CHVRCHES perform at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on Dec. 16, 2021. Onome Uyovbievbo/STAFF.

SAN FRANCISCO — Known more for their infectious brand of electro-pop, Scottish imports CHVRCHES turned in the synths for more traditional instruments of an arena rock worthy spectacle that lit up Bill Graham Civic on Thursday. Lauren Mayberry and company’s 90-minute, 17-song set brought the near-capacity downtown venue to life. The band played the majority of material from its stellar new album, the cinematic Screen Violence, but had plenty of selections from the back catalog to go around.

“San Francisco is the first city we ever played in the United States. It holds a special place for us,” Mayberry said early on in the set.

Lauren Mayberry of CHVRCHES.

CHVRCHES have played the Bay Area in a number of capacities but it still always feels like an occasion when they return. The band, including Iain Cook and Martin Doherty, has really gelled as a live act, even more so with the addition of touring drummer Jonny Scott. The headliners opened with “He Said She Said.” Mayberry attacked the stage, twirling in circles to the rhythm. From there, the group launched into “Forever,” a straightforward upbeat song that’s one of the band’s best. Mayberry was lighthearted and effusive on stage with her off-the-cuff banter.

“I thought it would be fun to wear a cape on stage, but it got caught in my bra,” she deadpanned. “Being a woman is really tough sometimes.”

The pace stayed upbeat just about throughout the set, with CHVRCHES hitting songs like “Leave a Trace, “California” and “How Not to Drown.” The production was simple but effective, with a large horizontal projection screen and plenty of lights to go around. The stage was often awash in dark hues of red and blue that fit the mood of whatever track the band played. “Science/Visions” provided some visual drama with its pulsing backbeat and determined delivery by Mayberry.

Wet Leg.

Tracks like “Bury It” and “Miracle” brought a rise out of the crowd, with the latter prompting a singalong by the thousands in attendance. Mayberry is such a magnetic presence on stage that’s it’s occasionally easy to forget how impressive her vocal delivery is. At one point she shouted out the rarity of having three female-fronted bands sharing the same bill on tour. Cook and Doherty brought the energy and the foundation of the soundscape that played out on stage, even performing a couple of short instrumental breakdowns.

CHVRCHES closed out their main set with the brooding one-two punch of “Recover” and “Never Say Die.” Mayberry returned to the stage covered in fake blood for newer track “Asking for a Friend” as attendees speculated which film the blood was in reference to. The show concluded with the mid-tempo “The Mother We Share” and upbeat dancehall track “Clearest Blue.”

Wet Leg.

The much buzzed-about Wet Leg preceded the headliners. The duo of Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers, fresh off their San Francisco headlining debut at Popscene the previous night are from the Isle of Wight, off the southern coast of England.

The band brought a rootsy rock and roll vibe, with an occasional indie and punk influence mixed in. Taking only a couple brief moments for banter, the band briskly worked through its material. The rhythms were tight, the vocals were strong, and Wet Leg sizzled through its roughly 30-minute set. Also recently performing on Seth Meyer’s late-night TV show, the band certainly seems to be hitting its stride with accolades. The duo, performing with a drummer, blasted through their songs like the breakthrough hit “Chaise Longue” and “Wet Dream.”

New Jersey’s Donna Missal opened the show with a set stylistically closer to that of CHVRCHES.

Follow writer Mike DeWald at Twitter.com/mike_dewald. Follow photographer Onome Uyovbievbo at Twitter.com/byonome and Instagram.com/by.onome.