If there is one thing that Britain does well, it is the electronic-pop act.
From Yazoo to Depeche Mode, the electronic pulse of an 808 drum machine has become as synonymous with British culture as Sunday roasts and a saucy seaside postcard.
Two albums of perfectly crafted pop gems have shown that Chvrches can roll with the best of them, but their sound was brought to life at The Dome with an equally impressive blend of slick production and infectious melody that proved they really are serious contenders.
The warm analogue synths that bathed established favourites like Lies, The Mother We Share and We Sink seemed tougher and bolder than in recorded form, but new material like New Ending Circles and Clearest Blue also sounded beefed up without losing their charm.
Vocalist Lauren Mayberry was a ball of energy, as she leapt around the stage with her fist held triumphantly aloft from the opening notes.
Her enthusiastic stage presence even seemed to rub off on Iain Cook and Martin Doherty who revelled in their new found success as they occasionally emerged from behind their walls of keyboards.
The bright lights, four-to-the-floor beats and throbbing basslines proved exactly why Chvrches have become the latest to lift Britain’s synth-pop crown.
Surely arenas will soon beckon.
Four stars
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