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White Rabbits

@ XOYO, London, 1 May 2012
4 stars

by Neil Dowden

White Rabbits

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They may have kept the audience hanging on, but when White Rabbits finally bound on stage the wait is well worth it. As their last gig of a two-month American/European tour plugging their recent excellent third album Milk Famous, the New York-based sextet are in an exuberant mood. They deliver a tight, hour-long set half made up from the new material, which has a more polished, electronic sound, and the rest from older, spikier songs of youthful angst.

They kick off with the opener from Milk Famous, the ironically named Heavy Metal, a coolly hypnotic slice of indie dance-rock, followed by Are You Free, with its brooding, post-punk industrial beat. The darkly seductive Back For More creeps under the skin, while moodily melodic new single Temporary is equally irresistible, as two of the highlights of the evening.

Earlier tracks come across well too, especially the gloriously up tempo While We Go Dancing, the compellingly spooky Lionesse and crowd favourite, the explosively locomotive Percussion Gun. After a brief exit, the band plays a couple of encores, ending with an enjoyably raucous account of Kid On My Shoulders to close the show on a feel-good note.

Lead singer Stephen Patterson seems to be singing half an octave higher than before to good effect, while still providing theatrical flourishes on the piano, with rhythm guitarist Gregory Roberts supplying impassioned vocals for The Plot. Lead guitarist Alexander Even's distorted shards of noise are complemented by Rustine Bragaw's groove-heavy bass lines. White Rabbits are known for their trademark double percussive sound, with Jamie Levinson's steady drum beat supplemented by the percussion of Matthew Clark, a loose cannon who sways with his whole body whether standing up or wandering around the stage.

After so long on the road, the band has honed its act sharply, without apparently losing any zest for the music. Maybe due to this being the final night, but the guys are evidently in very relaxed spirits, with even a temporarily missing guitar not fazing them. Their real musical accomplishment deserves a higher profile but there's no doubt that with performances like these White Rabbits will have extended their fan base before hopping back across the pond.

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