Artist

White Lies

Ealing, United Kingdom • Formed 2008

White Lies is a music group from Ealing, United Kingdom, active since 2008. Their discography on Gatefold includes 11 records.

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Albums tracked

In collections

2008

Since

Biography

There are at least three artists who have used this name 1. An indie band from London, England 2. A singer from Belgium 3. A rock band from Devon, England 1) White Lies is an English Indie rock band from Ealing, London. Formerly known as Fear of Flying, the core band members are Harry McVeigh (lead vocals, guitar), Charles Cave (bass guitar and backing vocals), and Jack Lawrence-Brown (drums). The band performs live as a four-piece, when they are joined by Tommy Bowen.

The Arc of White Lies

The pivots — what forced White Lies to reinvent.

The Brussels Transformation
Ditching their original name and the jangly guitar sound of their youth, the trio decamped to ICP Studios with producer Ed Buller to embrace a stark, monochromatic aesthetic. The result was a record defined by Jack Lawrence-Brown’s mechanical drumming and Harry McVeigh’s sudden shift into a booming, low-register vocal delivery. It captured a very specific moment in London where the romanticism of death sold out arenas, forcing the band into a rapid maturity that their earlier demos never hinted at.
The Moulder Polish
Pressure to follow up a number one debut led the band to Alan Moulder, who pushed them away from the guitar-heavy gloom and toward a dense, synth-driven wall of sound. They leaned into a colder, more industrial vibe that felt like a deliberate attempt to shed the 'revivalist' labels sticking to their jackets. You can hear the struggle on the record where the melodies are still pure pop, but the production is trying to bury them in layers of distorted keys and heavy processing.
The Big Music Pivot
Tiring of the major label machine, they signed with BMG and started chasing a brighter, almost neon-soaked sound that owed more to the 80s FM dial than the Batcave. Working with producers like Bryan Ferry collaborator Ed Cross and even reuniting with Buller, they embraced the 'Big Music' tag with shimmering synths and soaring choruses. It was the sound of a band finally admitting they wanted to play stadiums rather than hide in the shadows, even if it meant losing the edge that made them a cult favorite.

Influences

Joy Division — The band has cited 'Closer' as the blueprint for their atmospheric shift and overall aesthetic. You hear it in Charles Cave’s high-fretboard bass lines and the detached, cavernous production on the debut. It is the inescapable DNA of their early career.
The Teardrop Explodes — Harry McVeigh explicitly pointed to Julian Cope's work as a primary influence on his vocal phrasing and the band's use of brass and grandiosity. The transition from jagged indie to baroque, ambitious pop mirrors Cope’s own trajectory. It’s the reason their later tracks have that wide-screen, slightly unhinged dramatic flair.
The Chameleons — Mark Burgess’s wall-of-sound guitar textures are all over the band's more atmospheric B-sides and the track 'Death.' The interplay between driving rhythms and shimmering, delay-heavy guitars is a direct lift from the 'Script of the Bridge' era. They took that Manchester gloom and gave it a modern, high-fidelity sheen.
The Cars — During the recording of 'Big TV,' the band frequently referenced Ric Ocasek’s ability to blend cold synthesizers with punchy rock structures. You hear it in the tight, palm-muted guitar stabs and the interlocking keyboard hooks on their mid-period records. It’s the sound of them trading the graveyard for the open road.
Talking Heads — The band covered 'Heaven' early on, signaling an interest in the more melodic, art-pop side of the post-punk movement. That influence manifests in the jittery, nervous energy of their drum patterns and the occasional use of world-beat polyrhythms. It helped them move beyond the standard four-on-the-floor dirges of their peers.