Churches played their first ever show at Glasgow’s Art School last night so we decided to be really late for the party.

Again, we have no photo, just a logo. What is it with these supergroups that they can’t get a photo sorted out before their gig?

However, if we could be bothered we could easily mock one up – pictures of Martin Doherty of The Twilight Sad are pretty plentiful, and vocalist Lauren Mayberry as a member of Blue Sky Archives is also well kent on the Scottish scene.

The trio is completed by Iain Cook, formerly of Aereogramme, now with The Unwinding Hours.
Iain’s originally from Linlithgow, a place not renowned for its rock provenance, but as the place also spawned an Associate, a critical part of This Mortal Coil, and more recently the now defunct Penguins Kill Polar Bears, it’s worth mentioning if fairly irrelevant to Churches’ back story.

As with any band – even one with such an interesting lineup – it is all about the music (man). Various people have failed to agree on their sound – 80s power pop seems to be a concensus but I’d have to disagree as there’s as much of the goth of Finitribe or even Portion Control or Test Dept, as some of the names bandied around (I’m sure I saw references to Robyn or Roxette in another review, which seems harsh) while the vocals are decidedly Scots, not Swedish – though not as blatantly accented as many local bands who are at present presenting music that’s ostensibly gentler and folkier.

No, Churches is musically a big beat sound, but not simply The Twilight Sad or The Unwinding Hours gone dance.

Anwyay, as ever, listen and decide for yourselves (if you haven’t already, of course…)

Churches play Glasgow’s Stereo on July 22nd, with School Of Seven Bells.