there i was back in KL Live once again. my previous pilgrimage to the venue was more than a year ago, and like a rabid fanboy, i was there an hour before the doors opened for that epic show. this time around i got there right as the doors opened, but already there was a sizable crowd waiting in tow to see the hottest indie act to hit our shores this year.
the hottest indie act?
Chvrches play a blend of synth pop that is catchy and genuinely great to listen to. i generally lump most of these mainstream indie bands into the "guilty pleasure" pile if i happened to enjoy a tune or two from them, but for some reason Chvrches play a respectably progressive kind of pop music - and i spell these words out post-irony.
anyway, they clearly were the hottest act in town because the sizable crowd generally consisted of college kids of the undergraduate variety (that being said, i am a sort of college kid, though of the graduate school variety) that when i think about it were probably around the age of 8 to 12 when the then hottest indie act, Arcade Fire came out with their magnum opus, Funeral. my point being, i felt pretty old amongst these nubiles and fresh-out-of-highschool faces.
to kick things off were a DJ duo of which i had no idea who they were at first (they were +2db) with their brand of chilled out ambient techno. it got the crowd going for a bit - i personally thought they played some decent remixes of none other than the headliner's big hit, "Recover", as well as an odd choice of remixing Justin Timberlake's old classic, "My Love". to think that single came out way back in 2007, when these kids would've most likely been 12 to 15 then - unaware of the significance of JT's pop music renaissance from Justified to Future Sex / Love Sounds. i don't suppose they even recognize the song? again, it's me feeling the pinch of approaching 30.
after pretending to bop to +2db's music for awhile, Chrvrches came on stage and blasted away with "We Sink". it became apparent to me that KL Live's sound system was complete shit as the instruments bled into one another. i basically couldn't tell the instruments apart as i would've easily done when i listen to their records at home or in the car. and to no surprise, Lauren's vocals were heavily buried underneath the mix.
the sorely lacking audio department was somewhat made up by the band's absolutely fantastic light show. laser pyramids envelop Iain and Martin while hazy lights blanket Lauren at center stage - it was unlike anything i've experienced in a gig so far (stopping short at something you'd expect at an EDM show, but that's a line i'll probably never cross). it was mezmerizing, to say the least. coupled with the band's synth pop tunes, the light and sound show complemented each other really well.
the show ended after an hour - what with the band having only released one record and a couple of soundtrack entries so far. the band closed their main set with the crowd-pleaser "The Mother We Share", before returning for a rousing encore. i wasn't sure i got my money's worth, no thanks to KL Live's shitty audio department. for what it's worth, the light show made up half of the entrance fee for me, plus i got to see my waifu Lauren and her band play. also, props to the doorman for letting me bring in my camera. how i wish i had a decent zoom lens with me that night.
