
White Denim
Old Blue Last, London
May 18th 2009
There's an old parable of a bug who lived in the worlds most beautiful Persian rug. He spent all his time laboriously climbing over each tuft and viewed them as nothing but obstacles that stood in his way of progress. The sad tale is that he lived and died in this thing of beauty but never saw the glorious pattern to which he belonged. I was reminded of this tale as I stood in the beer soaked ambiance of Shoreditch's Old Blue Last watching Texan trio White Denim. As they embarked on what would be a mammoth non-stop medley of pretty much everything on their debut LP it was at times hard to see this onslaught of feral noise as mere obstacles that stood in the way of me and a lifetime of healthy hearing. But thankfully, and unlike our little bug friend, one nod from vocalist James Petralli towards his band members and the whole thing would drop into jagged funk riffs and as if by magic the pattern was revealed and the beauty made gloriously evident.
Admittedly using words like 'pattern' and 'beauty' is perhaps as misguided as feeding caviar to a rabid dog. The reality was a sweaty bar heaving with eager fans and three guys who thrashed the shit out of their fledgling back catalogue. This set wasn't just one song after another, it was one song, lasting for about 25 minutes and never let up in tempo. The only reason they had a short break in the middle was to repair some equipment. It was fierce and furious and played out like they had a train to catch, double-time. It was thrilling from start to finish and actually made me resent the times we live in. We're all so self aware now-days and it felt wrong not to be punching some dude in the face to this music, not intentionally of course but a dirty yet euphoric mosh scrap was really the only fitting way to behave in the presence of such passionately manic rock. And yet like their album, all this seemingly unharnessed frenzy is very much supported by a sturdy and considered foundation and when it chooses to reveal itself the pattern is awesome. From what I could hear above the ringing in my ears (which still goes on this morning) the new songs sound just as sturdy as the old which just fueled my appetite for the imminent release of the new record Fits. I recommend anybody in earshot to go and see these guys.
20th May 2009 - Tumblr
4News
Reviews
Articles
Surveillance
Related
Search
Tully
Decent modern spin on Mary Poppins. Bit uneven, but a nice soundtrack helps things along.
20th Jan 2019
Read more 3.5 star reviewsRampage
Bog standard entry into The-Rock-action-movie genre. As much personality as a computer game.
3rd Jan 2019
Read more 3 star reviewsAvengers
Infinity War
This time it’s really, really serious. Seriously.
27th Dec 2018
Read more 3 star reviewsThe Greatest Showman
It’s a musical ...but slick direction makes it just about bearable.
24th Dec 2018
Read more 3 star reviewsReady Player One
Pop-culture bouillabaisse, hampered by numerous terrible accents.
24th Dec 2018
Read more 3.5 star reviewsLady Bird
Pacey, emotional, old-fashioned indie pic. Beautifully observed.
15th Dec 2018
Read more 4 star reviewsDarkest Hour
Surprisingly underwhelming biopic that doesn’t find its feet until 20m from the end.
24th Nov 2018
Read more 3.5 star reviewsDen of Thieves
Utterly derivative / thoroughly enjoyable ‘Heat’ rip off.
21st Nov 2018
Read more 3.5 star reviewsThree Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Well crafted character study, with some nice touches.
10th Nov 2018
Read more 4 star reviewsYou Were Never Really Here
Brutal revenge thriller. Stylish and violent, with plenty of explanation… https://t.co/VfjHjpveUJ.
4th Nov 2018
Read more star reviewsPrivate Life
Intense indie drama from Netflix. Impeccably acted and directed.
27th Oct 2018
Read more 4 star reviewsBlack Panther
Disappointingly unoriginal superhero movie, complete with dull CGI action.
27th Oct 2018
Read more 2 star reviewsModern Life is Rubbish
Continually clichéd rock romance that never breaks into originality.
13th Oct 2018
Read more 1.5 star reviewsEngland is Mine
Dry Morrissey biopic that gets arty by avoiding using any Smiths songs.
7th Oct 2018
Read more 3 star reviewsThe Only Living Boy in New York
Decent rehash of vintage indie movie tropes.
7th Oct 2018
Read more 3 star reviewsHostiles
Mumblingly wordy western that’s big on self-importance and low on drama and tension.
25th Sep 2018
Read more 2.5 star reviewsThe Disaster Artist
Muddled biopic with occasional moments of eccentric comedy madness.
22nd Sep 2018
Read more 2.5 star reviewsThe Boy Downstairs
Like a long episode of Girls that’s all about one of the more boring characters.
16th Sep 2018
Read more 2 star reviewsShot Caller
Slightly confused slice of post-Michael Mann LA crime.
7th Sep 2018
Read more 2.5 star reviewsIngrid Goes West
Sympathetic retread of Single White Female, with added #hashtags.
26th Aug 2018
Read more 3 star reviewsJumanji
Welcome to the Jungle
Fun updated reboot with added Breakfast Club.
26th Aug 2018
Read more 3 star reviewsJustice League
Low-tide mark for super hero movies. I only finished watching to see how bad it could get.
14th Aug 2018
Read more 1 star reviewsSong to Song
It’s a cover version of every other Mallick pic, but the setting is inspired and the improv from Gosling is enjoyably enthusiastic.
8th Aug 2018
Read more 3 star reviewsPaddington 2
Well written, well paced sequel. Surprisingly competent and heartwarming.
4th Aug 2018
Read more 3.5 star reviewsDeath Wish
70s pot boiler that lazily meanders through a series of mediocre set pieces.
23rd Jul 2018
Read more 2.5 star reviewsThor
Ragnarok
Enjoyable change of pace for the super hero genre. Comedy wins.
21st Jul 2018
Read more 3.5 star reviewsHow It Ends
Great concept, but shoddily directed and utterly devoid of jeopardy.
17th Jul 2018
Read more 2 star reviewsAnthropoid
Small scale wartime espionage flick. Decent, but a bit laboured.
15th Jul 2018
Read more 3 star reviewsGeostorm
Sub Roland Emmerich swill, with Gerard Butler saving the world from crazy weather.
13th Jul 2018
Read more 2 star reviewsAmerican Made
Derivative but fun romp through 80s CIA drug and gun running.
12th Jul 2018
Read more 3 star reviewsThe Outsider
Brutally sincere, painfully thin yakuza flick. Jared Leto goes full Gaijin.
6th Jul 2018
Read more 2 star reviewsThe Snowman
Huge misfire from Tomas Alfredson, with a multitude of bizarre choices. Like a bad 80's VHS rental.
6th Jul 2018
Read more 1.5 star reviewsBone Tomahawk
Brutally violent, post-Tarantino western. It’s all a bit mechanical.
2nd Jun 2018
Read more 3 star reviewsSolo
A Star Wars Story
Reasonable, forgettable addition. Overfilling that mysterious back story.
1st Jun 2018
Read more 3 star reviewsAtomic Blonde
Lazy double-crossing spy drama, directed with a certain amount of swagger.
24th May 2018
Read more 2.5 star reviewsThe Florida Project
Stylish, incredibly depressing portrait of life on the margins.
12th May 2018
Read more 3.5 star reviewsBrawl in Cell Block 99
Minimally written and confidently directed, with a brutally violent third act. Starring thin Vince Vaughn.
4th May 2018
Read more 3.5 star reviewsLast Flag Flying
Unofficial sequel to The Last Detail. Surprisingly slight effort from Linklater.
29th Apr 2018
Read more 3 star reviewsAlien
Covenant
Another tired entry, trotting out the same old tropes, plus new nonsensical gibberish.
13th Apr 2018
Read more 2.5 star reviewsStar Wars
The Last Jedi
Every moment is undermined by a gag and the few serious scenes are sloppily handled.
13th Apr 2018
Read more 2 star reviewsSpider-man
Homecoming
A third crack at Spider-man. Fun-ish, but it’s zero-stakes, zero-jeopardy. Bit smug too.
31st Mar 2018
Read more 3 star reviewsWonder Woman
Another garish super-hero flick. Slightly above average, mainly by being more old-fashioned.
30th Mar 2018
Read more 3 star reviewsSlow West
Overly dry, eccentric western. Jarmuschian overtones.
16th Mar 2018
Read more 3 star reviewsWind River
Incredible, tense, original thriller. A western with snowmobiles.
14th Mar 2018
Read more 4 star reviews21 Years
Richard Linklater
Career retrospective doc that keeps it fun and doesn’t outstay it’s welcome.
11th Mar 2018
Read more 3 star reviewsThe Mummy
Blockbuster-by-numbers as Universal clumsily attempt to build a franchise.
24th Feb 2018
Read more 2 star reviewsI’m Now
The Story of Mudhoney
Unsurprising history run-down, enlivened by the band’s ferociously DIY attitude.
21st Feb 2018
Read more 2.5 star reviewsThe Cloverfield Paradox
Some good ideas, buried by shambolic direction and storytelling.
20th Feb 2018
Read more 2 star reviewsGet Out
Intense, eerie thriller that’s surprisingly straightforward and a little old-fashioned.
30th Jan 2018
Read more 3.5 star reviews