Lauren Mayberry Not Only Changes Shapes But Vibes In the First Show of Her Tour at The House of Blues in San Diego

I remember finding out about Lauren Mayberry because I interviewed one of her openers, ggwendolyn. I remember listening to “Change Shapes” on Spotify and became obsessed. When her debut album, Vicious Creature came out, I had to listen to it. Loved it, and I really liked how Lauren Mayberry’s voice reminded me of the lead singer of CHVRCHES. Not until I actually looked her up did I realize they were one of the same. Once I found out she was coming into town, I had to jump on the chance to see her live.

For Tuesday’s show, the opener was Cult of Venus. Her brand of dark, moody music got the crowd intrigued. The music wasn’t heavy in the sense of what people would think, such as the genre heavy metal. It was more subtle, like there was this aura or fog being cast over the stage. In all honestly, some of her music reminded me much of CHVRCHES sound with the heavy synths. They were constantly switching between their small table of electronic equipment and the guitar but made it work. Even though Cult of Venus wasn’t the headliner, they certainly made their presence known. Cult of Venus came to the House of Blues as a one-person show but made the most of it. It was interesting to see someone be on stage solo to perform, but another part of me was pretty curious of how Cult of Venus’s set would have differed if they had a backing band playing alongside them.

When I was in high school, CHVRCHES was one of the first indie bands I discovered when I was expanding my taste in music. Their sound is very electronic pop, and it was something brand new to my ears. Vicious Creature is similar to CHVRCHES’s music in some songs but in most aspects, it’s definitely a departure, at least lyrically thanks to Lauren writing more introspectively on this record. With this tour being the first one post-album release, I was curious what it was going to be like. With San Diego being the first stop of the tour too, I was curious on what types of vibes she’ll be bringing to the crowd.

CHVRCHES are one of my favorite bands and sure, Lauren Mayberry was only a third of them, but in my opinion, she made the group’s sound stand out due to her vocals. That being said, seeing her perform solo was lots of fun, and she does not disappoint as a performer. Lauren started her set off with “Crocodile Tears” from Vicious Creature and immediately, the crowd was into it. From there on out, she performed every song from the album and the crowd had no qualms about it. She even used props to sing for some of the songs, such as a telephone for “Crocodile Tears” and a megaphone for another. She even did a cover of “Bitter Sweet Symphony” from fellow U.K. band, The Verve.

The only downside was that Lauren stated early on in the show was she was fighting a sinus infection which prevented her from using her whole vocal range, which was noticeable during some songs. Despite that fact, the vibes in the venue were super enthusiastic but also pretty chill at the same time. There were multiple times during the set where fans would chime in about how much they loved Lauren. The show made their best to give Lauren and her band love, and it was reciprocated. The crowd was very respectful throughout the show, but that didn’t stop them from singing along at the top of their lungs and dancing to the upbeat songs. The respect and attentiveness that the crowd showed to Lauren Mayberry was a sight to behold but great to see live especially in this new age of going to concerts where the crowds tend to not be as respectful post-covid era.

Even with Lauren Mayberry fighting off an illness, if she’s performing at this level and the crowds were like the ones I witnessed at the House of Blues then this tour will be great.