BLURRING the lines between rock ‘n’ roll, psychedelic funk, prog rock and quite frankly, everything they fancy in-between- Texans’ White Denim filled a sold-out, red-lit Broadcast occupied with fans that could rest easy in the knowledge they had the hottest ticket in town.
The scatty beat of the LP title track Corsicana Lemonade struck up an instant state of awe between the four-piece and spectator. As the music progresses through a rattling riff and soothing vocals from lead James Petralli, its a spell-casting moment of pedantic plucking complemented with a dynamic beat.
Although their recent release is cementing White Denim in the grounds of spectacular , the band decided to descend their entire back catalogue upon Broadcast. Gripping moments of guitars locking in and burning against the bass are nothing short of fantastic, as they offer an organic display of improvisation, mashing melodies and tracks.
Come Back is as funky as they come- and as the bass reaches an all-time-low in the instrumental, the band lock eyes and souls with one another as the music builds into a rollercoaster of riffs, rhythm and harmonies.
“Thanks for not knocking my teeth out as you guys were moshing,” goes Petralli. A mosh of energetic teenagers to which he refers only adds to the magic that has become this evening. Love-fuelled heckles aside (“You guys should be in an areeeeeaaaaa!” “The bassist is fucking brilliant!”), the Texans embrace the Glaswegian crowd teetering out Distant Relative Salute as if it were some sort of reward- with its experimental beat and melody, its a highlight of the night although Cheer Up / Blues Ending is just as strong.
At Night in Dreams brings the tempo up a notch, its ballsy bass shattering through the small and progressively warming venue. From the debut album they churn out Shake Shake Shake– sounding vintage and rusty- its the kind of track that demonstrates just why the band are only now emerging out of the underground.
From 2011’s Last Day of Summer, the demanding melody of I’d Have it Just the Way we Were is emotionally static. As Petralli perfectly guzzles out the lyrics, its as if he’s spitting pieces of his heart to the floor caught up in the moment.
The artistic weight of White Denim is borderline obese by the time radio hit Pretty Green is churned out, the crowd swaying along to the beat – much easier to catch hold of than the preceding tracks in this set; whether that’s a good thing or not doesn’t really matter.
With no setlist in sight, White Denim have strung us along like little puppets tonight, teasing with jams and building riffs that have left us breathless. What’s left as they exit the stage is nothing more than a vinyl to spin on repeat thanks to the merch stand and a smartphone app to count the days away until May when these guys will be back in town.
Words: Nadine Walker
