‘I’m gonna play a bunch of songs that basically none of you know,” Lauren Mayberry deadpans at her sold-out debut UK solo show. Best known as the singer of Glaswegian synth-pop trio Chvrches, Mayberry launched her solo career last month with the single Are You Awake? and a string of performances in the US. Although still an active band, no Chvrches songs appear in tonight’s setlist – a marked delineation that offers Mayberry the freedom to explore a different kind of pop persona.
Taking the stage to Liza Minnelli’s Maybe This Time, Mayberry exudes punk glam in an oversized T-shirt and glitter make-up, backed by an all-female band against house party-esque tinsel curtains. She’s an endearing mix of hometown nerves and energy (“This is the show I’ve been most excited and most worried about”), joking that 20% of the audience are her family and close friends. This DIY party atmosphere works well with her energetic synthpop songs, which range from the 80s rock-inflected Shame to the loose slow jam Mantra. The set’s standout Change Shapes benefits from her band’s punchy, muscular sound, but the reflective piano of Are You Awake? unfortunately gets lost in the instrumentation.
Compared to Chvrches’ emo-inflected synth tracks, the foundation of Mayberry’s solo work is more purely pop, and her onstage presence is choreographed with dance routines. There’s something refreshing about the way these feminine pop moves sit alongside moments of righteous anger – including the excellent closing song Sorry, Etc (“I sold my soul to be one of the boys”), and Mayberry’s disgust at the Tories (“Fuck Rishi Sunak … we need as much queer and trans energy as we can get”).
In a gesture to an audience who only know one of her solo songs, Mayberry covers Like a Prayer by Madonna and Say What You Want by Texas. Like the glitter and budget backdrop, they’re not particularly slick – Mayberry admits the band only learned the Texas track at soundcheck – but their charm is somehow both self-indulgent and playing to the goodwill in the room. Mayberry is clearly feeling liberated when away from arena audiences and the tired pressures of being the only girl in the band. It’s fun to hang out with her while she’s finding her way.
