Lain Cook and Martin Doherty both commented on the energy buzzing in the building. “What’s up Salt Lake! Y’all are f****ing crazy!” they yelled and Salt Lake screeched right back showing that just because it was a Wednesday night did not mean we weren’t prepped to party.
Chalk it up to a lack of things to do in the valley or what have you, but Salt Lake has built a reputation as a frequent stop on tours capable of holding its own and demonstrating considerable enthusiasm for pretty much any genre that passes through the Wasatch Front.
At the close of the concert, Mayberry finished by announcing that even though they only had a few songs left, they had plans to visit Nightmare on 13th, much to the delight of the hyped-up crowd.
Saving some of their most popular songs for last, Mayberry clearly demonstrated her talent as a whole-hearted entertainer who is supported by her equally talented band mates.
Although I still can’t hear from the concert, rest assured, I’ll be listening to CHVRCHES’ new album the moment my ears recover.
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