Following the release of their latest EP Take It Out On Me, we’ve been waiting impatiently for White Lies’ fourth album ‘Friends’, which comes out this October. We caught up with one third of the West London trio, lead singer and guitarist Harry McVeigh.
Where are you and what have you been up to today?
Hello! I am sat in bed in my home in San Francisco and it’s 6 am so I haven’t done anything yet!
What should we be expecting from ‘Friends’?
I think what sets apart ‘Friends’ from the other records is the variety of the material. There are a few classic White Lies moments but also a few tracks which might be a little bit more unexpected. I love the variety on the record, it was such fun to make and I can’t wait to get into it live!
How do you think you’ve changed since your first album?
We’ve all grown up a great deal I think. The album actually deals with a lot of the emotions associated with the changing of relationships with friends and family as you grow up and move on to new things. On a personal level I’ve recently got married and moved away and if someone told me that’s where I’d be with my life at 19, when White Lies took off, I wouldn’t have believed it.
For the music video for your latest single ‘Take It Out On Me’ you traveled to Tijuana to film with David Pablos. What was that like?
Properly awesome! Really really good fun! I would recommend Tijuana, its people and its nightlife to anyone. As soon as we saw the treatment for this video we knew it was going to be pretty wild and I think we’ve always been drawn to that in our visuals. Spending time with David in his home town, in amazing locations with great actors, was a true pleasure and one of the best experiences of my life.
Who or what are your biggest influences?
That’s such a difficult question to answer and I think it changes on a daily basis. However, growing up I think everyone can pinpoint perspective altering artists in their lives. For me Jimi Hendrix made me want to pick up a guitar and Talking Heads made me want to play in a band. I can credit those two artists with what I do now.
What have you been listening to recently? (new and old, 10 tracks and artists please)
TOUR DATES
NOVEMBER
22nd – LONDON, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
24th – NOTTINGHAM, Rock City
25th – MANCHESTER, Albert Hall
26th – LIVERPOOL, O2 Academy
27th – GLASGOW, O2 ABC
29th – BIRMINGHAM, O2 Institute
30th – LEEDS, Stylus
DECEMBER
1st – BRISTOL, O2 Academy
FEBRUARY
23rd – NEWCASTLE, O2 Academy
24th – SHEFFIELD, O2 Academy
25th – OXFORD, O2 Academy
27th – CARDIFF, University
28th – LEICESTER, O2 Academy
March 2017
2nd – PORTSMOUTH, Pyramids
3rd – HULL, University
4th – LONDON, Troxy
6th – PRESTON, Guildhall
7th – ABERDEEN, Garage
8th – EDINBURGH, Potterrow
9th – HATFIELD, The Forum
11th – KEELE, University
12th – NORWICH, UEA