Chvrches return to Brixton Academy and duet with The Cure’s Robert Smith

It’s wonderful to see a music venue like Brixton Academy packed once again. There’s no need to reiterate the struggles that the live music industry has endured over the past two years; it was in March 2020 that concerts began to be cancelled, day after day.

Chvrches are finally able to tour their latest album, Screen Violence, in the UK, a tour that was “rehearsed for two months of shows [in the US] in preparation for this,” said singer Lauren Mayberry in a recent interview with the NME.

Tonight, the Scottish three-piece bring back their alternative electro-pop to the iconic South London venue “for the first time since 2014” in a proper concert. The evening kicks off with lead single He Said She Said, followed by Forever, a classic Chvrches marriage of catchy upbeat synths and bittersweet lyrics.

Mayberry commands the stage with her trademark pirouetting as she sings her heart out. The frontwoman sports a flamboyant red sequin dress for the first half of the show before swapping it for the band’s official “Final Girl” white T-shirt, a reference to the eponymous song that also features on today’s setlist – one of the best from the latest record.

Lyrically, Screen Violence doesn’t spark much interest, but musically – including the vocals – it’s Chvrches’ finest work to date. California and Violent Delights are performed back-to-back, just like on the album, and they are the absolute highlight of the night.

Mayberry mixes banter with anecdotes between songs, telling the crowd about when she travelled from Glasgow to watch Death Cab for Cutie in this very same place, a decade ago, and how her ex-boyfriend – who “shouldn’t have been a boyfriend” – wanted to give her ticket away to a friend. “Nope!” she remarks.

One can’t but feel disappointed that personal favourites Screaming and Bitter End do not make the cut, as well as Better If You Don’t, Nightmares and Lullabies. All the new songs are so good that they steal the spotlight – even from classics such as Recover and Night Sky.

Never Say Die marks the end of the official set, before Chvrches return to the stage for a heartfelt rendition of Asking for a Friend. It doesn’t go unnoticed that Mayberry now has both her arms completely covered in fake blood – yet another reference to the “final girl” horror film trope.

As the lights go down, your reviewer – who is also on picture-taking duties – returns to the photographers’ pit because The Cure’s Robert Smith is joining the band for the next four tracks, starting from their collaboration How Not to Drown and continuing with a memorable duet on 80s pop anthem Just Like Heaven.

Chvrches now have four albums under their belt and performing 18 songs begins to feel like just enough for a concert. Iain Cook, Martin Doherty and Mayberry finish the gig with two of their most loved singles, The Mother We Share and Clearest Blue, as they say goodbye to London.

Filippo L’Astorina, the Editor
Photos: Filippo L’Astorina

For further information and future events visit Chvrches’s website here.

Watch the video for How Not to Drown here: