Having wholeheartedly embraced the blues-rock of The Black Keys, is the British public now ready to try on the psych-rock of White Denim?
It certainly looks that way. Having been hailed by certain corners of the press as “the last great rock’n’roll band”, the Texas foursome came to the Village Underground as part of their sold-out UK tour.
If they’ve tamed their sound on their latest album, Corsicana Lemonade, they remain a ferocious beast live. I Start to Run was a frenetic blues number, showcasing the guitar and vocals of bearded frontman James Petralli. I’d Have It Just the Way We Were moved effortlessly into jazz-funk.
Alongside the impressive noodling, White Denim have added some hits to their arsenal. At Night in Dreams had a radio-ready chorus reminiscent of The Black Keys, while the stripped-down A Place to Start proved there was melody to match the mayhem.
For the main part, though, they remain a musicians’ band. If duelling guitars and compound time signatures are your thing, you’d have been in your element last night.
Equally, just because you can play funk, jazz, rock and blues, doesn’t mean that you should play them all in one song. And not every number demands a five-minute guitar solo, regardless of how masterful said guitar solo happens to be. In music, as in life, sometimes less is more.
Still, when White Denim combined technique with a memorable tune, as on recent single Pretty Green, they were utterly irresistible. With a little tailoring, big things beckon.
