Chvrches (2015)

CHVRCHES’ live show has changed immensely in the past few years. First, there’s Lauren Mayberry, who has gone from meek-but-charming to full-on badass frontwoman. Where before she would stand and bounce on the stage, now she commands it, strutting around, swinging her microphone on its cord, headbanging and dancing. The charm was still there though, when she made small talk about how she needed a break because the band’s new songs are harder to sing or when, at the end of “Tether,” she laughed at someone in the crowd who had just been hit in the face with a light-up beach volleyball. (Later on, Mayberry caught the ball on stage and then kicked it out to the crowd in dramatic fashion during a bass drop.) Along with Mayberry’s newfound showmanship, CHVRCHES’ set was marked by absolutely massive sound and a headliner-quality light show. While new songs, including opener “Never Ending Circles” and standout “Clearest Blue,” are geared toward massive outdoor audiences in the way they pack aural punches and electronic crescendos, at Landmark, even older hits like “Recover” and “Gun” were bolder, louder, and more aggressive than usual. The array of synthesizers and industrial sounds had the crowd jumping and the ground around the National Mall shaking. That’s how CHVRCHES should be.