White Lies

What better way to start off a night dedicated to The Cure than with their latest descendants. White Lies take the gloom of early-80s Goth, through in the poppier moments of Joy Division and then add a sprinkling of the late Billy McKenzie to create the sort of epic sound many other bands can only dream of.

There's a delightful touch of naivety in their performance - opening with current single 'Farewell to the Fairground' before many have a chance to get into the auditorium, then tossing off their best known track, 'To Lose My Life', immediately after. But as the audience swells, so does the confidence of Harry, Charles and Jack and by the time they reach the elegiac sounds of 'Death' they have conquered not only their own fears, but the vast cavern that is the O2 Arena as well.