White Denim live

Watching White Denim 'do their thing' is quite a unique experience. Dismissing boring concepts like breaking between songs and even, in fact, playing full songs the Texan three piece instead weave a sprawling tapestry across the venue dropping melodic bombs of recognition every five minutes or so. The set is divided into two acts as it were, both roughly twenty minutes long and then an encore at the end (They do still participate in the pretend stage exit). The first chunk of music is a riff-raw mixture of the immediate hits from their first album 'Workout Holiday' and a few from the newer, more experimental second 'Fits'. What comes at you is a ball of energy and distortion led by James Petralli and his tie-dye bandana. He bends and swirls his guitar until it is duetting with him and uniting the pair in a hazy harmony so that every howl from his razored larynx is echoed by a warped solo and a cape of fuzz. Back by a rhtyhm section that pounds relentlessley the band make their way through 'I Start To Run', 'All You Really Have To Do' and 'IEIEIE' amidst countless others.

White Denim don't pander to their audience, they don't 'play the hits' or throw their mics to the crowd for participation, this is a 'jam' (shudder) that feels vital not indulgent. Whilst the second half of the show does veer away from the heavy and into more deconstructed territory the feeling the set could go anywhere remains. Josh Block regularly stands from behind his drum kit (Probably to get a stretch if nothing else) and ends the set by clattering a cow bell repeatedly like we didn't get The Rapture over here. Would I rush to see White Denim again? Maybe not. Should everyone go see them at least once? Most definitely- a totally unique live band and well worth chekcing out.

White Denim live