Photo by Christina Kernohan
Last Friday, the NOTHING BUT HOPE AND PASSION staff donned ceremonial robes and arrived in time for worship at the high temple of Berlin nightlife to pay our respects to Glasgow electro pop darlings CHVRCHES. This band is garnering plenty of attention, especially after coming in fifth place in BBC’s Sound of 2013 list. The debut EP Recover was released in March. CHVRCHES is heavy on the synths and electronic influences, but with just enough sugary pop to keep the music accessible to everyone. With three members, CHVRCHES is Iain Cook, Martin Doherty and pixie-ish frontwoman Lauren Mayberry. The two boys contribute vocals and man the synths, while Lauren keeps it together with a distinct soprano that is one of the more unique voices we’ve heard lately. Her voice is airy and Top-40-influenced without being overly sweet. Plus the whole band rocks that lovely Glaswegian accent.
London-based ARTHUR BEATRICE opened. They began with a gloomy and ponderous piano intro that quickly gave way to rapid-fire drums and throaty tender vocals, making for danceable pop-rock. Typical of the London based indie rock, ARTHUR BEATRICE manages luscious harmonies between front woman Ella Girardot and Orlando Leopard. Brothers Elliot (drums) and Hamish Barnes (bass) contribute backing vocals.
CHVRCHES took the stage, excited to be playing the legendary club Berghain, which they compared to the vampire club in the movie Blade. Lauren showed off her mastery of the German language with stock phrases from language classes: “Ich war ins Kino am wochende.” The crowd found her attempts endearing, although the “Ich bin ein Berliner” Kennedy reference was a tad awkward. Fortunately, most people in Berghain are too gone and enthusiastic to care, and they let themselves be swept away with the bright, starry pop, loving it when Lauren asks them to “put your hand/in my hand.” CHVRCHES is above all extremely accessible, with plenty of crossover mainstream appeal. They closed with excellent encore, covering the classic PRINCE track, “I Would Die 4 U.” Are they the promised saviours of pop? Well, they didn’t prove us wrong on that night.
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