CHVRCHES Bring Screen Violence to The Anthem
Date: November 30th, 2021
Venue: The Anthem
Washington, DC
THE SETTING: The interior of a large open-forum venue, filled with a light haze that circulates through the air. The indistinct sounds of conversations vibrate through the room as more and more people enter. The color blue is dominant across all corners of the room, including the stage. The lights then drop shrouding all in attendance in darkness. Lights begin to create a small glow upon the back wall of the stage, growing to spell out the words… “Donna Missal”
ACT I: A hidden gem for years in the music world, New Jersey’s own Donna Missal has been creating music and introducing listeners to her powerhouse vocals since around 2015 when she released her first demo of “Keep Lying” which to this day stands on its own. In addition, she released her latest album Lighter in July of 2020 which is arguably a no-skip album because it’s just that damn good. It includes songs such as “Slow Motion,” “Carefully,” and “Let You Let Me Down” which she would use later to close out the set for the evening. Before that though, she introduced us to a few newer songs including unreleased songs such as “Butterfly” but also recent releases much like “sex is good (but have you tried)” and “(to me) your face is love.” All are songs that create intimate moments with the audience as they hold up their phones to capture the sheer talent on stage while swaying back and forth.
INTERLUDE
ACT II: As the sounds of 80s horror movies begin to move through the speakers, the stage begins to glitch as visible static dances across the background. To celebrate their latest album and the theme of the tour (and almost band name) Screen Violence they began the night with a song from the album. That song is “He Said She Said.”
Following a couple of songs off past albums including “Leave a Trace” we were back to a journey through “California” before we were graced with a performance of “How Not to Drown,” a song on the album that features The Cure’s, Robert Smith. While keeping theatrics alive in live shows the song ended with an extended instrumental while lead singer Lauren Mayberry ran off stage for a quick wardrobe change.
As the evening continued the fans sang along with many of the songs much like during “Violent Delights” as lights flashed and illuminated the sea of people as they accompanied the band. Other fan favorites such as “Bury It” and “Miracle” also gave the crowd what they wanted as their favorite Glasgow band continued to create a memorable night for all.
Before the music came to an end, moments like “Never Say Die” ensured that everyone got what they came for as lights showcased the pure love that DC had for this band. Returning for an encore, Mayberry reappeared covered in blood as they closed out the night with “Asking for a Friend” as neon lights pulsated followed by “Mother We Share” and “Clearest Blue.”
If you happened to capture any shots of the night, feel free to tag us on social media at Shutter 16 Magazine and throw in #Shutter16 and #TwitFromThePit for the world to see.
