all words by Aaron Baird, photos by Dakota Fine
...
I walked in the Cat ready for a few things: Hyped bands, large crowds (for a Tuesday), and medium-to-well music.
My expectations were all developed via word-of-mouth. I hadn't heard Soft Pack, although I knew they used to be The Muslims. I hadn't listened to Friendly Fire, although I'd heard their lead singer was giving guys and girls boners on both sides of the Atlantic. I'd only seen two music videos of White Lies, and I liked them. I'd also heard their album debuted at #1 in the UK. This I took with a grain of salt as those cheeky Brits can often amp themselves up to a fevered pitch over the next "brilliant" or "genius" new band. But still, their videos were pretty sick, if humorless, and I thought I could dig it.
Soft Pack was already rocking when I walked in. Rocking in a nicely detached, garage-revival, I-sing-like-I-lived-in-the-East-Village-in-the-late-60s-but-I'm-from-Southern-California-so-I-actually-had-a-suburban-home-and-decent-sized-garage-to-revive-this-sound-with-my-fellow-cul-de-sac-dwelling-young-friends. But that's cool. And they know it. So they do it. And they do it well.
They're a 4-piece. 2 geets and one bass and a groove-stricken drummer who wouldn't not know how to pound the new catch-a-wave fresh doo-op-punky beats under your feet. Big deep snare sound, big crashy cymbals, and a big use of a heavy tom-tom all combined for a driving underbelly of quick and rhythm-heavy roots rock. Throw some loud (and there really isn't a better word for the crunchy, trebly, apes-ma of a telecasted sound) guitars and a groove-addicted bass under a LouReed vs. JonRichman prize emulator and you've got a recipe for good clean fun. Such are the softies of this 4-pack. You'll probably see 'em around.
Fast-forward to the 3rd song in from Friendly Fires. I was lost, deep in thought, scratching my head trying to figure out how I was going to justify to myself, friends and family, the fact that I had a bit of a man-crush on this small, british, seemingly-coked up singer of lead melodies.
I admired him for a number of reasons:
The ladies (albeit young) loved himHe had an accent. I'll never have one.
He sang with a strong control of the mic and his own fucking impressive vocal range, but with an unabashed energy and total passion for the indie-club hits they pumped out that I haven't seen in a good while. Sure, he had some bolstering effects and they played to a track, but hell, this guy made their set fun as shit.
He looked pretty cool doing it (in a borderline tres-gay and totally euro way) and he proved his chops (HAH!) by playing a few notes on the bass for one song.
Needless to say, or maybe I do need to say it, Friendly Fires won the prize. The blue-ribbon or top prize for the night, for performance or otherwise. Details like instruments they played (typical setup with some double drum-set work and sampled electric beats), or the sound they pumped out (Duran Duran/Klaxons/Electro-Ferdinand/Hyper version Beta Band), all seemed relatively less important as their explosive energy (guitarist ran around in the crowd like a banshee on the lookout for a cozy disco hall), and looks (couple of good-looking guys playing with some pudgy, normal looking guys who probably were nice dudes). But it was probably a combo of all of the above that got my approval. Some people even danced!
So then we got to the one band I'd actually heard a few tunes from. I vaguely remembered my good friend Wakeman playing a couple of their epic (but kinda kitchy as they prob weren't aware of their own gloom-covered campy seriousness) I-wanna-be-my-own-arena-filling-version-of-U2-but-darker-and-maybe-a-little-like-Ian-Curtis music vids. There were skateboards, over-flowing milk glasses, long-hairs, and grey wolves involved so I knew they were on to the right ideas. I just wanted to see how effing cool the drummer looked live because he looks like a true prince of neu-new-order rhythms with cooler hair in the videos.
And fuck if he wasn't the coolest looking member of the band. It's important to note that it's worth going to see this band for the drummer alone. Dude looks truly cool. I won't even examine hypothetically the mechanism that kept his (as an appreciator and supporter of good hair) locks flowing seamlessly throughout the set (prob a big fan of some sort). And that's the great thing about this band, White Lies that is: They look cool doing their thing. The music is good. I mean, not great, nothing new, but in the solid tradition of the Killers or Stills and sometimes even Arcade Fire (with less passion) but maybe a little more forced darkness and a I-wanna-be-taken-seriously approach.
Wakeman said something that stuck with me: "These guys are obviously meant for bigger things." I agree with that. Everything from their lighting set-up (wayyyyyyyyy too bright for the dark CAT), to their nouveau-arena sound screamed "take us seriously if you want, because somebody else will if you don't." And shit, for one night, I totally bought into it. Lots of white, lots of black, not much in between.
They are the White Lies for eff's sake.
Previously in Live DC:
- 2/13: LiveDC: George Clinton & The Parliament-Funkadelic @ 930 Club
- 2/13: LiveDC: Veronica Falls/ Brilliant Colors @ Black Cat
- 2/13: LIVE DC: Steve Aoki/ Datsik/ Alvin Risk @ Fillmore
- 2/13: LiveDC: The Darkness @ 930 Club
- 2/9: LiveDC: Theophilus London @ 930 Club
- 2/9: Best Weekend Bets
- 2/8: LiveDC: Kathleen Edwards @ 930 Club
- 2/8: LiveDC: Thurston Moore/ Kurt Vile @ Black Cat
- 2/8: LiveDC: Thurston Moore/ Kurt Vile @ Black Cat
- 2/7: LiveDC: Demetri Martin @ Warner Theatre
God loves a cheerful giver.
I definitely agree -- Friendly Fires should be headlining this tour. They were absolutely brill
I was there so, inevitably, some notes:
-Soft Pack was good but the sound was way too loud so I had to go downstairs and drink whatever it is that is being served this week instead of PBR. Benjy came on the jukebox, so all was good.
-Friendly Fires were great. The lead singer reminded me of Ian Somerhalder’s (sp?) character in “Rules of Attraction” during that awesome getting ready scene. Feel a pretty strong urge to be very close friends with all of them right now, and have them play music for me while I try on dresses. Singing into hairbrushes may or may not be involved in the process.
-White Lies were ok. I can see them opening for The Editors on their next tour and drowning in their own fake smoke. Decent but not really necessary for your life or general well being.
Also-photos are awesome. Write up is awesome. Team work!
another review, with less musings on looks and more on the sound, here: www.everybodytaste.com
@ bro: don't you realize I don't go to shows for the music dude? and didn't we both make all the same obligatory references?
for the music description that matters (maybe), please see description of Soft Pack. the other bands were much less bands you needed to critically listen to, in my humble opinion.
remember fun?
nope.
sorry, not trying to be a dick. just throwing another review out there.
you compared the white lies to the arcade fire, so i thought people might want another opinion. no harm in that.
and in terms of "obligatory references" you didn't mention Joy Division... so... minus 113 points.
you compared the white lies to the arcade fire, so i thought people might want another opinion.
^^^^^^THIS!
to be fair he mentioned Ian Curtis, which is Joy Division +10% if we are going on a point system.....
Aaron--perhaps you could take a cue from bro and actually write music reviews... a novel concept.
@ oh lord. my bad! you're right. anyways... i'll stop being a dick. great pics, nice review. peace, love and happiness to all of you beautiful people.
Ehh, the lazy Arcade Fire comparo was based on the intros of AF's "Rebellion (Lies)" and WL's "Death." While I was writing this review I was watching the "Where the Wild Things Are" trailer and the "Death" music vid again (cuz it's pretty cheesily awesome). Rolling bassline, thumping quarter note bass drum hits. Check it out.
Give me credit please! Like me like me!
photos are brill dakota, spec:
http://www.brightestyoungthings.com/photos/photo/3387269431/DF09324WhiteLiesBlackCat-121.html
http://www.brightestyoungthings.com/photos/photo/3388076576/DF09324WhiteLiesBlackCat-114.html
http://www.brightestyoungthings.com/photos/photo/3387268549/DF09324WhiteLiesBlackCat-103.html
on the last i wanna touch the gloss on his two front teeth.
@ bro: dude. I don't know if I'm ever serious about anything I say so please take this all with a grain of salt. I stick my tongue in my cheek very sincerely.
AB - " faggying up the room since '96!"
@ Aaron: sorry i'm not better at reading snarkiness. let's make love not war. ...seriously.
@ Aaron- Ok i see the comparison between Death and Rebellion Lies. Basically the same percussion just different levels....
I just found myself offended, because Arcade Fire holds a tender spot in my heart and I found White Lies to be....awful. First show i left early in a while.
White Lies = decent record, boring show. More Killers than Joy Division and I mean that in the most pretentious way possible.
sad to hear white lies weren't so great live
but makes me regret not seeing them less
the EP Will was giving away at Bliss is great
especially the Crystal Castles remix