EANS THERAPY
alentines night, Kingston Upon Thames. Early evening, the all-new, revitalised White Denim are gathered around a large table at a riverside branch of Ronnie Wood’s boozer/eaterie chain, Woody’s. They’re on day two of a four-night raid on these shores from their base in Austin, Texas. Tonight’s show will be the reconstituted ensemble’s third public showing. Though we join them at the beginning of an exciting fresh chapter, established connoisseurs of this genrebusting Southern rock troupe will be sorry to hear that the old order departed under a cloud. “I’m not super-happy about it,” says prime mover James Petralli, his usual smiling, laid-back aura fading, as risottos and bean-burgers arrive. He and original drummer Josh Block had been friends since their early teens, when their respective fathers were both big in pro-baseball. The original Denim trio, completed by limber wee bassist Steve Terebecki, were fast and furious, yet possessed of such extravagant chops as to make audio miracles occur at warp-speed. The addition of guitarist Austin
VJenkins circa 2011 freed up Petralli to put more oomph into his singing. Tight and nuclear, they seemed like an indestructible dream team… until last year, when Petralli put together a solo record as Bop English, and Block and Jenkins, both latterly relocated from Austin, went off to sessioneer for 26-year-old Texan R&B sensation Leon Bridges. “It started off as just them recording a demo with him,” says Terebecki, but Block and Jenkins were soon backing Bridges full-time. “It was shocking when we found out.” “Communication wasn’t cool,” frowns Petralli, “so it’s difficult to feel positive for them. There really hasn’t been much communication at all.” Initially, Petralli bought time by assembling a Bop English touring band, which he hadn’t been planning on, but which quickly morphed into Denim Mk 3, featuring Terebecki, drummer Jeffrey Olson and guitarist Jonathan Horne. Within a few months, the newly minted quartet were cutting Stiff, the sixth White Denim album, in Asheville, North Carolina. For the first time ever they brought
Rocking wildly, a revitalised White Denim get over perfidy in the ranks in a joyful Manchester and deepest Surrey.
in an outside producer, Ethan Johns. According