Alvvays: Church, Leeds, Spring and Summer Tour — Review
Rarely do I find myself going to church on a cold Wednesday evening, but the promise of a sold-out show from Canadian indie pop band Alvvays (don’t overthink it, it’s just pronounced ‘Always’) proved to be just the reason I needed to find myself inside the hallowed walls of Church in Leeds.
Anticipation hung palpably in the air as the crowd began to swell during the warm up set, delivered by Spinning Coin. Few words were spoken by the band, aside from the vocals of their songs; they let their music do the talking for them. The sound of loose hi-hats, lo-fi guitar riffs and, at times, melancholic vocals, made for a far from melancholic mood amongst those listening.
Following the support act, the band everyone had braved the icy February evening for took up their positions. As they awkwardly made their way across the stage loud applause erupted from the crowd, the anticipation broke loose, dissipated, and the air was filled instead with the sound of the dreamy indie pop that Alvvays have made their own.
A sixty-minute-long set was in store, with Molly Rankin, lead vocalist, intimating the growing success the band has seen, referencing smaller appearances in Leeds in the past. It is a deserved success, though, and the evening was testament to that. As they made their way through songs from both their 2014 and 2017 releases, the crowd lit up at all the right moments, many swaying and singing the words right back to the band. Rankin’s declaration two songs in that “School is cancelled!” might not have resonated with everyone who had turned up to see them, but it speaks to the nostalgic sound that the band produces.
After the rhythm-driven ‘Hey’ and ‘Adult Diversion’ set the tone for the night, eliciting plenty of head-nodding, and tentative movement from the crowd, things relaxed. This was just in time for ‘Forget About Life,’ the vocal-led song that punctuated the halfway mark of the band’s performance. Anyone in doubt about the power of Rankin’s vocals would be hard-pressed to maintain that doubt after this. The white lights above the stage illuminated a large stained-glass window behind the band, and the atmosphere returned to one of anticipation again as the song began. Rankin’s vocals hung in the air, hauntingly, throughout the song. There seemed to be hardly anyone who wasn’t transfixed by this scene and sound. And rightly so.
It wasn’t long, though, before the tension and subdued atmosphere that had descended upon the room was relinquished as one of the band’s most well-known tracks, ‘Archie, Marry Me’, filled the venue just a few songs later. Coupling Rankin’s sweet and longing vocals with the jangly guitar sound that defines so many of Alvvays’ songs, this performance did not disappoint. A small mosh-pit even opened up, temporarily, before melting back into an undulating crowd. With a title and lyrics that clearly reference marriage, playing this song in a repurposed church might seem a little tongue-in-cheek, but the participation from the crowd, singing every word, would probably have given any choral performance the church might have seen before a run for its money.
Alvvays topped off their set with ‘Party Police,’ a song with a yearning tone, and the lyrics: “You don’t have to leave”, speaking the words on everyone’s lips. Of course, the band did leave, but quickly returned for a two-song encore, where they even surprised the crowd with a cover of ‘Blue’ by 90s post-punk band Elastica. If the sounds of the evening hadn’t been nostalgic enough already, then for any older gig-goers this was sure to be a trip.
Keeping it short and sweet, the parallels between Alvvays’ live performances and their two releases are clear, but they don’t end there. Whether it’s through headphones or on stage; however you experience their sound, this Canadian indie band will leave you with an appetite for more. Is it too soon to ask that they get back in the studio?
Alvvays are currently touring mainland Europe and will move on to the Americas after. However, they’ll be back in the UK for Latitude Festival between 12–15th July 2018.
Article: Alex Sheriff
URY Music Editor: Alex West
