White Lies

If music is my boyfriend, we haven't seen much of each other lately. I've wanted to but lazily I haven't made the effort. And getting him in the diary is a nightmare because you have to book three months ahead. I'm just not organised enough. Not a day has gone by when I haven't thought about, and listened to, him though. So I finally reignited my passion for live music last night. With White Lies at Brixton Academy.

For anyone not familiar with this young quartet who hail from West London, their sound is very Joy Division, though they apparently dislike the comparison "We weren't alive during that period of music and we've never really been into Joy Division...I think we're a lot more euphoric and uplifting," they're quoted as saying. The title of one of their most well-known tracks is Death, sample lyrics "And when I see a new day/Who's driving the same way/I picture my own grave/This fear's got a hold on me/Yes this fear's got a hold on me". However much they deny it, I think it's safe to say their dark undertones lean towards the Mancunian punk-electro melancholy maestros.

Lead singer and guitarist Harry McVeigh is no tortured Ian Curtis but the timbre of his voice is captivating. Its deep richness is, I think, more distinctive than Tom Smith's voice of Editors. They got things off to a riotous start with their biggest chart success Farewell to the Fairground. The loud hypnotic drum snare and edgy synths had the whole place dancing and singing the lyrics back. The jumping around got crazier from then on. The more they played, the more the loyal crowd loved them and lost it. My attempt at recording Unfinished Business:



was thwarted by three 6ft 3 blokes behind who appeared to have lost control of their limbs such was their jittery flailing. At one point I did wonder how many people must have slipped on the pile of sick we'd narrowly avoided on the other side of the room. As soon as we saw it, we headed away to our usual safe spot (left as you look at the stage, on the slope - perfect for those who are vertically challenged like me) and vowed never to go that way again. Shiver.

We did notice that we were surrounded by similarly vertically challenged types. But unusually they were mostly male. Maybe it was because they were still in their teens and not yet fully grown. Which, while we were chuffed at being able to see, then made us feel very old. Gigs are funny like that. If you're not of the overall crowd demographic, you quickly notice. Which is why I like festivals -music lovers of all ages muck in.

White Lies have cited Talking Heads as an influence and one of the highlights last night was their cover of Heaven which was thoughtful and eerie. Of course the band performed all their cult hits from number one album To Lose My Life but it was their final song, Death, which nearly ripped the roof off. They said they were honoured to headline at Brixton [their first time] and it was something they'd remember for the rest of their lives. When they took two bows at the end of their storming gig and lingered on stage to savour the moment before throwing their drum sticks into the crowd (so rock 'n' roll), you believed them.
-----------------------------------------

White Lies were supported by Post War Years (who we missed) and Wild Beasts who were a revelation. I'd listened to Wild Beasts on Spotify before, but, like White Lies, they're a brilliant band to catch live, full of energy and naughty lyrics (just listen to The Fun Powder Plot - hilarious).