White Lies at the Roundhouse

In 2009, indie three-piece White Lies were hotly tipped as “ones to watch” by the BBC Sound Poll and the BRITS Critics Choice Award. And watch them we did, as four years later the London-born boys played numerous festivals, supported Muse, Kings of Leon and Coldplay and embarked on headline tours, one of which being tonight’s date at the Roundhouse where fans old and new are gathered, eagerly anticipating what promises to be a spectacular show.

The set opened with the explosive To Lose My Life from the debut album, which evoked raucous cheers and whooping from the crowd. There was an immediate sense of energy and galvanic atmosphere among the audience that singer Harry McVeigh commanded with his cool stage presence and Ian Curtis-esque vocals. The stage was visually stunning, with coloured laser lights and flashing strobes flickering to the pounding of Jack Lawrence-Brown’s drums and driving the crowd wild.

The trio ploughed through a combination of tracks from the old albums, to newer material from their freshest album Big TV, such as There Goes Our Love Again and First Time Caller, which were equally crowd-pleasing, and the cover of Prince’s I Would Die 4 U went down a treat.

The crowd screamed for an encore after the show appeared to come to a close with the roof-raising Death, and the band bounced back on to the stage for perhaps their best known and most cherished number Bigger Than Us with an impressive balloon drop finale. Energetic, passionate and covered in facial hair, White Lies never fail to deliver.

Gemma Whitfield
Photo: Monika Jørgesen

For further information and future events visit White Lies’ website here.

Watch the video for Bigger than Us here: