Concert Review: CHVRCHES, The Range, April 30, 9:30 Club

Chvrches

An artist is a master of a perspective. Agree? Disagree? Let’s pretend you agree. In that case, James Hinton, aka The Range, is reigning master of the perspective that bass music can speak your soul. The DJ lit up the 9:30 Club stage with his energetic yet hypnotic mash-ups that would have been fitting for the dance club, the soundtrack to push you through that 3 PM office slump, or (as his past reviewers have noted) the bedroom.
Hinton was remarkably unassuming on-stage, offering the audience little to no banter – just beats. He was obviously appreciated, though, as his final track was met with thunderous applause and shouts for more.

But, true to the spectacle of the 9:30 Club, the show must go on, and CHVRCHES were next to take the stage. The audience was CLEARLY pumped – the band sold out the first night of performing so quickly they were booked for a second and this, the final night, was primed for excitement. The club went dark, the lights went on… and three tiny people took the stage! Oh my goodness, I”m not sure it’s fair to comment on the sheer (lack of) size of the group members first, but it was honestly the first thing that struck me. The lead singer, Lauren Mayberry, is absolutely pint-sized and the cutest little thing you could imagine. Her trademark voice lit up the stage, though – no mistake about that. She and her two bandmates absolutely killed their set. Like the Range, they offered very little frills and banter, but just jumped into their tracks (although they did have some funny insights into the less-glamorous side of tour life… aka wearing the same socks for three days and hoping no one noticed). This was one of those shows where I realized I love a lot of CHVRCHES tracks I didn’t quite realize were theirs. “We Sink” and “Gun” both jumped out to me as new favorites.

Overall, a great show. Definitely look up The Range’s remix of We Sink:

Posted on by halley in Concerts