Live Review: White Lies, The Forum, Tunbridge Wells, 27th January 2009

Harry McVeigh and Charles Cave- lead singer and bassist of album chart toppers and perennial doom mongers ‘White Lies’ respectively-might just as well have introduced themselves as Flash Harry and Champagne Charlie, such is the success the band have already enjoyed. Playing intimate gigs such as this at Tunbridge’s ’The Forum’, one suspects, is something White Lies no longer want or need to do. Indeed, the size and nature of the venue was far more appropriate for their support act- the instrument switching ’Post War Years‘- who played their infectious Foals-esque bass-heavy pop to an impressed and swiftly swelling audience.
Then, after a short wait and with front man McVeigh clad in uncharacteristically bichromed attire, White Lies took to the stage. And apart from that choice to opt out of all black for the night in favour of a risqué Lyle & Scott cardigan and grey shirt, there were few surprises- their first live performance since ‘To Lose My Life…’ was predictably clinical, professional and well-rehearsed. They rifled through their album with aplomb, barely acknowledging their fellow band members and only pausing to thank their audience for applause-who, having had barely a week to acquaint themselves with the album- were not as familiar with the foreboding lyrics as they might have been. Yet the ‘…keep on running, there’s no place like home’ refrain on the anthemic ‘Fairwell To The Fairground’ was well-chanted, and gave a tantalising taste of what larger venues and audiences will bring.
Their stand-out track ‘Death’ was unsurprisingly saved until last, and capped a memorable night. It was clear to all in attendance, however, that White Lies have already outgrown venues of this size, and are destined for festival main stages and stadiums- where their dark, cinematic Joy-Division sound will be far better suited . 7/10

EP Review: Bon Iver, Blood Bank

During 'Skinny Love', Justin Vernon- the ethereal double-tracked voice behind Bon Iver- told us to be patient. Yet less than a year on from his debut offering, the first green shoots of new material have surfaced from the bleak Wisconin winter sound that was 'For Emma', Forever Ago' in the form of 'Blood Bank'-a bold four track EP that will very likely divide opinion.
Gone are the low-fi, percussion-less, cabin created recordings; replaced instead with a full band backing and genuine post production. Even Vernon's distinctive vocals appear to have changed- the title track reveals his fragile falsetto voice vanishing in the opening lines- 'Well I met you at the blood bank, we were looking at the bags/Wondering if any of the colours matched any of the names we knew on the tags'- in favour of a grittier, harder sound only previously heard in parts of 'For Emma'. The second track ‘Beach Baby', meanwhile, complete as it is with a slide guitar, was never going to be placed amongst the previous album’s wintery folk landscape. Even so, as with so much of Vernon’s work, it remains near perfect lyrically-‘don’t you lock when you’re fleeing/ I’d like not to hear keys.’ In 'Babys' you can almost hear that remote Wisconin cabin’s snow thawing, through screams of 'summer comes to multiply!' and the uplifting 'Hoppipolla'-like use of a piano.
But it is with ‘Woods' that Vernon experiments most, and proves that all important versatility that was not necessarily evident before. 'I’m up in the woods/ I'm down on my mind’ is a refrain that belongs on 'For Emma', yet the closing track implausibly features those Marmite vocoder vocals that Mr. West spread all over his last album '808's and Heartbreak'. But incredibly it works. And if Vernon continues to experiment as he has here, its hard not to believe in life after 'Skinny Love.' 8/10