It was a stunning Scottish showcase at Ebisu Liquidroom last Wednesday night, with Glasgow outfit CHVRCHES supported by ERRORS in an electro-fuelled dance party to be remembered.
ERRORS were up first, playing their first ever show in Japan, and got the audience warmed up with a killer set. As soon as they broke into their first song, I was immediately kicking myself for not having checked these guys out earlier; they totally blew me away with their bassy 80s dance tracks and it was impossible to refrain from dancing.
Errors were signed by fellow Scotsmen MOGWAI to their label Rock Action Records back in 2004, and have since enjoyed worldwide recognition for their super energetic glitch-tracks, releasing four studio albums and two EPs and touring extensively throughout UK, Europe and the States.
>> FULL GALLERY OF ERRORS PHOTOS HERE >>
Fighting through a couple of technical difficulties, Errors continued to put on an incredibly tight performance, to the point that I was sure they’d be a tough act for CHVRCHES to follow. My suspicions were unfounded however, and despite the bar being set so high, the three piece, fronted by the amazingly powerful vocalist Lauren Mayberry alongside the equally talented Martin Doherty and Iain Cook, proceeded to wow their fans, broaching the stage in total darkness before appearing in a frenzy of flashing lights and pounding basslines. It’s common with electro outfits to see those behind synths and samplers quite docile while vocalists soak up most of the spotlight, however that was not the case last night, all three members thrashing about frantically at all times. In fact during Under The Tide, in which Doherty provides lead vocals, Lauren’s visual performance was almost topped, Doherty breaking out some pretty intense moves during the chorus.
Chvrches are yet another example of a band that has absolutely skyrocketed into the world of fame and hype, only premiering their first track Lies online in May 2012 and performing their first live show the following July. They’ve since released a highly successful debut album The Bones of What You Believe in September last year, and have played at SXSW and on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. Their show last night in Ebisu marked their second time in Tokyo, and the group seemed over the moon to be back in the country, thanking the audience profusely for their kindness and support.
They were not immune to technical problems, Lauren’s microphone cutting out completely at one point, and then later a total shutdown of instruments which resulted in the band having to leave the stage for five minutes while the stage crew frantically scrambled to sort out the issue. They closed with hit track The Mother We Share before coming back for an encore with By The Throat, rounding off what was a completely solid and crowd-pleasing performance. Both Chvrches and Errors will be playing together again this Saturday at HOSTESS CLUB WEEKENDER here in Tokyo, in a stellar lineup that includes ÁSGEIR, DAUGHTER and MOGWAI.