WHITE DENIM
Tramshed, Cardiff
Tue 30 July
Texan indie rock outfit White Denim have been making raw, lo-fi guitar music for more than a decade. They started out in the mid-2000s — when the consumer-friendly rock of The Killers and Interpol was at its peak — and so the band’s loose, freeform song structures and unique mix of prog and punk were not exactly in vogue. It wasn’t until their commercially successful albums D (2011) and Corsicana Lemonade (2013) that their racket began to make a serious impression.
The core duo of James Petralli and Steve Terebecki (who are usually backed up by a revolving cast when performing) have now built their own studio and, for their 2019 release Side Effects, took stock of all their unfinished material in a swift follow-up to the album Performance from 2018. The new album is a collection of unapologetic psychedelic garage rock — authentic, unembellished, and sounding close to a White Denim live show. The punk energy of their earlier work is still intact, but moderated with smoother interludes of sonic experimentation.
At their Cardiff show at Tramshed this month, support comes from Cardiff’s own Boy Azooga, whose 2018 debut 1, 2, Kung Fu! was an assured blend of the buoyant synthpop of William Onyeabor and the bleary-eyed psych of Super Furry Animals.
Tickets: £20. Info: 029 2023 5555 / www.tramshedcardiff.com
words Sam Pryce