The bookers of the Somerset House series seem to have a knack for having the foresight to book emerging acts just as they are on the cusp of becoming household names. On the hottest day of the year so far, Scottish electro troupe Chvrches, use their Somerset House as a victory lap to celebrate the success of their The Bones Of What You Believe debut album.
The garb of vocalist Lauren Mayberry is very much at odds with the humid surroundings. Dressed head to toe in black, she jokes that she always has to wear tights due to having confidence issues about her knees.
Persistent pounding eighties electro beats are present throughout the set. Former single 'Gun',with its incessant and poppy chorusdemonstrated Chvrches more commercial sensibilities. The beginning of 'Lies' had hard hip hop beats, which are reminiscent of Dizzee Rascal’s 'Fix Up Look Sharp.'
Chvrches tease the audience with 'Tether', an album track which starts out as a sombre ballad and gradually builds into an electro Gary Numan-esque wig out.
Whilst the contributions of bandmates Iain Cook and Martin Doherty are as vital as those of Mayberry, it is the vocalist who exclusively addresses the audience throughout the set. She expresses her surprise at touts ticketing outside the venue, and describes their act as a “grubby” way to make a living.
On 'Under The Tide', Doherty emerges from behind his keyboard to take centre stage and deliver lead vocals. He is very much understated in jeans and a t-shirt, and dances like a crazy drunken man between vocal takes.
Whilst the band’s setup (two keyboardists and a vocalist) meant that they're not particularly visually exciting to watch, the stage is completely covered with throbbing lasers. These change colour between songs, and increase with ferocity as the beats on tracks become more intense.
The band’s best known song, “The Mother We Share”, is played at the end of the set prior to the encore. Mayberry teases the audience by saying that they can't play any longer due to the curfew imposed on them by the neighbours in the beautiful surroundings of Somerset House.
After a brief interval the band return for a brief two song encore. Chvrches close the set demonstrating their more indulgent qualities by playing 'You Caught The Light.' The song is a moody downtempo ballad, at odds with their more electro based sounds, closing a great set.
