Kaytranada House of Blues Boston performance

Living Arts

Chvrches closes out year with powered performance at House of Blues Boston

Marcus Cocova

Beacon Staff

Scottish synth-pop band Chvrches brought an electric performance on Wednesday Dec. 1 to the House of Blues in Boston, a recent stop on a tour to promote their latest album, “Screen Violence.”

The band has been on their current tour, titled after the album, since Nov. 9. “Screen Violence” released on Aug. 27, 2021.

Chvrches’ special guest and opening act Donna Missal was praised by concertgoers with an energy that matched what was offered to the headlining band—a phenomenon I have found to be uncommon at concerts.

The audience’s hungry excitement for Missal is made particularly inexplicable by the over 4 million listener disparity between the two bands’ monthly Spotify listeners. The surprise of this excitement quickly melts away when witnessing Missal’s ability to cover ground on stage, engage with her audience by fixing her attention to individual crowd members, and her use of call and response.

Chvrches’ lead singer, Lauren Mayberry, flawlessly matched Missal’s lively performance. Mayberry assuredly held the band’s title as the headliner with both her vocals and flurry of physicality across the stage.

Mayberry entered with attitude and in spite of the silken vocals and poppy synth sounds, the singer performed in a tidal of spins and kicks that would put staples of heavier genres of music to shame.

She maintained a studio quality vocal performance, the best of which included the band’s songs “The Mother We Share” and “Forever.”

Mayberry’s attentiveness to the audience bled through her performance. This attentiveness was proven when Chvrches had to stop their performance to address an audience member in need of emergency care.

While urging security to hurry, the singer went so far as to offer one of her band’s personal, reusable water bottles to the fan in need.

Despite the alarm, the band was able to get the evening back on track with the agenda of charging up the audience with invigorating music. The audience returned to shouting lyrics, and remained fixed on Mayberry’s every move. The synth saturated music dominated a packed venue.

The band’s glittery and voltaic appeal was accented by a colorful stage design. Reminiscent of Chvrches lead singer Lauren Mayberry. Marcus Cocova / Beacon Staff Chvrches lead singer Lauren Mayberry. Marcus Cocova / Beacon Staff

Nine Inch Nails, some of the concert’s most powerful moments were backlit by massive screens which stretched from floor to ceiling, and flashed between a litany of images, furthering the ideas conjured by the tour’s title, “Screen Violence.”

Whether Chvrches is a band in your regular music shuffle or not, they undoubtedly put on a show that will get anyone to move. They are a fun band that makes fun music, for the people who enjoy it. They perform this music, however, for anyone who is enamored with the art of performance.

marcus_cocova@emerson.edu

Dancing the night away, Kaytranada style

Karissa Schaefer

Beacon Staff

A disco ball, blinding colorful lights, and a non-stop flow of dancing and R&B represent the perfect concoction for DJ Kaytranada’s Dec. 9 set at Boston’s House of Blues.

This concert was my first in the electronic dance music scene, and if you know anything about me—a longtime EDM enthusiast—this probably comes as a shock. However, it was well worth the wait, especially considering I purchased tickets on a whim with my Spotify presale link back in August. Given the many months I had to prepare, I probably should’ve thought to bring my inhaler with the amount of dancing I did that night.

Doors opened at 7 p.m., with DJ Sángo as the show’s opener. The artist had a plethora of music genres mixed into his set, pulling inspiration from hip hop, soul, straightforward dance music, and more. He even played an unreleased song––which now lives on his SoundCloud––leading the crowd into an uproar.

On his website, the music producer describes his songs and remixes as “regular, real beats,” and that’s exactly what they were. Sángo’s style is lowkey and chill, yet I still found myself bopping my head, tapping my foot, and doing whatever other movement I could muster to dance on beat.

The Michigan native was a soft opener to the headlining act that transitioned nicely into the more hard-hitting techno beats Kaytranada has to offer. I thought I was going all out to Sángo’s R&B classics and originals that captivated the crowd. Boy, was I wrong.

From the second Kaytranada took the stage, I was entranced. Fog filled the stage and the bright lights that beamed from behind hid him made only his silhouette recognizable against the changing TV screen. Both DJs used the screen as a transitioning visual throughout their respective sets. In the off moments and slow build ups, I was fully mesmerized by the fun, colorful graphics with phrases like “Be patient,” Kaytranada’s name, and creative short videos. In a tight setting with loud music, this was the perfect way to keep everyone engaged.

Typically, from my past experiences with opening acts, DJs are too busy shredding their equipment to be focused on a whole “song and dance” performance. This is usually fine by me when the music speaks for itself and I’m way too busy dancing. But at this show, everyone could see all the visual details and dedication the artists put in to make every part of the concert interactive. From the coordinated lights to the synched up videos, the music’s timing was everything.

There was one point during one of Kaytranada’s many perfected beat drops when white strobe lights started going off. It felt like I just stepped into a rave in another dimension, and I fully embraced it. My roommate said I looked like I belonged in a coming-of-age film as the main character. Maybe it was the disco-esque 70s shirt I was wearing, or my occasional glances to the disco ball hanging above, but I felt like I was dancing in a movie.

My roommate and I intended to hang towards the back of the crowd, so we would purposely have room to dance our hearts out. Nevertheless, the spread out crowd rushed from behind once Kaytranada was up, constricting our space. Even so, this didn’t stop me. My arms flailed, fist bumping like I was in a club with the cast of Jersey Shore. I got so into the music that I closed my eyes, causing me to step on other people’s feet from time to time. I’d say mistakes were made, but I honestly don’t regret a thing. I was quite literally having the time of my life.

Watching other members of the crowd was just as entertaining. Someone to the left of me was going ham on the dance floor, even more than me (and I didn’t think that was possible). When a group of rowdy frat bros squeezed through in between us, my roommate and I made a pact with the girls behind us to not let another man infiltrate our already tight-knit space. In an effort to get the guys to move, and showing our dedication to our pact, someone held up their phone with the text “Anybody LGBTQ+?” displayed to the crowd, which gave us a good laugh. Luckily, the frat bros migrated away towards the center. Ah, there’s something so meaningful about networking at a concert with fellow fans.

The difference between DJs and regular singers performing is the blending between songs. Rather, Kaytranada didn’t hesitate for an hour and a half straight. Though I can pick out individual songs from the set, it felt more like one giant extended version of all his hits. For a concert goer who doesn’t like to stop moving, this was more than ideal for me.

I have almost the entirety of Kaytranada’s discography in my liked songs and playlists, and nearly every one of my favorites were played. From Kaytranada’s remix of Rihanna’s “Kiss It Better,” to “YOU’RE THE ONE” with singer Syd, to the crowd’s favorite “10%,”—there wasn’t a single song that I didn’t immediately perk up and vibe to.

When The Internet’s “Girl” started playing, my roommate and I locked eyes and sang every word at the top of our lungs. We reminisced on listening to their whole discography last spring semester.

My personal favorite song of his is “CHANCES,” and you bet that once it started playing, I started busting down. It brought me back to blasting the song in my car with the wind in my hair, singing and dancing as much as possible in a 2005 Honda Civic. It’s the perfect summer song to me, but what’s the harm in listening to it in the middle of December?

If there’s a song out there or an artist you love, chances are that Kaytranada has worked with them or created a remix of it. Any work of his deserves all the attention it receives and then some. The DJ knows how to entertain a crowd and keep everyone moving.

From his Boston performance alone, Kaytranada is an artist everyone should listen to and find their own favorite song to dance their heart out to. If you have a chance to see Kaytranada near you, do it. You won’t regret it.

Kaytranada performing at House of Blues. Karissa Schaefer / Beacon Staff