The White Stripes

The White Stripes

The White Stripes were leaders in a garage rock revival in the late 1990s. If you’re not sure what that means, have a listen to "Strychnine" by The Sonics (1965) or "Complication" by Monks (1966). There is a raw, almost unhinged energy in the best garage rock that transcends time. Jack and Meg White harnessed that force with Jack’s impassioned vocals and distorted guitar wailing over Meg’s primitive tribal drumming.

By the early 2000s The White Stripes were being lionised in the UK as the most exciting live act in the world. Not bad for an apprentice upholsterer and a middle class waitress who for some unaccountable reason pretended to be siblings rather than the married couple they’d been since 1996.

Elephant (2003) was a breakthrough in terms of wider popularity and sales (reaching #1 in the UK) while the next two LPs capitalised on that success. In 2011 the duo split up, with Jack launching a solo career soon after.

More at the Discrepancy blog

We reviewed The White Stripes debut here.

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