White Stripes: Under Great White Northern Lights

White Stripes
Under Great White Northern Lights
XL

The White Stripes’ live future was thrown in doubt when Meg White cancelled a 2007 tour due to anxiety attacks. So the duo’s first live album Under Great White Northern Lights, culled from their last dates before White’s anxiety troubles struck, has an added frisson: it documents the possibly final appearances of one of the great live acts of modern times.

Recorded on their 2007 Canadian tour, which is also the subject of an accompanying DVD, it showcases Jack White’s unhinged vocals and slam-dunk riffs, Meg’s underrated drumming and the duo’s fizzing chemistry, which Jack has struggled to recreate in his several side-projects.

Of course like any live album it’s no substitute for seeing them in person: hopefully Under Great White Northern Lights is a snapshot of a living band, not a memento mori.