White Denim are a rare sight in a city like Leeds, bringing some much needed soul to a town full of heart.
This isn’t just some indie band playing the hits, this is music built from the roots up. Tonight it’s all on show, the interplay between the band and their cohesion making for brilliance at every turn. It’s all Little Feat’s natural rhythms and Allman Brothers Band‘s tight, soulful power, but with just a hint of something extra; White Denim’s own special sauce, sprinkled on top just for good measure.
Southern rock seems to be having something of a rebirth of late, with bands like Okkervil River and My Morning Jacket really digging deep into the genesis of the sounds they make, but White Denim have always been a little different, as what they do seems to cover a slightly broader church. This isn’t just ‘southern rock’, it’s southern history. There’s blues, soul, funk and all manner of deep whatnot in here. And it’s the real thing, not some mock, plastic pastiche like you’d expect 40 years after the scene.
And what’s more, it’s played with the requisite levels of louche and nonchalance you just can’t fake. White Denim’s naturalness is effortless, and it’s this that truly seduces. Lots of bands have the tracks, very few have the class to pull this off. They power through songs like Ha Ha Ha Ha (Yeah), with its wonderfully funky licks and rhythms, transporting you to very different places and times, it’s hard to believe we’re buried somewhere underground in Yorkshire and not somewhere exotic and sticky.
But moments like this are only part of the story. White Denim switch gears throughout the night, taking up and down seemingly at will and without any regard for the show’s flow, simply because everything just fits. It’s the sound of hot summers, changing seasons, sweaty nights and passionate lives played loud. Yorkshire’s no stranger to tall tales, but they’re not usually this tall or this damn funky.
This is because White Denim’s rhythm section never falters. They drive tonight’s show from beginning to end, allowing James Petralli to truly unfurl his full range throughout the night. And this is why tonight’s show works so well; because although they might be channelling something of this band or a little of that style and beyond, ultimately what is winning is what of it is them. Yes, they do have soul, yes, they do have rhythm, and they know their jazz from their country, but everything tonight, no matter how diverse or familiar, only works because of them.
White Denim spins Leeds a yarn or two, and Leeds listens intently. They fill every corner of this room with their sound, and this is something that needs to be seen to be believed. So that’s exactly what we’re doing.
And that’s when you realise that you’re watching White Denim because they’re White Denim, and no one else is.
(Dylan Llewellyn-Nunes)
