10

White Stripes

Never before have I seen two people on a huge stage make so much sound. From the moment Jack and Meg walked on stage the atmosphere was just electric. Starting with an unexpected ‘When I Hear My Name’ from their self titled debut album straight into the explosion that is ‘Black Math’, definitely the highlight of the night with Megs basic drumbeats and so many sounds coming from Jacks guitar you’d never guess there was just two of them on that huge stage.

They played a set to please both their new and their die hard fans with material from all four of their albums, the first half predominately from their No 1 album ‘Elephant’ and the second half with the other albums material including the appearance of a gem of a song ‘Apple Blossom’ from ‘De Stijl’. As is usual with the Detroit pair we were treated to a handful of covers reworked to be there own such as Son House’s ‘Death Letter’ and recent single Burt Bacharach’s ‘I just don’t know what to do with myself’.

The White Stripes tonight have shown that back to basics rock is becoming popular once again., playing to 10,000 people in an ice arena. If this is the direction rock music is heading in then I look forward to hearing more from bands with similar styles such as fellow Detroiters The Soledad Brothers and the Black Keys, who also rocked Nottingham just two days earlier.