“They’re all a bit sad,” said Lauren Mayberry, with a laugh, of her songs before performing “Anywhere But Dancing,” in Chicago on Feb. 5. “I’m still Scottish at the end of the day. We lead with laughter, but inside – sad, sad, sad. Tears of a clown, guys, tears of a clown.”
The juxtaposition of melancholic messages in pleasing packages proved to be the theme of the night as Mayberry played the entire tracklist from her stellar solo debut album, Vicious Creature, for fans at Thalia Hall. The release serves as a more personal work for Mayberry while still maintaining the synth-pop sounds and infectious melodies that Chvrches fans have come to love. From the pretty piano-driven “Are You Awake?” to the defiant show-opener “Crocodile Tears,” the free and fun music of the night honored genuine emotions and provided a much needed release.
An especially cathartic moment came during the politically-charged power-pop ballad, “Something in the Air.” The song features the lyric, “Screaming through a red, a white, a blue megaphone,” and Mayberry explained that she had wanted to use a red, white, and blue megaphone as a prop during the show, but ordering the product didn’t exactly go as planned.
“I opened it [the package] up. Inside the box, inside the promotional materials, there is a picture of Donald Trump using that megaphone and when I tell you the scream that I scrumpt – that came out of me. ‘Take it outside. Spray it. I don’t know. Set it on fire. I don’t know what to do,’” she recalled, adding that the megaphone she now uses in the show is a red megaphone, cheerleader approved. The contaminated megaphone was promptly returned.
“Cheerleaders can be president over that piece of shit. I know you guys came to have a night out and not think about that horrible cunt of a person,” Mayberry added to a chorus of cheers. “This is the only song on the setlist that is really political – and I have a prop – so we can just think about how much we hate, hate, hate, hate, this man for the next few minutes.”
The song – on which Mayberry’s vocals were at their most expressive and powerful – not only served as a release for the existential dread occupying every minute of life during the 47th president’s term, but it was also a powerful reminder to cut through the noise and focus on what really matters. “Change Shapes,” “Punch Drunk,” and a cover of The Verve’s “Bitter Sweet Symphony,” which Mayberry truly made her own, were further highlights of the evening’s setlist.
Earlier in the night, multi-instrumentalist Cult of Venus played songs tailer-made for the “age of the apocalypse,” including “Mountains” and “Algorithm.” With deafening beats and thoughtful lyrics, the set fit right in with Mayberry’s defiant, yet danceable sounds.
The only time Mayberry got it wrong during her set was when she joked that the concept of a singer from a band doing a solo album is “everyone’s living fucking nightmare.” That couldn’t have been further from the truth as the Vicious Creature live experience thoughtfully built upon Chvrches’ legacy while giving fans a new way to experience Mayberry’s music. The night ultimately unfolded like a dream come true.
Check out photos of Lauren Mayberry – with Cult of Venus – below and click here to pick-up tickets to future stops on the Vicious Creature Tour. More information can be found at Laurenmayberry.co.uk.
(Photos by Laurie Fanelli)
