Lauren Mayberry, frontwoman of CHVRCHES is on a short tour of select dates in support of her first solo material. Mayberry has only released one song, “Are You Awake?” but has more to be released soon. The tour kicked off in Washington D.C. on September 4th and hit August Hall in San Francisco Thursday night September 28th. After “Maybe This Time” by Liza Minnelli played over the loudspeakers, Mayberry emerged on stage dressed in a sequin jacket over a black dress and the word ‘Shame’ written under her right eye. Performing “Bird” with only flashing backlights behind her on a riser, Mayberry was commanding and in control as soon she would step off and proceeded to dance and spin across the stage. Afterwards, she thanked the crowd for “coming to an evening of songs you’ve never heard in your life.” Following it up with “Change Shapes”, an upbeat 80s-inspired pop song with a catchy bassline, Mayberry was loose as she spun and danced from one side of the stage to the other while leading the crowd with handclaps during various parts of the song. The soon-to-be-released “Shame” was a highlight as well as her covers of “Like a Prayer” by Madonna and the unique selection of “Miss World” by Hole. Mayberry shared that she was performing a cover of an artist with local significance to each city she’s performing in during the tour and noted that Courtney Love was born in San Francisco and where she spent her early youth. Mayberry acknowledged how San Francisco was the first city that CHVRCHES ever performed in the U.S. and thanked her band and crowd before ending the set with “Sorry, Etc.” She was electric, animated and exuded the anger and emotion of the guitar-heavy song that was the perfect song to end the night with as it left fans even more eager for the recorded solo material to be released.
