Live Review: CHVRCHES @ 9:30 Club, 4/29/14

I have to admit, y'all, the night of the CHVRCHES show I was nigh on giddy. It was a Tuesday night, and I was in the midst of a serious funk, but somehow the notion of seeing the Scottish trio at one of the best clubs around cleared the storm clouds. And I tell you what, I'm still in a good mood three days later. 

Crammed into the 9:30 Club with several thousand of my closest friends, the anticipation was quiveringly palpable. Fog was starting to swirl around the stage, and an excited chatter echoed through the room. A couple girls next to me were musing what might happen if they set off the club's fire alarm, and that would probably have been the only thing that might have been able to kill the collective buzz in the club. And then, finally, the lights went out, and things got interesting.

The band was as good as I could have hoped for, really. The energy was great, and the trio seemed to feed off the crowd. Frontgal Lauren Mayberry really struck a balance between sweetly vulnerable and badass, and the flanking dudes twiddled knobs with aplomb and bouncing abandon. The lights were, as they usually are at the 9:30, almost another member of the band. The three-pronged triangular shapes from the record cover were made flesh in light form, and took on hues of red, blue, green, and purple over the course of the set. 

It was a good time from start to finish, each song given careful attention and energy by CHVRCHES. In my notes I single out the dreamy "Night Sky" as "darling," and the lighting, sparkling white, for that song in particular was just perfect. The darker beats of "Lies" and "Gun" were early favorites in the set, while "Strong Hands" and the popular "The Mother We Share" were impressive later on. As you might expect, mention was made of DC's musical history, and Lauren confessed to liking to "nerd out about Fugazi." That's the wonderful thing about CHVRCHES. They come off all business, but then there's this unexpected moment that absolutely charms you. All told, it was a pretty impeccable night. The sold out crowd loved it, I loved it, and hopefully the band loved it too.

The point to take from this, friends, is that if you ever find yourself with the chance to see CHVRCHES live, make sure you take it. 

[posted 5.2.14]

[photo by Megan Petty]  

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