Photo: wenn
"This is slightly different from The Nest in Dalston," laughs Lauren Mayberry - understating the sheer scale of this occasion as she recalls their first London gig, humbled as she traces their journey from there to here - their finest hour and crowning moment. "Not that there's anything wrong with The Nest in Dalston."
Indeed, everyone's gotta start somewhere - but thankfully for Chvrches, the destination was here - at the most iconic and historic of all London venues, The Royal Albert Hall. "Your shoes don't stick to the floor in here," she continues..."It's only up from here, right? We know, don't aim too high."
If there's anything we've learned from Chvrches, it's that nothing is too high. Humble and gracious they be as people, but their sound deserves, nay, demands to be here tonight. Straight from the off with 'Never Ending Circles', the opener's locomotive pace and swelling synths gracefully flow to fill the distant edges of this hallowed hall. This is where they belong.
But that's not to say this is purely endemic to the newer material. 'We Sink' lands as a favourite, with its krautrock rush charging the floor and even the higher echelons as the room unites in dance. The fact that this was written in a garage and debuted in a dingy pub basement somewhere now seems laughable. Same goes for the dark sci-fi menace of 'Science/Visions' and the bubbling understated charm of 'Gun' - when given the space and attention they deserve, Chvrches early moments show that this band were huge before they even started.
But now that vision is fully-realised. The 80's feelgood movie soundtrack joy of 'Make Them Gold' and 'Empty Threat' signpost a chart-dominating future, while the Martin Doherty-led 'High Enough To Carry You Over' emphasises that there's a true and heartfelt depth to all of their pop sheen.
All of this would amount to nothing though, if they were anything but showmen. The driving unit of Cook and Doherty act as the strong and propulsive engine to the trio, while Doherty proves a worthy frontman in his own right when he comes to jerk around the spotlight. Thoughout the evening, Mayberry twirls and strides her way across the stage, punching the sky as if to make a hole in the roof. She's behaving as if she owns the Royal Albert Hall, which is the only way to do it really.
They simply couldn't give any more. To the degree that Mayberry jokes of tripping and cutting her head open for our amusement. "Nothing's more endearing than a gaping wound," chuckles back bassist and synth player Iain Cook, before Mayberry laughs back "save that chat for Glasgow."
Indeed, you're in the Royal Albert Hall after all.
It is the moments from Every Open Eye that seem best-fitted, almost designed for this setting. The room goes absolutely ape-shit for 'Bury it', while 'Leave A Trace' feels like it's been part of their canon for years.
One can't emphasise enough, however, how 'Clearest Blue' has become the bona fide highlight of the set - and pretty much the pure manifestation of everything they've threatened to be. It's ever-rising grace before the rave-inducing drop is colossal enough in its impact to rank it among the best hits by the likes of The Human League or Depeche Mode - and we daresay they have the longevity and calibre to one day rival them. But hell, tonight it feels like they're already there. And whether in a toilet venue or The Royal Albert Hall, they always were and will be too.
Chvrches played:
Never Ending Circles
Keep You on My Side
We Sink
Make Them Gold
Empty Threat
High Enough To Carry You Over
Tether
Playing Dead
Science/Visions
Gun
Bury It
Under the Tide
Recover
Leave a Trace
Clearest Blue
Encore:
Afterglow
The Mother We Share
