The electro-pop trio from Scotland graced the stage on Friday night to a sold-out crowd at the Black Cat.
They stopped in DC between playing the Jimmy Fallon show and the Firefly festival. For weeks, they have toured the US, playing sold-out shows and festivals from California to Williamsburg. This is particularly impressive because they don’t even have an album yet.
Chvrches wowed the shit out of the internet when they produced a track titled “Lies” last May and “Mother We Share” last September. Since then, they have fought to satiate fans demanding more.
On the Main Stage, Solange had more soul than a sneaker factory. Actress, model, singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur, she took the stage and proved that she does not stand in her sister’s shadow. Sporting a funky ‘fro, Solange played songs from her 2008 album Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams, her 2012 EP True, as well as covers by Selena and Dirty Projectors
Haerts made their festival debut on the Treehouse Stage. Lead singer/vixen Nini Fabi led a synth-pop band that sounded a lot like Fleetwood Mac. Though she seemed a little shy on stage, they had the crowd dancing along and yearning for more. You may not have heard much about Haerts; their debut album is still pending. But the group, composed of five members hailing from four different countries, seems promising. Fabi’s voice is impossible to ignore, and drummer Jonathan Schmidt is a goddamned human metronome.
Tomorrow, the Merriweather Post Pavilion will host the 4th annual Sweetlife food and music festival. The venue will feature local artists such as Shark Week, crowd favorites such as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and the soulful Gary Clark Jr. The one-day festival kicks off around noon and finishes before midnight.
The evening is to be topped off by synth-pop headliners Passion Pit and Phoenix, who will close the festival. Phoenix is touring in support of their new album, Bankrupt!, that was released last month. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs also released an album in April, Mosquito, the follow-up to 2010’s Grammy-nominated It’s Blitz.
The festival is divided between two stages, the Maine Stage and the Treehouse Stage, which Sweetgreen, the local chain of sustainable eateries that presents the festival, will use to feature its favorite new artists. Besides Shark Week, who open the festival, Treehouse artists include MS MR, Foxygen, Youth Lagoon, Holy Ghost!, and Haerts. Other Main Stage artists include everyone’s favorite little sister, Solange, who recently played both the Black Cat and the 9:30 Club, and Kendrick Lamar.
The electro-pop trio from Scotland graced the stage on Friday night to a sold-out crowd at the Black Cat.
