Gig review: White Lies at Leeds University Stylus

In the parlance of our times, I suppose we need to ‘normalise’ not starting all live reviews discussing the great plague of the 2020’s, however it is becoming more apparent that this time has been spent with bands taking stock of their own worth, their own place in music and why they started a band in the first place.

White Lies feel like they have had a factory reset, a moment to get off the touring wheel to really engage with what motivates them.

Out of the gates, big hitters Farewell To The Fairground and There Goes Our Love Again are electrifyingly familiar but altogether new. A band with one eye on life’s misery but this time with a huge grin and sense of renewed optimism and my word do we need some of that energy right now.

When a band has been going over thirteen years and six albums in, a set-list can be curated to fulfil the needs of hard-core fans and newcomers alike, familiarising the faithful and addressing the casual.

I’ve never seen White Lies do a bad gig, but I’ve never seen the band be so renewed and hungry to be out there once more, which after such a lengthy career is as emotional as it is inspiring.