Chatty and charming, Lauren Mayberry was an alluring musician in her most recent appearance at 9:30 Club, touring her debut solo album, Vicious Creature. And yet her show also was a thoughtfully staged protest, capitalizing on her forthright persona and distinctive soprano voice.
At the start of her show at 9:30 Club on Feb. 18, Mayberry got right down to the business of her protest. She wore a t-shirt from Not a Phase that read, “I just want to say if you are trans and reading this, I love you and so do all my mates.” Lauren explained that she dressed the t-shirt up with a glittery retro cap, which she referred to as a “doily.”
“Fucking hell! What a time,” Lauren declared in her Scots accent prior to singing “Something in the Air,” a recent single from Vicious Creature. She confided that she wrote the song, which decries conspiracy theories and nationalism, prior to the recent US election, lamenting its relevance to the societal conversation.
That said, Mayberry had some fun with the song, wielding a flashlight-enhanced megaphone to sing aloud as she prowled along the stage. Her voice was clear and strong, and she added a dash of improvised dancing as she sang out.
Watch the official music video for “Something in the Air” by Lauren Mayberry on YouTube:
Like many of you, I first became familiar with Lauren Mayberry as the frontman of Scots new wave trio CHVRCHES. And Lauren’s solo music certainly is not CHVRCHES. In striking out on her own, Lauren seems to draw inspiration from solo female artists of the ’90s and ’00s, formative years for her while she went to high school and college. For the songs on Vicious Creature, Lauren is interested in spreading her wings and exploring her capabilities. She very much succeeds in standing on her own, and there is no hint of CHVRCHES in her solo music nor was there any reference or nods to the band during her show.
Early in the show, Lauren performed “Change Shapes” from her new album, and it was a strong, straightforward pop song about a woman who adapts her behavior to get her way in a relationship. It had a great beat and a fun clap-along section. In the very next song, Lauren shifted gears for “Mantra,” a seductive number about desire. She sat on a stage riser for part of the song, mustering her magnetism for a commanding pose.
Lauren’s encore consisted of two songs from Vicious Creature — “Oh, Mother” and “Sunday Best.” the very full 9:30 Club cheered “Sunday Best,” which some critics have hailed as the best song of the album. It’s a catchy, hopeful tune that showcased the power of Lauren’s voice.
Watch the official visualizer for “Sunday Best” on YouTube:
About three-quarters through the show, Lauren surprised with a cover of “Bittersweet Symphony” by The Verve, which was quite pleasant. She really cut loose and put her full power into the verse, and people were genuinely excited by the choice. I maybe hoped to hear “Like a Prayer” by Madonna again, as she covered it in her very first-ever solo show in an appearance at 9:30 Club back in 2023. All the same, DC clearly loves Lauren Mayberry, and she can do no wrong in our eyes.
Opening the show was Cult of Venus, a one-woman project that pairs synthwave-style melodies with direct calls for protest. If Lauren wielded her protest songs like a scalpel, Cult of Venus swung hers like a hammer! She played six songs in an electronic rain of resistance, singing plainly “Resistance is as necessary as the air we breathe” in “Time Capsule.”
At 9:30 Club, Cult of Venus closed her short set with “Algorithm,” her latest single (released by Liberty Belle Records). In the song, Cult of Venus’ sugary vocal masked a dire warning about social media: “Another rabbit hole/Subvert my soul/Out there watching me/The thought police.”
Watch the official visualizer for “Algorithm” by Cult of Venus on YouTube:
Cult of Venus appeared as if she might have emerged from musical dissent forged in a retro-futuristic club envisioned in 1981 as a voice against cultural homogeneity. The music was unexpected and thrilling, at turns feeling subversive and yearning.
Catch Lauren Mayberry on tour!
Here are some photos of Lauren Mayberry performing at 9:30 Club on Feb. 18, 2025. All pictures by Mickey McCarter.
Here are some photos of Cult of Venus opening Lauren Mayberry at 9:30 Club on Feb. 18, 2025. All pictures by Mickey McCarter.
