Over the next 11 weeks I’ll dig deep into the 2014 Coachella Music Festival lineup, featuring one band per day. The purpose of this piece is to assist in difficult decisions that inevitably you’ll need to make, as well as, serve as a fun countdown to Coachella Week. Note: All bands appear in a completely random order… Enjoy, and let the countdown begin!
Day 18 = White Lies
Performing = Saturday
White Lies are an English post-punk band hailing from London. The band was formerly known as the Fear Of Flying prior to starting White Lies in 2007. The trio felt the dark and doomy music that they we’re beginning to write didn’t suit the old band’s Brit-pop style, and that led to the formation of the new act.
The band has released three studio albums… really, three! I completely lost track of these dudes after the release of their solid debut To Lose My Life. I honestly thought they we’re one and done. Upon further review, they dropped the albums Ritual in 2011 and Big TV this past August.
The group cites their major musical influences as Talking Heads and Secret Machines, however, critics have compared their sound to Joy Division, Interpol, and Editors. Frontman Harry McVeigh denies those comparisons saying “We weren’t alive during that period of music, we’ve never really been that into Joy Division, especially not the Editors…or even Interpol really.” I guess he’s right, how could they have ever possibly listened to Joy Division if they weren’t alive in the late seventies….. McVeigh continues, “I don’t think our music sounds a whole lot like those comparisons, I think we’re a lot more euphoric and uplifting.” If you say so Harry.
I can remember being excited to check out the second half of their set on MACCA Day 2009. Anyway, I was catching The Ting Tings in the Sahara of all places. I don’t normally find myself in the Sahara, but the one thing I’ve come to find out through the years is… absolutely nothing goes as scheduled in that tent. The Ting Tings start thirty minutes late and I end up missing White Lies completely. Maybe our paths will cross in 2014.
The band is currently offering the track “Getting Even” from their latest album Big TV as a free download on their website via soundcloud.
Visit the White Lies website here:
http://whitelies.com/
Recommended listening:
“To Lose My Life”
“Death”
“Bigger Than Us”
GoINDEEpMusic