Last week, indie and psychedelic rock band White Denim visited The Southern for a night of rock music, dancing, hollering and all-around good fun. The four-piece band, which has been together for 10 years, has been touring the country for weeks, performing their latest album “Stiff,” as well as a number of tracks from the other six albums their discography boasts.
Opening act Sam Cohen, a four-piece alternative and indie folk band, played 45 minutes of mellow, psychedelic rock. Though the band performed mainly instrumental songs featuring heavy synthesizer and keyboard sounds, the infrequent vocals coming from frontman and the band’s namesake, Sam Cohen, were impressively smooth and soothing. Cohen’s melodic voice contrasted interestingly with the spacey, techno sounds emitting from the group’s four synthesizers, creating a bizarre yet entertaining blend of music.
When White Denim hit the stage, however, the tempo changed from mellow and hypnotic to upbeat and soulful, and people instantly streamed to the main floor, gathering around the band and grooving. Lead singer James Petralli had a sense of humor and came on stage in a full denim outfit, obviously paying homage to his band name. Without hesitation or a single word to the audience, the band began with “Real Deal Momma,” a fast-paced and funky tune filled with guitar riffs and foot-stomping. The mood of the crowd changed instantly, and all around the audience got in the groove of this soul-filled music.
The band recreated their own tracks excellently, sounding just as stellar playing live as they do on their records, while also improvising here and there, surprising the audience and deviating from their normal flow. Petralli’s vocals, while strong, were outperformed by guitarists Steve Terebecki and Jonathan Horne, whose improvised solos left the crowd in awe.
White Denim played songs off of their latest album, which features particularly upbeat and soulful music. Halfway through the show, however, the band began to play some of their older hits, such as “A Place to Start,” transitioning to a slower-paced indie music sound. Petralli even invited Cohen onstage to help with the backup vocals, adding an element of inclusiveness and spontaneity to the show.
After this musical roller coaster ride, the band exited to the stage to abundant yelling from the crowd, who begged them to come back for an encore to keep the party going. Thankfully, the band listened and came back to play one last track from their first album, “Let’s Talk About It.”
White Denim’s instrumentals were incredible, the singing was just right and the audience’s response was fervent — there was not much left to be desired from their performance.
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