Lauren Mayberry played her first solo show on September 4, 2023 at the 9:30 Club in Washington DC. Lauren is best known as the vocalist and percussionist for Chvrches, who she has been performing with since 2011. However in July she posted to Instagram to both celebrate the 10th anniversary of Chvrches’ debut album The Bones of What You Believe and to announce her intent to release solo music for the first time along with a solo tour.
She took the stage in DC with only a single song released, “Are You Awake?” which had dropped on the previous Friday, September 1. Because of this, most of the set were brand new songs and almost everything was a live debut. The sound of the new songs varied, giving the audience a clue to what to expect from future releases.
The exception to this all new setlist was a single cover. Mayberry tackled Madonna’s 1989 classic “Like a Prayer” near the end of the show with the help of her three-piece backing band.
Lauren has a busy fall ahead: she’s opening for Death Cab For Cutie and The Postal Service on select dates of their current co-headlining tour. Then in October she’ll play a list of solo dates in the UK and Europe. For more information and to grab tickets you can visit her official site.
