Opening with her debut single ‘Ready’, released almost two years ago to the day, Elizabeth Rose drew an impressive crowd that illustrated her successful artistic growth and fan following.
As the broken golden spotlights shone down over her and keyboardist Alex Gowan, a blue haze emanated from behind. After a few initial mic issues, the pair sustained great stage energy with mesmerising qualities.
‘Sensibility’ and ‘Out Of Step’ saw Rose produce a mixture of intricate and vibrant moves to complement the sonic variations within her Aaliyah, Brandy, and Mariah Carey influenced sounds. She also gracefully took the time to praise Sydney r n’b electro outfit VCS before playing their recent collaborative track, ‘Only Me’.
A stellar choice for Triple J’s Like A Version, Rose’s cover of Corona’s ‘Rhythm Of The Night’ saw the crowd come alive. After thanking Chvrches for having her, an enthusiastic audience reception paved the way for her latest single, ‘The Good Life’. The increased tempo powdered the audience in a euphoric glaze.
The 40-minute wait between sets caused the elation to fizzle somewhat and the crowd to become restless However, this was forgotten by the time the main act arrived.
An abundance of aqua strobes invaded the stage, and the enthralling haze left the sold out crowd with almost bursting eardrums. Leaping into the heavy synth-pop beats within ‘We Sink’, rave rainbow lighting circulated the crowd as Chvrches captivated the room.
A heavy singalong in the mosh for ‘Gun’ and ‘Lungs’ proved that the Scottish trio are far more than just indie kids from Glasgow. The impeccable harmonies between Lauren Mayberry and Martin Doherty transfixed the audience, as did the backing ‘V’ visuals that illuminated within different spectrums. The gentler atmosphere during ‘Now Is Not The Time’ soothed the crowd momentarily.
The erratic lighting against the sonic splendour represented Chvrches as a stellar amalgamation of Crystal Castles and The Naked And Famous, and thunderous applause erupted after every song. ‘Lies’ saw a starry sky of camera phones, ‘Night Sky’ welcomed revolving projections that lit up the back wall, and the rave rainbows returned for ‘Strong Hand’.
As the spotlight was mainly on Mayberry, placing matching ‘V’ lighting in front of both Doherty and Iain Cook effectively gave the band a cohesive, aesthetic balance.
Admittedly, ‘Recover’ didn’t receive the huge reaction one would expect, especially after achieving the #28 spot in this year’s Hottest 100. However, after powering through most of their set, the somewhat silent momentum of the tune was a welcome shift.
Mayberry offered some awkward but amusing banter. Here was a petite girl rabbiting on in a sweet but confusing Scottish accent about undone flies and a pivotal Neighbours moment that seemed to heavily influence her life.
During ‘Tether’, a blue lighting surrounded Mayberry and left the harmonisation and instrumental breakdown in the hidden blackened depths.
Easily the highlight of the night was ‘Under The Tide’, a song that saw Doherty emerge from behind the synths and take centrestage. His interaction turned into infectious, ferocious dancing, creating the night’s largest mosh. The high that Doherty created was amplified during ‘The Mother We Share’ as energy burst from every nook within the venue.
Using ‘By The Throat’ for the encore was unfortunately somewhat futile, with the euphoria dwindling rather than magnifying. However, this minor moment was overshadowed by the rest of their brilliant set. The trio’s ability to strengthen and transform songs from their debut album The Bones Of What You Believe into a heavy, transfixing, energetic haze – and almost something entirely new – was spellbinding.
