Over the next five weeks, Mayberry will play 24 shows across North America, beginning in San Diego on January 28 and concluding in Los Angeles on March 2. She will then return to her hometown of Glasgow on March 20, followed by 6 additional shows across the UK. 

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Her solo career has steadily been gaining momentum, marked by her US television solo debut last month on Jimmy Kimmel where she performed ‘Something in the Air’ from her debut album ‘Vicious Creature’. 

Mayberry’s music career began as lead singer of CHVRCHES,  an alternative band formed in Glasgow in 2011. Known for their innovative synth-driven sound and introspective lyricism, CHVRCHES quickly became a standout in the indie and electronic music scenes. The band’s debut album, ‘The Bones of What You Believe’ (2013), catapulted them to international fame with hits like ‘The Mother We Share’ and ‘Recover’.

In 2023, Mayberry reflected on the transition from the band to her solo career, telling NME: “For any front person in a band, but especially a woman, as soon as you say the words ‘solo material’ people get very upset with you. I feel like every second sentence is, ‘I’m not breaking up the band, guys, however…” 

“But we’re lucky enough to have fans that care so much that they don’t want it to break up. I feel grateful, but I’m trying to be reassuring to them – just give us a couple more years guys, it’s going to be fine.”

During her set in San Diego, Mayberry delivered a powerful rendition of the iconic anthem by British rock band, The Verve, a song which has sold over 1.2 million copies in the UK. Gradually growing from her piano intro to a full band sound, her vocals soared as she belted the song’s signature “Have you ever been down?”

Performing covers is not unusual for Mayberry, who has previously taken on Nena’s ‘99 Luftballons’, Depeche Mode’s ‘Personal Jesus’, The 1975’s ‘Paris’, and Spice Girls’ ‘Viva Forever’. Her ability to seamlessly transition between electronic anthems and stripped-down performances underscores her versatility as an artist.

As she embarks on this new phase of her career, Mayberry’s commitment to both her solo work and CHVRCHES ensures that fans will continue to experience her artistry in multiple forms. 

The Vicious Creature tour will start with a hometown performance at Glasgow’s Barrowland Ballroom on March 20, 2025. It will then move through Edinburgh, Birmingham, Manchester, and Leeds, concluding at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire on March 26. Tickets will be available for pre-sale on November 6 for those who have pre-ordered the album, with general ticket sales opening on November 8.

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This tour announcement comes on the heels of Mayberry’s recent release of the single “Crocodile Tears,” which adds to a collection of singles she has shared this year, including “Something in the Air,” “Shame,” “Change Shapes,” and “Are You Awake?” The singer describes this solo project as a journey to reconnect with her creative independence and artistic intuition. “So much of this process has been an exercise in empowering myself to listen to my own intuition – something I really trained myself out of,” Mayberry said, adding that creating this album was about “relearning that kind of independence.”

In an interview with NME, Mayberry discussed her decision to pursue a solo career, admitting to feeling both excitement and anxiety at the prospect of working alone. “There’s always nervousness… For any frontperson in a band, but especially a woman, as soon as you say the words ‘solo material’ people get very upset with you,” she said. She reassured fans, however, that her solo career does not signal the end of Chvrches, stating, “I feel grateful, but I’m trying to be reassuring to them – ‘Just give us a couple more years, guys, it’s going to be fine’.”

Vicious Creature, represents a personal and artistic exploration distinct from her work with Chvrches, which she describes as “fun, freaky, sad, weird, joyful.” The album’s recently released single Crocodile Tears channels 80s influences, launching with kitschy synth-brass fanfare and a bubbling bass in a sparse arrangement that slowly fills up. 

 

 

 

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In addition to the UK tour dates, Mayberry is set to support London Grammar on their UK and European tour this November. This follows her September and October solo performances in the United States, the UK, and Europe, where she debuted songs from Vicious Creature and experimented with covers. In a recent show at KOKO in London, she performed renditions of Madonna’s “Like A Prayer” and the Spice Girls’ “Viva Forever,” alongside eight of her new original songs.

“Shame” is out 10/10.

Pre-save it here: https://t.co/hWgTWQeBeF pic.twitter.com/raTupS98Ea

— Lauren Mayberry (@laurenevemay) October 4, 2023

Mayberry announced initial details of her solo project back in July, promising that it would be an eclectic mix of emotions and musical styles. Now, Mayberry has had the chance to introduce fans to her new material after completing a tour in the United States, before hitting the road again in the UK and Europe.

Speaking to NME about taking the leap into the uncertain and often times nerve-wracking solo world, Mayberry said, “there’s always nervousness. For any front-person in a band, but especially a woman, as soon as you say the words ‘solo material’ people get very upset with you. I feel like every second sentence is, ‘I’m not breaking up the band, guys, however…’ But we’re lucky enough to have fans that care so much that they don’t want it to break up. I feel grateful, but I’m trying to be reassuring to them – ‘just give us a couple more years guys, it’s going to be fine’.”

Mayberry has stated that bringing her ideas and concepts to life as a solo artist has allowed her to explore female specific experiences that may not have been easy or a right fit for Chvrches. Sharing an artistic direction with two men in the band, Mayberry worried that her unique perspective on themes or directions would not necessarily resonate with them.

She added, “there are a lot of specific things about the female experience that won’t apply to Iain and Martin. Obviously they have been very supportive of some of that making its way into Chvrches’ music, but sometimes I don’t want to sing about certain things or perform in a certain way when I’m on stage with men – if that doesn’t sound terrible. They’re the nicest men, but sometimes it’s not a conversation that I’m comfortable having fully in that context.”

So far, Mayberry has been buoyed by the response that her new material has received from live audiences and, as her UK and European leg gets underway, she is hoping that the new songs continue to ring true for her scores of fans spread across the continent. As for Chvrches, the band is set to release a 10th anniversary edition of The Bones Of What You Believe later this month, although any imminent projects are not foreseen by Mayberry at this time.

Lauren Mayberry Tour:

06/10/2023 – )2 Institute 3 – Birmingham
08/10 – Gorilla – Manchester
09/10 – Scala – London
11/10 – Melkweg Oz – Amsterdam, Netherlands
12/10 – Lido – Berlin, Germany
13/10 – Strom – Munich, Germany
15/10 – La Maroquinerie – Paris, France
16/10 – Luxor – Cologne, Germany
17/10 – Rock Cafe – Prague, Czech Republic
19/10 – Flex – Vienna, Austria
21/10 – Bogen F – Zurich, Switzerland
22/10 – Magnolia – Milan, Italy
24/10 – La Nau – Barcelona, Spain
25/10 – Sala Capernico – Madrid, Spain

The Scottish singer announced in July that she would be releasing some solo music and heading out on tour, however, there was no indication of when we could expect to hear any new music.

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The pop band’s lead singer didn’t keep fans waiting for long, as on August 11th , she revealed that her first single “Are You Awake?” would be with us in September.

Over the weekend, Mayberry dropped the highly anticipated single, as well as a music video for the song.

“Are You Awake?” was written by Mayberry and Canadian singer-songwriter Tobias Jesso Jr, who has collaborated on songwriting with other UK artists such as Adele and Niall Horan.

The piano-led ballad is a slight leap from the energetic synth-pop we have come to expect from CHVRCHES, and in a recent press release, Lauren shared that “I was thinking a lot about loneliness and homesickness, and as soon as Tobias started playing the chords, the lyrics and melody came to me really quickly. I finished the song with my friend Matthew Koma, who really understood what I was trying to say.”

“For a long time, I couldn’t imagine doing anything outside of CHVRCHES but I think some things that I needed to write had to be done from purely my own point of view. I never really thought I’d write a piano ballad, or a solo album full stop, so life really is full of surprises. I am really looking forward to this chapter and can’t wait for people to hear more of the music.”

Though Lauren is venturing out on her own, her career with CHVRCHES is far from over. The trio announced last month that in celebration of the 10 year anniversary of their debut album, The Bones Of What You Believe, they would be releasing a re-issue of their 2013 LP on October 13th. The re-issue of the album will include 4 previously unheard tracks, as well as 5 live recordings. The band has given fans a taste of what’s to come by releasing “Manhattan”, one of the unheard songs that didn’t make it onto the album’s original release.

You can listen to “Manhattan” below.

For tickets to Lauren Mayberry’s upcoming tour, click here.

Tour dates:

05/10/2023 – SWG3 TV Studio – Glasgow, UK

06/10 – O2 Academy – Birmingham, UK

08/10 – Academy 2 – Manchester, UK

09/10 – Koko – London, UK

11/10 – Melkweg Oz – Amsterdam, Netherlands

12/10 – Lido – Berlin, Germany

13/10 – Strom – Munich, Germany

15/10 – La Maroquinerie – Paris, France

16/10 – Luxor – Cologne, Germany

17/10 – Rock Cafe – Prague, Czech Republic

19/10 – Flex – Vienna, Austria

21/10 – Bogen F – Zurich, Switzerland

22/10 – Magnolia – Milan, Italy

24/10 – La Nau – Barcelona, Spain

25/10 – Sala Copernico – Madrid, Spain

Their new track is the first release from the trio since lauded 2021 album, Screen Violence and will run as a supporting act for Coldplay in South America. This year will also mark a new chapter for the trio, as it will be the 10th anniversary of their debut album, The Bones Of What You Believe, in September.

OVER IS OUT NOW

We finished this song over the holidays and the way it explores themes of trying to exist in an escapist dreamscape when life is difficult felt timely so we didn't want to wait to put it out.

Listen here: https://t.co/1CyCiNCFKp pic.twitter.com/wdzrc8FbIR

— CHVRCHES (@CHVRCHES) February 24, 2023

“Over” is a high-energy track that highlights the band’s ability to craft an earworm. Singer, Lauren Mayberry’s hush-toned vocals was able to guide the listener along a melodic journey, as the group’s electronic production and synth-laden arrangement keeps the song driving forward.

Oscar Holter was the main producer CHVRCHES worked with behind this single and their collaboration ceased out of their Screen Violence era, racing towards something completely new and unexplored. The band commented, “Over is a song that we wrote with Oscar Holter, a producer we really respect and admire. Normally we collect songs over the course of months (or years!) until we have an album’s worth of material, but this time we just wanted to release something we were excited about and give the fans something new to mark the ‘Screen Violence era and the start of whatever the next CHVRCHES chapter might be.”  

The lyrics are an existential exploration of the idea that “no matter what, we’re still here.” The chorus, “we’ll never be over,” repeated throughout the single, which is served to remind the listener that hoping for the best is the way to go, even in the darkest of times.

.@CHVRCHES are back!! Their new single 'Over' is out now https://t.co/LcN2iXCoTw pic.twitter.com/uH1XAB1Kry

— EMI (@emirecords) February 24, 2023

The music video for “Over” was released alongside the songs’ streaming debut. It was also in the same place for the first time since their 2018 album, Love Is Dead. It features the band performing in a post-apocalyptic world, surrounded by snow and ruins. The visuals accompany the uplifting themes of the song and effectively encouraged viewers to hold on to hope in the face of despair.

All in all, “Over” is a powerful and emotionally resonant track that fully displays the band’s talent. It’s an inspiring reminder that no matter what life throws our way, we’ll never be over.

Things won’t magically go back to ‘normal’ of course; pubs will reopen offering only indoor table service, and establishment owners will be asked to keep a record of customer details in aid of contact tracing. But one musician who we can thank for keeping us sane during the thirteen weeks since we last popped out for a pint is IDLES frontman Joe Talbot, whose online virtual talk show Balley TV has been offering the homely comfort of your local directly to your computer screen.

《《《 Balley TV 》》》

Free therapy? Virtual pub? Watch and you won’t learn a thing. All are welcome. Let’s hide in plain sight. Love.

Subscribe & set a reminder to watch at https://t.co/7cS8A8I0zT pic.twitter.com/8sswEKcBdT

— BalleyTV (@BalleyTV) May 28, 2020

Named after Talbot’s own label Balley Records, the show followed up May’s pilot with its second edition last Friday, featuring appearances from IDLES crew member Adam Greenwood, Chvrches singer Lauren Mayberry, and indie songwriter Hak Baker. As with the first episode (in which Talbot was joined by his bandmate Adam Devonshire in chatting to The Streets’ Mike Skinner and Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova), the guests’ video displays were propped up onto the faces of two gargantuan cuddly toys in a whimsical take on the post-COVID hang out that only a net-era punk host could pull off. Greenwood was hitched onto the face of a deeply unsettling manikin but frankly the less talked about the better. Watch the episode here:

Adding to the high calibre of musicians involved thus far, Talbot has made public the dates and guests for four more juicy interviews we can look forward to every other Friday (the full list is detailed below). All this coincides with the run-up to IDLES’ hotly anticipated third album Ultra Mono, which is set for release on the 25th of September via Partisan Records. You can preorder the album through IDLES’ website here, as well as buy tickets for a series of livestream gigs the band are doing to celebrate the release.

Balley TV Ep. 3 w/ Arlo Parks & Billy Bragg – Friday the 3rd of July

Balley TV Ep. 4 w/ Kate Tempest & Kenny Beats – Friday the 17th of July

Balley TV Ep. 5 w/ Ishmael Butler & Sharon Van Etten – Friday the 31st of July

Balley TV Ep. 6 w/ Jeff Ament (Pearl Jam), Jehnny Beth (Savages) & Fern Ford (The Big Moon) – Friday the 14th of August