White Lies, Friendly Fires & the Soft Pack @ Triple Rock Social Club

(The Soft Pack)

(The Soft Pack)

The NME Presents tour rolled into the Triple Rock Social Club on a dreary Saturday night, featuring a couple of bands that have been hyped ad nauseam by said publication for months on end, but thankfully that hype was well deserved as all three bands on the bill played spirited, engaging sets that made all in attendance forget about the crap weather for at least a few hours. The bands really didn’t have a whole lot in common musically, so the night featured a vastly different mood and atmosphere for each set, as well as what seemed to be different audiences entirely, as there seemed to be a lot of people there just to see one particular band out of the three.

(The Soft Pack)

(The Soft Pack)

The place was just starting to fill up by the time the San Diego four-piece (and only non-British band of the night) the Soft Pack kicked things off with a pleasantly sloppy surf-rock set. Their sound is intentionally loose and noisy, and reminded me a bit of the Animals, just without the lyrical depth. Their songs were short, catchy and uncomplicated, and their nine-song set breezed by quickly. Some of the highlights were “Beside Myself, “Extinction,” “Night Life” and a raucous version of “Bright Side,” my fourth favorite song of 2008. The band joked a bit about the night’s line up, claiming that by injecting keyboards into “Night Life” they were now a new-wave band. Indeed they were anything but new-wave (leaving that wisely up to the next band on the bill), as their lo-fi garage rock sound seemed to go over well with the now-burgeoning crowd, and the band closed out their set well with a feisty version of “Parasites” that bodes well for their future now that they’ve got the hassle of their name (the band used to be named the Muslims until controversy dictated that they change it) figured out.

(White Lies)

(White Lies)

White Lies and Friendly Fires have been alternating headlining spots throughout the tour, and Friendly Fires were technically the headliners on this night, so West London’s White Lies were up next. White Lies were the first British band to enter at #1 on the UK charts this year, with their debut record To Lose My Life storming straight to the top on its first week of release. So, suffice it to say, there was a lot of curiosity and anticipation regarding the band’s first ever Minneapolis show. Coming onstage in their customary all-black stage attire, they opened their splendid set with the anthemic “Farewell To The Fairground” that was greeted warmly by the now full Triple Rock. The stage set up was fairly minimal, save for the piercing white strobe lighting that intentionally added evocative shadows and a sinister mood to the massive sound the four-piece band were generating (with Tommy B adding keyboards to the bands sound on tour). There are certain elements of their songs that can be easily placed throughout the history of British music, but the lads bring a fresh new energy and arrangements to their rather dark sound and death obsessed lyrics. And their live show really brings an added depth to some of their songs that perhaps sound a little flat on record, with singer Harry McVeigh’s soaring, mercurial voice sounding full and rich, guiding the songs to their doleful, atmospheric heights.

(White Lies)

(White Lies)

White Lies’ songs were tightly wound as the band remained controlled and serious for the remainder of their set, letting their music be the focus rather than any contrived stage antics. “To Lose My Life” was massive, with it’s insanely catchy chorus and immense bass line and hook, but I was hoping that the Letterman performance of the song could be repeated, complete with the rose petals dropping from the song during the final chorus. But Harry joked, as I was talking to him after their set, that there was “no way they could afford to do that more than once.” “E.S.T.” found Harry clasping his hands behind his back during the sullen start to the song, with his solemn baritone voice on this number surely giving ammunition to anyone that thinks he sounds too much like Ian Curtis. But the sprawling chorus is entirely original and innovative, and the song took off towards its rousing finish. “From The Stars” fully indulged in the band’s darker subject matter, with the lyrics starting at the funeral of a friend and ending either in the stars or the city (depending on which way you read the song). It was a fine example of how a song that never really resonated with me on record could be transformed into something truly memorable due to the bands captivating live sound.

(White Lies)

(White Lies)

“A Place To Hide” gave drummer Jack Lawrence-Brown and bassist Charles Cave the opportunity to shine, as their steady rhythms really propelled the song forward, and the energy level rose until it finally spilled over in the tracks spirited chorus. It seems like each song of the White Lies treads some familiar musical territory, but the stirring choruses are where the band really makes their own way, with memorable hooks and McVeigh’s escalating vocals taking the songs ever higher. “Unfinished Business,” “Fifty On Our Foreheads” and “The Price Of Love” are perfect examples of this, with the songs trudging along slowly at first until they are enlivened by the colossal chorus, with McVeigh’s penetrating vocals and the bands massive sound truly making the songs moving and momentous.

(White Lies)

(White Lies)

There was very little interaction between the band and the crowd throughout the set, other than McVeigh repeatedly thanking the rapturous audience. But when they decided to play “Nothing To Give” live for the first time (according to Harry), you could tell that the band really felt comfortable with the crowd and the room, and treated us to an exclusive live performance of the dark, brooding track that built to its swirling, discordant finish that was drawn out and rather explosive when compared to the rather sedate album version. It was a pleasant addition to the show, and set the stage nicely for the set closer “Death” which caused me to laugh after Harry’s cheeky introduction, “We’re the White Lies and we’ve had a really nice time tonight. This is “Death.” This song is gigantic, in every sense of the word, and was a perfect way to close the bands stellar first show in Minneapolis, with the crowd enthusiastically bouncing in time to the beat, and the band absolutely nailing the combustible closing to the song. It was a dynamic performance from start to finish from this very young British band, who have honed their live show into a taut, enthralling spectacle of sound.

(Friendly Fires)

(Friendly Fires)

(Friendly Fires)

The night ended with the St. Albans quartet Friendly Fires, who played a lively, disco-laden set that turned the floor in front of the stage into a massive dance party. Their music is decidedly retro, with the group unabashedly indulging their inner freaks as they dance and gyrate all over the stage, daring the crowd keeps up with them and the propulsive rhythms of their music. And, on this night at least, they did, although the crowd had thinned out substantially after the full-house of the White Lies set. The band started their set with an energetic version of “Lovesick,” which lead singer Ed Macfarlane introduced by saying “It’s Saturday night. Let’s have some fun.” And indeed, fun was the underlying theme of the bands energetic, playful set. “Jump In The Pool” and its first-rate chorus was a driving, rhythmic highlight of the set that really found most in attendance gravitating towards the dance floor, reveling in the sound and the spirit of the music. “Skeleton Boy” and “In The Hospital” were also standouts, but “White Diamonds” proved to be the last song of my night, as it was now nearly 1:00 a.m. and I was spent. It certainly was a pleasurable sight to see so many people losing themselves so thoroughly in the music, but as the decidedly disco sounds of Friendly Fires had grown a bit stale to me at that point in the evening, I called it a night.

(Friendly Fires)

(Friendly Fires)

(Friendly Fires)

After a brief talk with Harry from White Lies on the way out of the club (who was very humble, gracious and affable, fully deserving all the success the band has coming to them), where I thanked him for coming to Minneapolis and playing a brilliant set, my night was finished. The show featured an interesting cross-section of musical styles and themes that seemed to attract a vastly different audience for each band, which proved to be quite a good thing, since there was something on offer for fans of any musical genre. For me though, it will be remembered as the first of hopefully many White Lies shows in Minneapolis, for even though the band has dark, brooding songs with gloomy, mournful lyrics, they have a bright and promising future in front of them.

[Review by Erik Thompson, photos by Jon Behm.]

White Lies Setlist:
Farewell To The Fairgrounds
To Lose My Life
E.S.T.
From The Stars
A Place To Hide
Unfinished Business
Fifty On Our Foreheads
Price Of Love
Nothing To Give
Death

White Lies: Purchase | Official | Twitter | MySpace | Wikipedia
Friendly Fires: Purchase | Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
The Soft Pack: Purchase | MySpace

Also: The Soft Pack & Red Pens @ 7th St. Entry