Now that the glow of the reunion has worn off, it’s easier to get a more objective read on the latest – and first- incarnation of Dinosaur Jr. While the acrimony between J Mascis and Lou Barlow is reportedly a thing of the past, it was hard not to notice that there was no stage banter at all between the two (or with the crowd) during the entire hour and a half set, or even so much of an acknowledgement that they were standing on the same stage. Also of note was the placing of drummer Murph, squarely front and center, cutting the stage in half, with Mascis on the left and Barlow on the right. Mascis and Barlow may not have any hard feelings between them, but it sure doesn’t look like the acrimony has been replaced by fraternity and friendship.

Still, whatever issues still exist within the band, they in no way affected the music, and that’s really all that mattered. Initially, the excitement over the reunion was that Dinosaur Jr. would be playing songs off their first albums. Now, at the second of three sold out New York City shows, the setlist includes songs spanning every incarnation of the band, from early tunes like “Freak Scene” to the Barlow-less near-hits of the 90′s (“Get Me,” “Feel the Pain”), to songs from last year’s record Farm. And they all flowed pretty well together.

Also of note- I’ve been to a lot of shows, from tiny clubs to giant arenas. This may have been the loudest show I’ve ever seen in my life.

Opener Kurt Vile, who seems to be everywhere lately, played a short set with his band the Violators, and with the only head of hair in the venue to rival J Mascis’. Playing most of his set behind his voluminous mane, Vile’s face is as hard to pin down as his music, which has been described as some mix of freak-folk, psychedelic pop, and lo-fi grunge. All those seem to fit, and the genre-hopping explains his presence on so many different bills in the past year, from Built to Spill to Big Star to the Black Keys. After a few more shows with Dinosaur Jr., he’ll be back out on tour opening for Matador label-mates Fucked Up.

Dinosaur Jr.:

Kurt Vile:

Friday night at the Webster Hall in Manhattan saw the appearance of West London lads, White Lies and they did the old Blightly proud.

They chose a good opener, the title track of their album, ‘To Lose My Life…’ which roused the crowd into a suitably pumped mass from the beginning. There is certainly something powerful about lead singer Harry McVeigh’s voice and it echoed as though he were performing in a stadium arena. It can’t simply have been down to the sound system or the acoustics of the venue. His lungs must be disproportionate to the rest of his British frame…

Biology aside, the poppy rhythms of The Killers, combined with the melancholy drones and vocals of Interpol, were enough to get my tired feet tapping and my head nodding. The crowd, similarly, mirrored my movements in perfect harmony with the beat. Unfortunately, not much else happened crowd wise. Even during the crescendos of songs like ‘Death’, the crowd maintained this rhythm, never really straying to the realms of gig induced ecstasy.

Their biggest tune of the night, and most likely their catchiest song in the world outside the walls of the Webster Hall was ‘Farewell to the Fairground’. The mantra ‘keep on running, there’s no place like home’ sent the crowd crazy and was undoubtedly rotating on repeat in attendee’s heads for the rest of the evening.

Bassist Charles Cave demonstrated a knack for stage presence in ‘Nothing to Give’ where he left the stage for the build up and came back at a moment which highlighted how superb the baseline is in this song.

Usually among bands, a bold sound is complemented by an immense light show that rises and falls with the key moments of songs. However, White Lies, dressed in all black, were simply lit by minimal white lights. There was something quite haunting and hollow about it all.

There is nothing technically astonishing about this band. They play solid songs well. They are a crowd pleaser and like the band they are often compared to – The Editors – they have a bit more depth to them in comparison to the average indie pop band.

Twelve songs later they left the stage and I felt satisfied that they had delivered what I had expected. They played true to the album, not really doing anything out of their remit, but for those in the crowd looking for an unyielding performance, they wouldn’t have gone home unhappy. They are going in the right direction; they are confident and they have the talent. Once they find that little pinch of something extra, they will be right up there with the big boys.