_____This is a sad band. Not, like, queer sad, but, like, definitely not happy sad. You just know these guys were losers at school. Not bullied though, no, people felt too bad for them. They have never been sighted in any colour other than black, and when asked what is favourite colour was apart from the slimmingly stylish black, lead Harry McVeigh solemnly responded “very very dark blue”. The guitarist is so sad, he can’t even talk. However, what emerged from this cloud of gloom and despair in early 2008, was a most-possibly-the-greatest-song-of-the-year shaped light. In often the only words that leave Harry’s lips in between songs during their live sets, “This, ladies and gentleman, is Death”.
_____White Lies’ most recognised single, the official video for which has embedding disabled because they're alternative like that, now has over 1 million hits on YouTube, a milestone that has, on occasion, given reason for a smile from Harry and the Glumberries. Every single one of those hits is thoroughly deserved though, unlike Jason Derulo’s Whatcha Say (how the fuck did over 20 million people click to bear aural witness to the butchering of such a beautiful song?), as these guys truly are something special.
_____Lyrically they are the most beautiful band I have ever encountered. The first song of theirs I heard was a pre-album version of Unfinished Business, immediately encapsulating me with its delicate organ and powerful opening line “Just give me a second, darling, to clear my head”. I actually went out and bought the album on the day of its release, something which highlights just how highly I appreciate the noise this band is making. Every single song on this album has a wonderfully authentic feel to it, you can tell the lyrics actually mean something. Forgive me if I’m sounding slightly homosexual but I mean, “You whispered “Where are you?”, I questioned your doubt, but soon realised you were talking to God now”, if that doesn’t do something for you then you must have no soul. Each track is essentially poetry put to music. Watch the video below, and tell me if you can think of any other band where you could similarly speak their lyrics over it’s music, and they would not lose an ounce of their meaning.
_____I’ve had the pleasure of seeing White Lies twice at this stage, and I plan on seeing them many more times in the future, because both times they have provided a more intimate gig experience than I have ever felt before. I wouldn’t even call their latest performance at The Academy a gig, because it was so much more than that. Last summer many of you were tricked into thinking you went to see a Coldplay concert in Phoenix park, when in reality, it was just a ploy to gather those of you who were satanic enough to pay fifty euro to see the horror show that has become Coldplay of recent years so that you may have your soul cleansed by Harry McVeigh’s majestic baritone.
_____There’s no other band like White Lies. That’s what makes them so special. Their authenticity, their meaning, their aura. When they come on stage, the crowd initially cheers, but most peculiarly it hushes down, almost so commanded by the band’s eerie presence. I haven’t heard music so touching as that of White Lies' debut album, To Lose My Life, since Radiohead’s Kid A. And yes, I did just compare them to Radiohead, because I’m going to go out on a limb and say in 10 years time this album will be their Pablo Honey, Death their Creep. You’ll laugh at me for saying that now, but nobody can deny that these are not like other bands. They’re so fucking special.
_____I’ll leave you with the album version of the song that has become for me the most powerful piece of modern music I’ve ever heard, and with news that you can look forward to The Bends sometime next year, as the band have already started penning their second album whilst on tour, as touring is boring to them. Yes, they’re definitely not like other bands.
http://www.mediafire.com/?4zwngqi4zmm
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