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
A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood
Thoughtful, stylish drama with a zen central performance.
17th Oct 2020
Read more 4 star reviewsSearch
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Stiff, poorly paced innovative film that hasn’t aged well.
11th Oct 2020
Read more 3 star reviewsOnward
Inspiring, tightly scripted gem - overlooked by lockdown.
4th Oct 2020
Read more 4 star reviewsThe Informer
Standard-issue airplane movie, with Joel Kinnaman standing in for Vin Diesel.
3rd Oct 2020
Read more 3 star reviewsMotherless Brooklyn
Sub LA Confidential gumshoe thriller - with an underplayed USP. Ed Norton misses again.
27th Sep 2020
Read more 3 star reviewsGlass
Over explained threequel, that undermines a low key original.
18th Sep 2020
Read more 2.5 star reviewsSnowpiercer
Intriguing, but generally incomprehensible sci-fi gobbledegook.
31st Aug 2020
Read more 3 star reviewsJumani
The Next Level
Marginally less fun sequel, but still plenty of laughs.
16th Aug 2020
Read more 3 star reviewsThe Deer Hunter
Beautifully imagined and lovingly restored, but it still alternates between a snail’… https://t.co/6bZj694rnx.
12th Aug 2020
Read more star reviews21 Bridges
Surprisingly enjoyable plane movie, though it owes a lot to the magnificent Copland.
8th Aug 2020
Read more 3 star reviewsAd Astra
Incredibly stylish and wannabe cerebral sci-fi, that’s ultimately a little thin.
19th Jul 2020
Read more 3.5 star reviewsFirst Man
Underwhelming space drama that’s a bit too intimate and not very epic.
5th Jul 2020
Read more 3.5 star reviewsBlue Story
Dire, tension-free postcode gang drama. Just add drama.
21st Jun 2020
Read more 1 star reviewsApollo 11
Magnificent documentary, re-assembling the moon landing from beautifully remastered footage.
14th Jun 2020
Read more 4 star reviewsOnce Upon A Time In Hollywood
The 8th slow-paced Tarantino pic. Literally half entertaining / boring.
24th May 2020
Read more 2.5 star reviewsYesterday
Entertaining Brit-com, though it’s a bit on-the-beaten-path for Danny Boyle.
13th Apr 2020
Read more 3 star reviewsJuliet, Naked
Mildly enjoyable, thoroughly forgettable Nick Hornby pic ...once you get past the contrived set up.
4th Apr 2020
Read more 3 star reviewsThe Lion King
Impeccably realised remake, but it’s emotionally flat.
15th Mar 2020
Read more 3 star reviewsGalveston
Standard festival thriller, with some style and decent moments - but it’s all a bit thin.
10th Mar 2020
Read more 3 star reviewsAlladin
Surprisingly enjoyable, Guy Ritchie-fied Disney remake.
10th Mar 2020
Read more 3.5 star reviewsMapplethorpe
Cookie cutter biography that could literally have been written from his Wikipedia page.
7th Mar 2020
Read more 1.5 star reviewsHorse Girl
Text book indie, literally days out of Sundance. Interesting until it gets a bit too wacky.
9th Feb 2020
Read more 3 star reviewsPhantom Thread
Considered character study that strays into pretentiousness here and there.
25th Jan 2020
Read more 3 star reviewsRocketman
Enthusiasticly directed sequence of unrelated musical set pieces.
31st Dec 2019
Read more 3 star reviewsAvengers
Endgame
Yet another biggest-battle-yet, with more than a passing nod to BTTF2.
30th Dec 2019
Read more 3 star reviewsMystify
Michael Hutchence
Thoughtfully assembled montage doc.
30th Dec 2019
Read more 3.5 star reviewsCaptain Marvel
Decent origin story, with charm and some 90s nostalgia.
27th Dec 2019
Read more 3 star reviewsStar Wars
The Rise of Skywalker
Freestyle bouillabaisse with all the ingredients, but no chef.
27th Dec 2019
Read more 3 star reviewsMarriage Story
Quintessential indie movie ...funded by Netflix. Great perfs, lovely camera work and solid direction.
22nd Dec 2019
Read more 4 star reviewsWidows
Superior modern thriller. Smart script and accomplished direction.
15th Dec 2019
Read more 4 star reviewsThe Irishman
Long, slow, thoroughly enjoyable loose jam through Scorsese/DeNiro/Pacino/Pesci/Keitel’s greatest hits.
2nd Dec 2019
Read more 4 star reviewsJoker
Batman via Scorsese, in impeccably art directed, neatly packaged origin story.
28th Nov 2019
Read more 4 star reviewsFrozen 2
Surprisingly strong sequel that gets going after a convoluted start.
24th Nov 2019
Read more 3 star reviewsThe Mule
Casual drama from Clint Eastwood, with the man himself anchoring things through a charming turn.
16th Nov 2019
Read more 3 star reviewsThe King
Luscious period drama. Beautifully put together - like Wolf Hall+.
3rd Nov 2019
Read more 3.5 star reviewsEl Camino
Throw away Breaking Bad expansion piece with little tension or jeopardy.
13th Oct 2019
Read more 2.5 star reviewsVice
Stylish but incoherent Cheney biopic, hampered by another one-note turn from Bale.
5th Oct 2019
Read more 3 star reviewsBohemian Rhapsody
Mind numbingingly basic biopic, saved by the nostalgia for the music and moments.
5th Oct 2019
Read more 2 star reviewsMinding the Gap
Interesting doc following the lives of 3 teens becoming adults, tied together by skateboarding.
28th Sep 2019
Read more 3 star reviewsManchester by the Sea
Painful, occasionally uplifting viewing with a grief stricken central performance.
28th Sep 2019
Read more 3.5 star reviewsSpider-Man
Into the Spider-Verse
Stylish, trippy concept animated superhero flick with some great moments.
21st Sep 2019
Read more 3.5 star reviewsDora & the Lost City of Gold
Young adult upgrade, with just enough Conchords humour to keep it enjoyable.
22nd Aug 2019
Read more 2.5 star reviewsBreath
Decent Aussie surf drama, that nostalgically investigates the soul of surfing before losing its way a little.
14th Aug 2019
Read more 3.5 star reviewsA Star is Born
Somewhat unremarkable, but enjoyable music drama. Bit long.
13th Jul 2019
Read more 3.5 star reviewsTwo For Joy
Predictably grim seaside coming-of-age indie. Decent enough, but you’ve seen it before
13th Jul 2019
Read more 3 star reviewsMary Poppins Returns
Stylish sequel, hampered in places by some authentic 1960s pacing.
30th Jun 2019
Read more 3.5 star reviews