It’s a cold winter Sunday in Sydney and whilst many are attending churches the electro pop loving faithful are attending Chvrches. The Scottish band are currently in Australia for Splendour In The Grass festival but tonight it was Sydney’s turn to experience Chvrches as they play a full headline set at the iconic Hordern Pavilion. After seeing them previously at Enmore Theatre I was excited to see how they would be in a larger venue.
Support acts came in the form of Wafia and Mansionair. The enamoured audience watched on intently although the dance moves were being reserved for the main act. The supports did a sufficient job in warming the crowd up but tonight was all about Chvrches. Possibly because of the love the band has been getting from Triple J or just a growing fanbase the crowd tonight came close to Hordern capacity.
Chvrches took to the stage with a burst of light as they wasted no time by kicking into “Get Out”. Lauren was utterly mesmerising as she would shimmy around the stage giving a vocal performance that must be experienced live. The setlist would consist of varied tracks touching on all of their albums. A set highlight came from getting to hear new track “Miracle” live, a track the crowd responded to in a jubilant way. “Clearest Blue” was another spark that ignited both the crowd and band into an immersive Scottish synth euphoria.
During the night Lauren would talk between songs showing her appreciation for the crowd in attendance and even at one point spotting a Celine Dion shirt in the crowd so began to sing Celine for us.
The set finished with another new track “Never Say Die” with the thunderous beats echoing though the venue sending the crowd back into the night cold on a unforgettable high. A perfect way to end the set. Tonight it felt like somehow the entire Horden had been transported to Byron Bay as it seemed as if Splendour had come to us. Chvrches in the last few years have risen up the electro pop ranks and tonight was testament to why. Here’s hoping that it won’t be too long before Chvrches return for a proper headline tour so the rest of Australia can experience them, especially Adelaide since they are the city of churches.
Review – Christian Ross
Photos – Britt Andrews
