WHITE LIES // CONCORDE 2, BRIGHTON
White Lies perform a intimate sold-out home coming show at Brighton’s Concorde 2
WHITE LIES PERFORMING AT BRIGHTON’S CONCORDE 2 - 31.01.2019
PICTURE BY: MICHAEL HUNDERTMARK PHOTOGRAPHY
★★★★☆
With high anticipation for the new album ‘Five ’ realised the day after White Lies hit the road for the start of the upcoming tour picking material spanning from ten years of their musical career with a very warm welcome form the fans for this sold out show in Brighton as a snow storm rages outside on a cold winters night.
At the start its a home coming date at the Concorde2,Brighton with support stemming from the superb lyrical sounding Canadian Band ‘ Boniface‘ The lead singer ‘Micah Visser’ named his band after the Neighbourhood where he grew up and learned to play guitar amongst other instruments.
Boniface’s debut single, ‘I will not return as tourist’ sets out a great ballad that will stick in one’s mind with quite lyrical introduction against a furious pop swell. The band certainly set the pace for the rest of the evening and suits the mood of The White Lies discology. The Song ‘Phantom Limbs’ does show an influence taken from The National.
Boniface certainly offer something bright and fine in ambition and certainly to watch out for in the future.
White Lies erupted onto the British post-punk scene 10 years ago. The London Trio, grabbed the hearts with their doom-laden debut ‘To Lose My Life’, which promptly hit the number one spot.
The evening sets out on a mellower side with the first taken from the new album ‘Five’, ‘Time to Give’. With the opening lyrical line....‘you turn to me. What’s there to talk about?” Lead singer, Harry McVeigh misses a brief musical cord, apologises and cheers to the audience, proclaiming “its nerve racking thing playing a new song!” and welcomes everyone with, ‘it’s great being back here again ’, showing his love for his roots to Brighton.
When old favourites ‘Farewell to the Fairground’, ‘Bigger than us’, and the more, darker material of ‘Death’ are played the mood picks up, when the audience dance and shout, “come on Harry, we love you…singing along to the lyrics, showing the faithfulness to the band.
With ‘Tokyo’ it seems White Lies seem to throw back to the 1980;’s, Human League resemblance with Icy synths with Harry’s sonorous vocals.
As ‘Unfinished business’ came on the Audience soon blew the roof of the Concorde2 which is a classic Victorian building originally used as tea rooms in the 1800’s.
As the encore rounded of the night, Harry McVeigh announces the song ‘Change’ and that,” …he never plays this solo”, another quite track taken from the previous album ‘Big TV’, played on the keyboard and shows the more matured humbled side. It is consolidated the band as the sort of act that grows on you and could play Wembley Arena.
As the crowd descends into the night there is a pleasing sense that the devoted fans would return to listen to the more synth-pop eighties style which White Lies have adopted and evolved into.
SETLIST: | WHITE LIES : CONCORDE 2, BRIGHTON - 31.01.2019
Time To Give
Take It Out On Me
Farewell to the Fairground
Believe It
Is My Love Enough
Finnish Line
There Goes Our Love
Never Alone
Don’t Wanna Feel
Swing
Big T.V
Tokyo
Kick Me
Unfinished Business
Jo
Death
Hold Back Your Love
Bigger Than Us
ENCORE:
Change
To Lose My Life
Fire and Water