White Lies at Brixton Academy
White Lies – Brixton Academy – 19 November
Support: Violens and Asobi Seksu
Words by Brendan Monteiro / Photos by Marcus Maschwitz
Sold out would normally mean that there is not a ticket left but there is always at least spec of space between people, tonight is the very rare exception and I have not seen Brixton this full since Rancid played here back in 2006. As the time draws on towards the headline slot the standing area fills up like a rising tide and as White Lies make their way out onto the stage the venue is packed to the rafters and the excitement is manic.
The music starts filtering in with a mass amount of cheers from the audience, making it blatantly clear that tonight is going to be like no other. From the first lines of Fairwell To The Fairground the Academy is morphed into an arena by an ecstatic crowd, with girls on shoulders, arms beating the air and everyone screaming their lungs out. You can see that Harry McVeigh is perfectly at home with this sort of attention and it’s not crazy to think that soon enough they will be doing headline slots in stadiums. Taxidermy is the first b-side of the evening and the drumming is absolutely entrancing, it’s only a minute and a half into the song when the drums fade back a little that I snap out of my hypnotic state, and then McVeigh’s lyrics hit me harder than a stroke. With words like this it’s no wonder that so many people are amazed by the maturity in his lyrics.
There’s no kiss of life so baby don’t pretend
Put your heart in your throat and a gun to your head
You can burn the money in the fireplace
You keep on telling white lies to the little kids
I think it’s time they knew just what it means to live
You can burn your parents in the fireplace
When listening to McVeigh’s singing there is a definite sense of nostalgia but nothing precise enough for me to pinpoint it to any artist or band. His lyrics however remind me of Matt Skiba (Alkaline Trio/Heavens) in the way that they are gloomy and yet somehow romantic and stirring at the same time. The way he executes every line as if the words are creeping out his mouth into the night from the depths of his cryptic mind is just sensational.
The combination of McVeigh’s voice and lyrics, Jack Lawrence-Brown (who by the way has the best sounding live drum kit ever, I repeat EVER!) and Charles Cave creating a formidable rhythm section, with the addition of Tommy Bowen creating some magical synth moments on the keys is what every live act should strive for. Moments like You Still Love Him (another b-side) have everyone screaming and singing and much of the set was met with the same reception. The sound was amazing, the lights were a visual treat with ornate shapes being cast from a mass wall of lights and I can honestly say that without a doubt this was one of the best live shows ever.
Setlist: Farewell To The Fairground, Taxidermy, E.S.T, Price of Love, You Still Love Him, To Lose My Life, A Place To Hide, Fifty On Our Foreheads, Nothing To Give, Unfinished Business Encore: Heaven (Talking Heads cover), From The Stars, Death
