Friday 11/02/11 White Lies @ Shepherd's Bush Empire, London

Question. Is a piano break in the middle of an indie-rock anthem considered naff or perfectly acceptable?

If you asked the two thousand or so merry Friday night souls who went mental when the keyboards took over during the Ealing trio's rousing rendition of their best hit to date, 'Death', they would surely fall into the latter camp.

Shoe-horned into a sweaty Shepherd's Bush Empire to see the second of two homecoming shows by the gothic, Ian Curtis-tinged three-piece, the airing of the marquee track from their debut offering, 'To Lose My Life', was a true “weekend starts here” lift off moment.

In town to promote their recently released second LP, 'Ritual', diminutive frontman Harry McVeigh and co have undoubted grown in stature as a live concern. Unrecognisable from the timid, lacklustre proposition I first encounter on a tour a few years ago when they were blown away by road buddies Florence and the Machine and Glasvegas, on this evidence White Lies are a ballsy, bombastic proposition with the muscle to fill venues five times the size of this local haunt.

Powered on by Jack Lawrence-Brown's propulsive drumming 'To Lose My Life' and a riotous 'Farewell To The Fairground' also land killer musical blows. The new material has less bite though.

Far more melancholy and laid back than their older stuff, 'Bad Love' and 'Strangers fall' a little flat live. There is more promise elsewhere though in the Springsteen-esque entitled 'The Power & The Glory' and comeback single 'Bigger Than Us'.

If they can complete the tricky task of melding both styles on album three, arenas surely beckon.

White Lies - live