White Lies Review: Live at Richards on Richards

UK Band's Vancouver Debut and Tour for Album 'To Lose My Life'

Apr 14, 2009 Mikala Taylor

Something wonderful happened two songs from the end of the White Lies' set at Richards on Richards in Vancouver on April 8th. The band relaxed.

It was a bit late in coming, certainly. But better late than never, slow and steady wins the race, good things come to she who waits, so on and so forth. Yet such a development was rather unexpected, considering the UK trio had just been ripping through eight tracks off of their gothy and anthemic debut album, To Lose My Life, with a rather unsettling Swiss precision and seemingly Germanic work ethic.

So when drummer Jack Lawrence-Brown’s bass drum packed in, and the band were forced to pause, it was uncertain how the lads would deal with such a break in momentum.

Here’s how: they turned their backs to the audience and watched Jack in near-silence. For about five minutes. While the audience watched them, watching Jack.

Young, talented, and skilled at turning angsty essays into often endearing alt-pop, the White Lies are. Showmen oozing in confidence and charisma, they are not.

To Lose My Life

Still, give them time. From opener “Farewell to the Fairground”, to “To Lose My Life” through “E.S.T”, and darkly catchy “Unfinished Business”, the band sounded note-perfect. And so they should, one supposes – they’ve been touring their debut album for nearly an aeon. Plus, co-headlining a bill with the high-energy, cowbell-slapping Brit party band Friendly Fires does put the pressure on.

So if it’s not personality or rock sex appeal, what makes White Lies special? For Eighties fans, there’s some pretty obvious musical touch-points blendered on the album. Critics cite Interpol, the Killers, the Editors and (bleurgh) Snow Patrol as modern references, but those old enough will be able to pick out top notes of Ultravox, early Tears for Fears, Duran Duran and U2, Big Country and so on down the shoulder pad. As a friend remarked: "It's as if they're playing their older brothers' albums, and they do it well."

HMV: Harry McVeigh's Voice

Of course, they've got another thing going for them. Singer Harry McVeigh is a lad in possession of a fine set of pipes. His belting voice (a bolder Ian Curtis meets the aforementioned) lifts bassist Charlie Cave’s precocious lyrics to a different level of goodliness. In fact, when the band came back to perform their final two songs following the awkward drum-breaking break, he sounded tremendous. “Nothing to Give”, a song rarely played live, absolutely hit the roof, while closer “Death” – a rollicking single about fear, with big drums and piano – had the record-store clerks/hip squad audience pumping fists and dancing.

Three go mad in Vancouver? Not quite, but if letting loose means getting up on top of the speaker to play your bass while your singer exhales the last of his breath in an almighty bellow, then “relaxed” is good enough.

Read Suite101.com's Exclusive Interview with White Lies' Bassist Charlie Cave

White Lies were presented live at Richard’s on Richards by Sealed With a Kiss. "To Lose My Life" (Fiction/Universal) is out now. The band is currently touring Japan, the UK and Europe. For more information visit www.whitelies.com.

The copyright of the article White Lies Review: Live at Richards on Richards in Alternative Music is owned by Mikala Taylor. Permission to republish White Lies Review: Live at Richards on Richards in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

White Lies' Harry McVeigh	White Lies Live in Vancouver	Harry McVeigh from band White Lies
White Lies' Charles Cave	White Lies Live at Richards on Richards