Scottish band CHVRCHES explode with first song, then battle to keep crowd’s attention

The first exposure that the ACL crowd received of CHVRCHES was a body-rumbling onset of bass, then the sight of lead singer Lauren Mayberry’s electric blue under-the-eye makeup, shortly followed by the introduction of Mayberry’s sweet, girly voice which strikingly contrasted with the heavy bass.

The Scottish band’s name (pronounced “churches”) caused many ACL attendees to ask their friends under their breath, “Wait, how do you pronounce this band’s name?” However, not many people cared much about their name once the music started pumping.

The crowd was impressively large, especially for a non-headliner, leaving just enough personal space to subtly bob your head and wiggle your body — the type of dance that seems appropriate with CHVRCHES’ low-tempo electronic sounds, created with synthesizers by Martin Doherty and Iain Cook.

The trio has a consistent sound, which can be a great thing, until all the songs start to run together and the Millennial audience with their low attention spans start to lose interest because their minds crave variety. In the heat of the afternoon, it was not enough to battle the after-lunch slumber.  

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