20 November 2009 (gig)
20 November 2009
There was a packed auditorium in Brixton last night to welcome White Lies to the stage. With alternative guitar driven stargazers Asobi Seksu having warmed up crowd nicely it was left to the West London four-piece to light the fuse and stand back.
Sparks started to fly with opener 'Farewell To The Fairground’ which immediately had the crowd punching fists in the air and singing along to every word. 'Taxidermy’, 'E.S.T.’ and 'The Price of Love’ followed but predictably it was 'To Lose My Life’ that saw me wearing most of my beer in the ensuing melee.
During their short time in the spotlight White Lies have matured into a polished all conquering act. Harry McVeigh seemed to have shaken off any nerves and the recent throat infection which forced them to cancel the remainder of their European tour with a worthy vocal performance enticing the crowd to join in a shared experience of spine tingling well thought through tracks. Having dug deep into the Joy Division treasure trove there were also hints of Springsteen, Killers, Editors and Teardrop Explodes in a set that lasted a little over an hour. The album was played in its entirety breaking only for an early track 'You Still Love Him’ and a cover of 'Heaven’ by Talking Heads.
This being their largest headline solo gig to date there is only one way this band are heading. Having spent so much time on the road since the launch of their debut album it will soon be back into the studio to write the tricky career defining second album but as long as they stick to this rebel rousing formula I can’t see them going too far wrong.
Setlist:
1. Farewell To The Fairground
2. Taxidermy
3. E.S.T.
4. The Price Of Love
5. You Still Love Him
6. To Lose My Life
7. A Place To Hide
8. Fifty On Our Foreheads
9. Nothing To Give
10. Unfinished Business
------
11. Heaven (Talking Heads cover)
12. From The Stars
13. Death
