Lauren Mayberry Dazzles At The Fine Line
I love it when members of more prominent bands do a solo tour but don't bill it as being "a member of." It makes you feel like you've found this super special show, and saying that I found a special show on Monday night would be an understatement. Sure, after covering six shows over the weekend, I could have used a break, but I knew who Lauren Mayberry was and knew that her show at The Fine Line was one that should not be missed.
The mysterious and beautiful Cult of Venus was the only opener for the show on Monday night. Her signature brand of darkness and heavy music instantly set the tone. The music wasn't heavy in the sense that I typically say music is heavy. There were no major breakdowns and no slamming blast beats. It was more subtle, like the haze that was cast over the stage. The prominent beat of her music was matched by her heavily enhanced vocals, but if you listened carefully, you could catch onto a siren-like vocal that added to the air of mystery behind her. Switching between fiddling with a small table of electronic equipment and the guitar that slung from her neck, Cult of Venus surely wasn't the most exciting act I'll see all week but it was definitely one of the more intriguing ones.
Cult of Venus came to The Fine Line as a one-woman show. Part of me loved that because her aura was so strong, but another part of me would have loved seeing how she interacted with other band members and how that may have beefed up her sound. I feel that the fact that she was up on the stage alone and just kind of doing her own thing with a slightly timid energy had the audience wondering what was going on. There seemed to be a disconnect between the stage and the crowd, and although I did thoroughly enjoy her music, I just felt that it could have been much more impactful had she found a way to connect with the audience a bit more.
So why did seeing a woman named Lauren Mayberry on a Monday night at the intimate Fine Line in downtown Minneapolis feel like such a "surprise" show and such a treat? Lauren is the vocalist of the Scottish pop band Chvrches. Although I'm personally not a huge fan of Chvrches, I appreciate them. I know that sounds cheesy, but it's true. Their sound is very electronic pop, which is so not what I typically look for, but there's a depth behind their sound that has already just kind of stuck with me. Sure, I'm not spending all day, every day listening to Chrvches' four-album discography like some in attendance on Monday clearly do, but every time they come on a playlist I may have going, or a friend plays them, I thoroughly enjoy it.
I know that Chvrches is so much more than just Lauren Mayberry, but, to me, Lauren makes the group's sound stand out, so to see her perform solo was absolutely a treat, and she did not let me down. Instantly stealing the spotlight in her bright poofy green dress and flawless makeup (seriously, this woman looked absolutely stunning and like an alt-rock dream), Lauren kicked her set off with "Crocodile Tears" from her debut solo album 'Vicious Creature' which came out last year. From there, she went on to play every track from this twelve-song album in a unique order. Although I feel like the order in which the songs are placed on the album makes sense, the order in which she played the tracks on Monday night felt a bit more organic and a bit more planned out. The flow of the night made sense and left the perfect gap for Lauren to do a super unique and amazing cover of "Bitter Sweet Symphony" from The Verve.
The vibe in the room on Monday night was somehow super excited but also super laid back at the same time. It truly felt like a show for only those "in the know," and because of that, nobody was willing to miss a single moment of this truly special occasion. The crowd, which was much lighter than I would have expected, was absolutely silent as Lauren played through her songs with her super-talented backing band behind her. The only sound outside of the music was the roar of applause that would follow each song, but as soon as the next track would stop, that roar was cut off in the blink of an eye. The respect and attentiveness that this audience showed to Lauren Mayberry was stunning but also absolutely warranted.
Monday night's show could have been sold out had Lauren billed this show and tour as "Lauren Mayberry of Chvrches," instead, she opted to have it billed as solely Lauren Mayberry. I'm not saying that she is leaving Chvrches or anything like that (seriously-- that's not at all where I'm going with this), but I will say that the separation of Lauren from Chvrches for this album, this tour, and Monday night's show is a brilliant move and just continues to show the sheer talent and star power of this inspiration and bad-ass woman.
