Live Review: Chvrches - O2 Apollo, Manchester 19/03/2022
Scotlands Chvrches return to Manchester, confirming their transformation from indie band to genuine pop stars.
We knew it had been a while since we last go to see Chvrches live. Little did we know it was actually eight years. A lot has happened in that time, not least for the Scottish indie poppers who've gone from strength to strength over the course of four well-received records.
That the band have grown and matured over that time is no surprise. What is a surprise however, is just how far they've come. No longer just an indie band done good, the trio have transformed into a full-blown pop band, harbouring all the confidence that comes with it. And though tonight's venue of Manchester's O2 Apollo suits them down to a tee, it's easy to envision the lofty sight of the arena across the city never far from the band's reach.
And they'd be deserving of it too.
Tonight the command they have over the crowd is spell-binding, as are their visuals; a projected screen and various flitting lights the perfect accompaniment to the band's idiosyncratic brand of button-bright synth-pop. And even this has evolved and developed. The video screen behind taking the crowd on a cinematic journey; the visuals of which dancing, skittering and evolving track by track as Chvrches fly through a set evenly balanced by tracks from across their career.
Of course, it last year's album Screen Violence that takes the lion's share. Tracks such as 'He Said, She Said', 'California' and 'How Not To Drown' all make an early appearance, though feel perfectly at home next to more established offerings like 'Leave A Trace' or 'Science/Visions'. And to the baying crowd, it clearly matters little when the tracks were released.
What matters most is the band on the stage, and the woman fronting them. With the crowd in the palm of her hand, Mayberry pirouettes across the stage, every bit the pop star those early records and shows hinted at, complete with several outfit changes. Indeed the only time the pace of the show is slowed, is when a fight breaks out towards the front of the crowd, causing both Mayberry and Iain Cook to head to the barrier and berate those involved.
Indeed, it's a testament to both the band and to the crowd that the incident is over without any serious issue, with Mayberry even apologising to a small child for the language she used; a moment of brevity lightening a shitty situation.
Without any cause for concern, the show picks up the pace instantly, with older tracks like 'Night Sky' and 'Recover' earning huge crowd responses, whilst newer offerings such as 'Final Girl' fit in effortlessly. An obligatory encore sees the band return to the stage for newer track 'Asking for A Friend', as well as both 'The Mother We Share' and 'Clearest Blue'.
It's these tracks that garner the loudest response of the evening, and as the band leave the stage to a deafening applause, the houselights flick on and we're left blinking into the grandeur of Manchester Apollo wandering how the hell we left it so long before we saw Chvrches again. One thing's for certain. We won't leave it so long next time.
Words by Dave Beech
Photos by Amelia Jones
