This
one proves, without a doubt, that if an opportunity to take my little man Logan
to a gig suddenly presents itself, even the most trenchant of plans can quickly
become very mutable…! This particular evening had long been pencilled in my gig
“Dance Card” as “Swindon Shuffle 2019 Day 1”, and more specifically a
headlining gig, to really kick the ‘Don Fest into gear, by old Swindonian Gaz
Brookfield and his Company Of Thieves, a set which would see Gaz take sole
possession of my “Most Seen Act” accolade with 23. However, other opportunities
presented themselves when I discovered Logan would be off school on Friday thanks
to a teacher training day; we initially pondered over a one-evening trip to
Cheltenham’s “2000 Trees” Festival to see Frank Turner headline, but
(ultimately unfounded) forecasts of inclement weather dampened my gig buddy’s
enthusiasm for that. Then, on Monday morning, this gig re-appeared in my FB
feed; I’d knocked it back when I’d first heard about it, but it became
infinitely more attractive now I had Logan – a self-confessed big White Lies
fan – in tow! We’d missed out on their early 2019 tour thanks to the lack of
nearby U14 venues, so this was a chance to put that to rights for Logan’s
sophomore White Lies gig!
So,
a late shout, but, tix secured, we headed off down the twisty Wiltshire country
roads, rocking up in a sunny early evening Frome town centre at 7.30, and
parking up in the old Market Hall’s ample car park. Logan managed to squeeze
into a bit of barrier, front and centre, and we chatted with fellow front-row
punters (one guy who’d seen ‘da Lies over 20 times, who was apparently standing
next to a lady who’d seen ‘em 100+!) while availing ourselves of support Al
O’Kane and his sharkstooth-adorned bowler hat-clad sidekick Andy Hill. The duo
kicked off with a couple of understated and wistful, pastoral late 60’s
acoustic numbers before veering into broodier, more bluesy C&W stuff, some
of the more stripped back material being entirely suited for a “Firefly”
episode soundtrack! “Animals”, a call-and-response final number with an
environmental message, was about the best of a diverting and decent local
support set.
More
chats with folks down the front – including Dave and Collette, a lovely couple
who ponied up £10 for Logan’s Diabetes UK “Million Step Challenge”; thanks
guys! – before White Lies took the stage promptly at 9. This, a one-off to keep
their hand in, in anticipation of some upcoming Festival appearances, saw White
Lies nonetheless well road-tested from their early 2019 tours in support of
splendid new album “Five”, itself a further development towards a
synthier-driven, smoother sonic template. Poppier and more accessible than
their pseudo-gothy post-punk days of yore, yes, but as long as White Lies
continue their knack of writing humungous, soaring and uplifting hooks and scattering
them liberally around their material, I’m all over it like a cheap suit! Case
in point; opener “Time To Give”, a slow burner harking back to those
synth-propelled early 80’s new romantic days, but then building to a mesmeric
looped outro belying its’ near 7-minute duration. An impressive start, lapped
up by this devoted audience, and reciprocated onstage, particularly by mustard-shirted
vocalist Harry McVeigh, who clearly relished his job tonight, a face-cracking
smile never far from his youthful, bearded features.
White
Lies were excellent tonight; “on it” from the off, they delivered a relaxed,
confident and utterly accomplished performance. “Farewell To The Fairground”
saw them slow the hook for greater emphasis (a neat trick they were to
replicate later, to greater effect); an early “There Goes Our Love Again”
galloped, swooped and soared, and saw the boys compliment a local Frome chippy
at its’ conclusion (!), and “Getting Even” was an early, darker and more
menacing highlight. “Take It Out On Me” was immense, Harry letting his dark,
earthy baritone soar for the hook, and the robotic synth workout of “Big TV”
was an absorbing beast. However, their best number, “Death” was the undisputed
highlight tonight; tucked late-on into the set rather than at the end, it built
to a crescendo, the band slowing the hook down to a dissonant, funereal crawl
before, like a cork out of a champagne bottle, releasing the tension in an immense
euphoric gush. The ridiculously hooky Tears For Fears-isms of newie “Tokyo”
(which saw host town Frome get a mention!) and an angular, dark “To Lose My
Life” closed out a stellar set as good as I’ve seen this increasingly impressive
band, Harry happily glorying in the adulation from the crowd.
Encores
of a distinctly grungy, almost Nirvana-esque “Fire And Wings” (hinting at a new
direction, perhaps? Who knows?) and a superb, soaring and singalong “Bigger
Than Us” brought the night to a thundering end, Harry gathering his bandmates
for a deserved bow and pointing out Logan to his drummer Jack. Logan had been
bouncing furiously down the front pretty much all gig (so much so, that his
FitBit step counter registered an extra 6,000 steps for his challenge!) and
Jack rewarded him with a well-worn set of drumsticks. Nice touch! This buoyed
Logan to stick around outside while the car park cleared, and patience was
rewarded ½ hour later with pics and a fully signed set-list for my gig buddy
from an appreciative and very friendly band. Thanks guys!
A
swift hurtle home chatting about the gig and spotting wildlife (which actually
started with a bat flying around the car park!) saw us home at midnight. A
superb night out – sorry Gaz, but there’ll be other opportunities to break the
record. This might have been a late shout, but thanks to an exemplary
performance from White Lies, it was a great shout – and the right shout!
No comments:
Post a Comment