White Lies step onto the Roundhouse stage to the chiming of keys, joined by touring keyboardist Tommy Bowen as a vast rectangular lightboxs loom behind them, each member framed by a glowing panel that shifts colour with the mood of the music. It’s an immediate statement of scale and intent, fitting for the second of two sold-out hometown shows for the Ealing-hailing trio.
They open delicately with All The Best from last year’s Night Light, Harry McVeigh’s husky vocal sitting right at the heart of the room. Midway through, the song is abruptly halted as the house lights rise and venue staff attend to a medical emergency in the crowd. McVeigh leans forward, concern cutting through the atmosphere. “Is everything ok down there?” he asks, waiting patiently until it’s safe to continue. “We’ll start that song again if that’s alright, it’s one of my favourites so it’d be a shame not to play it,” he offers warmly. When the band restart, the song’s soaring closing guitars feel even more cathartic, and the crowd’s response confirms it was worth the reset.
Jack Lawrence-Brown’s pounding drums then tear into Farewell To The Fairground, instantly lifting the tempo and the energy. The Roundhouse floor bounces as every word is screamed back at the stage. “London you know the words, I want to hear you sing them,” McVeigh urges, though the chant of “Keep on running, there’s no place like home” hardly needs prompting.
“It’s so good to be here, it’s such an honour to be here for two nights as well,” McVeigh tells the crowd. “Thank you for joining us on a Sunday, we are going to try and make tonight even better than last night.” With that, they launch into There Goes Our Love Again, its swirling electronics and Charles Cave’s relentless bassline anchoring the 2013 single as he disappears into the groove. New material slips effortlessly into the set. Bowen’s synths usher in Hurt My Heart, Cave’s bass once again prominent beneath McVeigh’s increasingly gravel-toned delivery. The track feels both fresh and familiar, highlighting how naturally Night Light sits alongside the band’s earlier work.
“It’s been 10 years this year since our fourth album Friends came out,” McVeigh reflects. “We’ve been reminiscing about a few of the songs off that record, choosing a few of our favourites.” Hold Back Your Love follows, its synths layered neatly over the rhythm section, McVeigh’s live vocal adding a deeper emotional pull than the studio version. The buoyant Is My Love Enough keeps the retro-tinged momentum going before Going Nowhere pulls the set firmly back into the present.
The unmistakable synth line of Tokyo sparks recognition before McVeigh even sings a word, Cave’s signature basslines driving the Five standout forward. Time To Give arrives like an old friend, its haunting organ tones filling the room, before Juice jolts the energy back up.
“With the next song we’ve decided to go right back to the start,” McVeigh explains. “We’ve chosen a track from the first album that we haven’t played so much over the years so perhaps it will come as some surprise to some of you.”
“I think maybe we should dedicate this song to our oldest friend Ed Buller,” Cave adds, nodding to their debut producer as the stark beats and desert-dry guitar of The Price Of Love echo out, a rare and welcome deep cut.
I Don’t Want To Go To Mars represents As I Try Not To Fall Apart, before the Roundhouse erupts at the opening notes of Big TV. “London, get your hands in the air!” McVeigh commands, and the crowd obeys as Lawrence-Brown locks the tempo and McVeigh’s guitars soar. To Lose My Life turns the venue into a mass singalong, and Bigger Than Us brings the main set to a triumphant close.
The band barely keep the crowd waiting before returning. “Thank you so much, we’ve got a few more for you,” McVeigh smiles, as Night Light unfurls gently. Cave swaps his bass for an acoustic guitar, his delicate picking supporting McVeigh’s haunting, gravel-edged vocal as the song slowly builds.
Then technology threatens to derail the moment as Bowen’s synth rig begins to falter. The band ride it out with humour. “We should have bought PCs but we bought Macs,” Lawrence-Brown jokes, while McVeigh hovers and the audience shout suggestions of “acapella” and “acoustic.” The issue resolves just in time for Death, the crowd clapping along from the first beat.
“London, thank you so much for being with us on the Sunday night, we appreciate you so much,” McVeigh says sincerely. “We’ve been doing this so long now, 15 years, and there’s no guarantee of longevity in this industry so I’m just so grateful that we’re still here and you guys are still coming to the shows.”
“We’re going to see if our keyboard rig lasts long enough to play one final song,” he chuckles, before In The Middle closes the night, defiant and euphoric.
On the second night of their Roundhouse residency, White Lies prove not just their staying power, but their ability to balance nostalgia with forward momentum. Technical hiccups and unexpected pauses only underline the band’s professionalism and connection with their audience, making this hometown show feel intimate, triumphant, and fully alive.
Live review & photography of White Lies @ Roundhouse, London by Kalpesh Patel on 1st February 2026.
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