Published Date:
20 February 2009
By Mark Ireland
The NME tour has regularly been catching bands before they strike mainstream success.
Past visitors to the Norwich leg of the tour have included Arctic Monkeys, The Killers and Franz Ferdinand – all of whom went on to rapid and exceptional success.
These gigs always have four bands on the bill, which means gig-goers can usually miss the first group on. However, the majority of the sold out crowd were there early for a fantastic vocal performance by Florence And The Machine, who have picked up lots of airplay for their single Dark Days, which provided a triumphant end to their set. White Lies frontman Harry McVeigh described Florence as being the best vocalist on this tour, when she was invited on stage to perform with them.
Following Florence, meant White Lies had to come out fighting from the start with great conviction and heart.
They didn't keep their fans waiting long for monster single To Lose My Life from their number one debut album of the same name. White Lies are all about a large, dark 1980s sound and, while some critics compare them closely to Joy Division, the night's celebratory turn proved there is certainly a place for their sound in today's market.
Offering light from the darkness were Friendly Fires, peddling an instant dance funk sound with a crowd pleasing set of self-assured dancing and bonkers bell playing by their frontman Ed Macfarlane.
The stage was set for headliners Glasvegas who've attracted a large, loyal following and have been much lauded in the pages of the NME over the past year.
Their anthemic songs had the audience singing along, much to the pleasure of singer James Allan.
It was almost as though Glasvegas didn't work as hard to please the crowd as their supports, but it seemed apparent they just didn't need to.
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Last Updated:
23 February 2009 9:40 AM
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Source:
Diss Express
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Location:
Diss