This past Tuesday, October 9^th, Scottish synth-pop trio CHVRCHES blew into Asheville and performed at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, part of the city’s large-scale event coplex, the U.S. Cellular Center.  They came in support of their new album Love Is Dead, and performed – with a live drummer! – several songs from their new LP along with some classics from their two outstanding previous releases.  ST was there of course to check out the venue, the fans, and the band’s performance.

The venue: The Thomas Wolfe Auditorium is just one part of Asheville’s Civic Center, the U.S. Cellular Center, perched on a ridge on Haywood Street, overlooking I-240 and the northern end of downtown Asheville’s Lexington Avenue.  The USCC also houses the larger ExploreAsheville.com Arena, suited for more large-scale musical & sports events, though like its “roommate” the Thomas Wolfe, it isn’t as large as one might expect from, say, looking at a seating chart.  I’ve been to the TWA on two previous occasions, though both occurred over half a dozen years ago.  The first was to see Sufjan Stevens on his Age of Adz tour in the fall of 2010, when I drove more than eleven hours from New Orleans to see the eccentric singer-songwriter (he didn’t play in New Orleans, and the closest stop on his tour – Atlanta, a mere seven hours by car – was sold out by the time I bought tickets).  The second time happened two years later, for Moogfest 2012, back before the Moog Company had reclaimed the name and moved to the festival to the Research Triangle area of eastern North Carolina.  Sufjan’s set was of course, moving and brilliant and I remember every second, though during Moogfest we only filtered in and out of the TWA for a handful of shows that were packed to the brim, cycling between there and the larger arena – not to mention a handful of venues downtown – to catch as many acts as we could.  From the Moogfest bunch I remember Miike Snow and Bear in Heaven being the most breathtaking of sets witnessed at the TWA, as well as a memorable performance from Thomas Dolby which we caught the end of on the left-side balcony

At a capacity built for about 2400 people, the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium is one of Asheville’s larger venues (perhaps second only to its neighbor, the ExploreAsheville.com Arena) – and, at barely 50% full, may have been a tad too large for the Scottish pop trio.  Still, those in attendance filled out almost the entire orchestra and mezzanine sections, with those wanting a bird’s-eye view plus ample dancing room trickling upstairs to the spartan balcony sections.  The crowd was ecstatic to be in the presence of singer Lauren Mayberry and her two synth-pounding cohorts, greeting each song’s beginning notes with a roar of approval.  Arriving the teeniest bit late, my companion and I could hear the thumping bass accompanying The Bones of What You Believe track “Gun” emanating from the USCC’s thick, stony walls as we approached, and the sound only grew in magnitude as we entered the building and subsequently, the theater itself.  The sound, at times, seemed a bit much for the auditorium’s PA system to handle, coming off as a bit muffled and hollow at points, but the sheer quality of Ms. Mayberry’s excellent vocals always made up for any deviations from sonic perfection.

In the second row of the stadium-style mezzanine, we had excellent sightlines but could not fully enjoy the show from a seated position due to the two gentlemen in front of us standing for the entire set.  Eventually we moved up to the balcony – where, like I said, there was plenty of space – and were able to enjoy the tail-end of the show from our perch above the main floor.

The highs:

--The set itself: CHVRCHES took the best songs from their latest LP Love Is Dead and brought them to life alongside classic fan-favorites from their two previous releases, 2013’s The Bones of What You Believe and 2015’s excellent Every Open Eye.  Plus, secondary vocalist Iain Cook got a mini-set consisting of a few songs right in the middle, showing off his chops on “Under the Tide” and “God’s Plan.”  Closing things out was the killer one-two punch of Every Open Eye’s lead single “Leave a Trace” followed immediately by “Clearest Blue,” which had everyone in attendance – including Mayberry herself – jumping and thrashing with ecstatic fervor.

--The production/lights: Damn, can CHVRCHES bring a light show on tour!  Not only did they revamp their famous angular symbolism to form two light-up Xs at either end of the stage (that also served as the face for the two synth decks), but the actual light setup that corresponded with every single note the band played was sublime, from the insane number of strobes to the punctuated backlighting that filled the stage with mystical silhouettes during certain songs.

--The crowd/the energy: The audience, though somewhat small, was incredibly responsive and grateful for the opportunity to see this band in their hometown.  The band fed off of this energy and vice-versa, the result being one of the most powerful displays of artist-fan symbiosis I think I have ever seen in my entire life.  Everyone was there for each other, and it was beautiful.

--The witty banter: One of the best elements of live music is hearing stories the band has to tell between songs, in an effort to get on a familiar level with their fans.  Mayberry and her two bandmates did not disappoint as they waxed hysterical, treating the audience with tales of the Moog Music Factory, the multiple ways they’ve heard people pronounce their name, and of course, poop.

The lows:

--The sound quality, at times: Like I said before, some of the instrumentation felt like it was lost amongst its own booming, as the acoustics of the auditorium were not meant to house such loud and commanding synth-driven sound.  It wasn’t terrible, but at times I was wishing I was either outdoors or at a smaller, more open venue.

--The two people directly in front of me: C’mon guys.  You’re the first row of seats that goes up  from the ground and you have to stand the whole time?  Eh, I was standing too, so it’s not that bad.

--Wanting to buy merch but being unable to because I left my wallet at my friend’s the night before and he wasn’t picking up the phone: Self-explanatory.

THE FINAL WORD: All in all, it was a great show and a wonderful return to the very first venue I ever saw a show at in Asheville.  The crowd was great, albeit small, and the band’s energy was unwavering and infectious.  Save for a few audio discrepancies and personal problems that were beyond the band’s control, this reviewer had ultimately nothing to grumble about.  Perhaps next time they will perform at a venue suited more for their sound and following, but regardless, I had a blast.