White Lies

My Music Q&A: White Lies

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My Music Q&A
Harry McVeigh of White Lies

IT was Gavin & Stacey star Mathew Horne who first tipped EG off about this London trio back in April. The Nottingham actor, a relentless gig-goer now living in the capital, had seen them a few times and was billing them as “the next Killers”.
“Yes, I’ve met him a couple of times at gigs,” says a rather plummy White Lies singer Harry McVeigh.
“I think it’s quite a compliment being compared to any good band.”
Horne hasn’t been the only recognisable face in the crowd at their gigs: Morrissey, Mark Ronson, Kaiser Chiefs and Nick Cave had a look at a recent Camden show.

What was your first record?
Michael Jackson’s HIStory correct, which is a good start I think. Obviously you don’t hear too much of his music now.

Which member of your family was the biggest influence musically?
My mum was really in to music. She bought me a lot of CDs from quite a young age. At birthdays and Christmas and stuff I’d always get a substantial amount of CDs. She still listens to a lot of music now. She’s in to a lot of the bands I’m in to. So she got me in to music and now it’s the other way round.

What is your Desert Island Disc?
That’s an impossible question to answer. Erm, I do really like the new Portishead album called Third. It’s one of my favourite records.

What is your guilty music pleasure?
I guess I quite like ABBA. I don’t know if I should feel guilty though because their songs are really well written.

Which music makes you angry?
There’s a lot of music I don’t like but there’s one... what’s he called?... DJ Scotch Egg or something like that, who has just awful songs. Horrible. I guess they call it happy hardcore. I don’t understand why people like it.

Who was your first gig?
I can’t remember but it must have been someone like Queens Of The Stone Age in London. I was a really big fan when I was 13 and 14 and they’re still a band I have a lot respect for.

And last?
The Joy Formidable. That was at Reading and Leeds. We saw them both times.

Is that why they’re supporting you on this tour?
No. Our drummer Jack runs a club night in London called Chess Club and he picked up on them with our manager. They hear a lot about new bands so we booked them for our tour but I didn’t see them until Reading. And they didn’t disappoint.

Elvis or The Beatles?
I’d have to say The Beatles, I think. As much as I respect Elvis because he had some really, really great songs and was a huge sensation, The Beatles... they wrote their own songs for a start.

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White Lies play The Bodega Social Club in Pelham Street on Thursday September 25 with The Joy Formidable and Postwar Years. Doors at 8pm. Ticket are £7. White Lies release a new single, Death, on Monday. The debut album is due out in January.