Live Report: White Denim dazzle The Academy

"You guys have heard Corsicana Lemonade, right?" said White Denim's frontman James Petralli to his band at The Academy on Sunday night. "It’s uh… It’s in D. Just follow me."

It was one of several jokes about the group being inexperienced he made throughout the night. The band's performance conveyed the opposite of what Petralli's light-hearted sarcasm suggested. It was clear that White Denim are no debutantes.

They have, in fact, been rocking it out for quite a while, having released their debut album, Workout Holiday, in 2008. Several line-up changes and 12 albums later, the Austin five-piece were more than ready to deliver.

From the first track - an accelerated, funkier version of 'Skybeaming' - the band offered one fired-up performance after another.

Supporting act PLANTOID also played a memorable set. They resembled the headliners in many ways, with a heavily layered sound as well as electrifying amounts of reverb and distortion.

White Denim's genre-spanning catalogue was on full display, as they hopped from metal to prog rock and from funk to Southern boogie. Their versatility was evident as the guitars switched from steady staccato chords to flowing solos, or as the drummer swapped a pop-rock backbeat for a jazzy swing.

James Petralli. Photo Credit: Curtis DeSmith

One of the evening's highlights was the slick 'At Night in Dreams,' which elicited a warm response from the audience, before turning into a crescendoing rock symphony. After briefly transitioning into 'Say What You Want,' the band held a sustained note, making it seem as they had finished, only to resume playing and give their all until the song reached a thrilling climax.

Guitarist Cat Clemons' skilful picking contributed significantly to the band's high energy. Donning a cheetah bucket hat over his long hair and holding a gaudy red-glitter guitar in his hands, he had audience members holding their breaths during his virtuoso solos.

Drummer Matt Young and bassist Steve Terebecki offered steady support, while keyboardist Michael Hunter refreshened the performance whenever his synthesisers took the spotlight with their chimes and laser sounds.

(L. to R.): Cat Clemons, Steve Terebecki, James Petralli. Photo Credit: Curtis DeSmith.

The show's calmer moments were scarce but beautiful, like the pop-rock ballad rendition of 'Hand Out Giving.' The literary lyrics (Petralli once cited modernist writer Gertrude Stein as one of his influences) and the singer's mellow croon were reminiscent of Alex Turner singing a lovesick, kitchen sink realism Arctic Monkeys ballad.

White Denim played several tracks from their most recent album, the genre-blending 12 (2024), like 'Light On' or 'Swinging Door.' They also played a variety of deep cuts, including a live debut of 'Everybody Somebody' from Fits (2009), or 'So Emotional' from Side Effects (2019).

The setlist demonstrated the rockers' range while keeping the energy high. This rubbed off on the audience, who quickly begun to move along to the rhythm. Halfway through, a group towards the middle of the crowd let loose and started dancing uninhibited.

The five-piece left the stage for a moment and returned for an encore. After playing 'Your Future As God' and 'Second Dimension,' they fittingly closed with 'Thank You'. The night ended with relentless cheers from the crowd and wide smiles on the bandmates' faces. It was hard to tell which of them was more pleased to be there.