On Nov. 26, a Wednesday, fans of the electro-synthpop Scottish trio flocked to the Samsung Hall of SM Aura in Taguig for a one-night show courtesy of Vybe Productions.
The crowd came trickling in between Brisom and Autotelic’s performances. By the time Chvrches went onstage at 10 p.m., the hall was packed.
Lead singer Lauren Mayberry commented on how the volume of people is the kind you’d expect on a weekend. She seemed both pleased and surprised.
At a recent press conference, the band’s members said they’ve grown accustomed to playing in bigger shows, and that the audience’s reactions affected them. They cited this year’s Coachella and Splendour in the Grass music festivals as two of their most memorable ones to date. “There were people as far as you could see, and the energy was just unbelievable,” Mayberry said.
While the band interacts with fans on social media, Mayberry clarified that public opinion does not directly affect its craft. “I would say that social networks are great as tools for communication. I guess I grew up on message boards and have a kind of media law background, so to me it makes sense to use those channels to communicate directly with people, to create a sort of community,” she said.
Right mood
“But I don’t necessarily think that the social opinions will have an impact on what we write. Once you open yourself to many opinions, you’ll be able to create something. It would be confusing, I think, to take that many opinions. I think it’s important for us to communicate, but not when it comes to the creative choices that we make,” she added.
These creative choices spawned the tracks in the album “The Bones of What You Believe,” released in 2013.
Having worked in record labels as A&R men, Iain Cook (synthesizers, guitar, bass, vocals) and Martin Doherty (synthesizers, samplers, vocals) knew production techniques, creating demos as they wrote songs. Mayberry usually added the lyrics after the melody.
For the Manila crowd, the concert was a opportunity to gauge if the band was indeed praiseworthy in a live setup.
“We Sink,” the second track from “The Bones of What You Believe,” made an ideal lead-in to the rest of the set. Its ascending tempo and challenging lyrics set the audience in the right mood.
“Lies” sustained an up-tempo vibe, sending many people into a body-jolting, head-bobbing frenzy by the time it reached the chorus.
You could hear every die-hard fan singing and hanging onto every word as Chvrches played tracks from the same album, including “Gun,” “Night Sky,” and “Science/Visions.”
Cook shifted between playing the guitar, keyboards and bass, while Doherty manned the synths, accompanying Mayberry’s vocals.
She would switch positions with Doherty later into the set, but not before the crowd had their fill of her fragile-sounding, almost woeful but vibrant singing.
The trouble with having a band that relies heavily on electronics is that there’s always a pressure to exceed the audience’s expectations. Recording a few tracks in a studio is way different from letting the sound resonate through speakers during a concert and captivating an audience. There is a tendency for electronic acts to just let everything run through a laptop and rely on animated effects on LED screens to carry the show.
But this wasn’t the case with Chvrches.
Galaxy-inspired
The light show is undeniably part of Chvrches’ sets; the band has a guy named Louis Oliver who makes sure that the changing hues, transforming band logo and galaxy-inspired animation in the background seamlessly complement every song.
But the band made sure that the show never turned into a glorified playback party.
Despite Mayberry’s demureness during interviews, all three band members truly made an effort to connect with the audience and provide them with an outstanding live performance. Doherty animatedly tinkered with the synths, and it was fascinating how Cook handled every instrument well.
Wearing a simple gray top, black shorts and tights, Mayberry didn’t need wardrobe changes. She sang in a wounded, caustic, spirited and fragile manner as the songs required, adding a near-perfect vocal layer as Cook and Doherty played with tight consistency.
Whenever Mayberry said, “Thank you, guys” in between songs in a cute, unassuming way, it drove the crowd nuts. She chatted with them after the dancing, singing and screaming.
After taking a selfie with the crowd, Doherty traded places with Mayberry and took over lead vocals on “Under the Tide.”
The night wouldn’t be complete without the band’s biggest hit to date, “The Mother We Share.”
The show would have ended at 10 p.m. but the crowd screamed for more and Chvrches obliged, performing “Dead Air,” a song written for the “Hunger Games: Mockingjay” soundtrack, as well as “You Caught the Light” and “By the Throat,” before taking a final bow.
From a band that initially made waves through the Internet with self-produced records, Chvrches has become an act to look out for onstage—and for some, even to worship.
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