White Denim

White Denim, one of the very best rock bands to emerge this millennium, have gone through rapid changes in the 2020s, and now open an exciting new chapter with the wondrous album, ‘12’, which arrives rich in hot tunes and fresh invention. It’s always been hard to keep pace with James Petralli’s group, ever since they first exploded out of Austin, Texas in ’08 with hyper-kinetic post-punk bangers like Shake Shake Shake and I Start To Run. There was delicious romance in the original trio’s MO, as they hatched intrepid sounds together in a 1940s Spartan trailer parked up in woodland outside the city. James duly raced on through shifting line-ups and kaleidoscopic shades of soul, jazz and Southern rock, always with a feel of in-the-moment authenticity. As for so many musicians, the pandemic forced Petralli into a radical rethink in both life and creative process. Going into White Denim’s twelfth long-player, he relocated his family to Los Angeles, and, barred from the usual workouts “on the floor” under COVID, he plunged deep into the science of assembling tracks digitally, with contributions from players he’d sometimes never even meet. The results on ‘12’ are intricate, hi-tech and forward-facing, yet also somehow still of a piece with the questing ambition, rootsy swing and uplifting way with melody we’ve come to adore about Petralli’s music. “It was out of the window with even the idea of a band,” says James, speaking from the converted one-car garage adjoining his Pasadena residence which now serves as White Denim’s HQ. “On this record, there are many bands, sometimes in the room with me, sometimes miles away in a remote collaboration, and that process opened up a lot of possibilities for me.” By way of example, he explains how he heard a track by Chicago’s Finom (aka MacieStewart and Sima Cunningham), then speculatively reached out to them, and soon had them voicing on ‘12’’s sun-kissed soul smash, ‘Swinging Door’. “It was like, I don’t have the budget to fly them to Los Angeles or Austin, or to get myself to Chicago,” Petralli laughs, “but let’s see what they send back. Suddenly, there was no barrier: if I feel like, there’s a great drummer in New York who I want to hear on a particular song, let’s see what he does, too! Then, there’s another great drummer somewhere else: why not have four of them on a song at once? Or, I’m hearing strings on a track, and I don’t want to represent them on a synthesiser… I definitely indulged in some extravagant personnel choices.” If ‘12’ is the thrilling sound of Petralli vacating his low-tech comfort zone, it also documents a turbulent and sometimes painful period for his family. Back in Austin, he and his partner Elaine were caring for her father, who passed away in spring ’21, and once they’d moved to LA, it fell to James to home-school his kids. Once the pandemic eased, he’d do the school runs and parenting, then make music in between, as well as picking out ideas on a classical guitar while helping the young ’uns drift off to sleep at night. His lyrics are his response to some of these “difficult things”, but refracted through the glass-half-full sunshine prism of Petralli’s worldview. The exquisitely rippling ‘Light On’ muses on the struggle required sometimes to keep the faith in dark times. “I found it humorous and slightly askew to overtly reference clichés such as ‘live, laugh, love’ and not all who wander are lost in that lyric,” James chuckles, “but this mindset was actually helping us process and survive a tough period in our lives. I’ll be the first to admit that seeing these words, carved and painted into fake wooden panels, hanging on the walls of an AirBnB, often engages the gag reflex – but I believe there’s more than a little something to it.” Elsewhere, the Marvin Gaye-esque sweep of ‘I Still Exist’ meditates on the motivational importance of creativity. Other themes include the ubiquitous downer of online trolling (‘Flash Bare Ass’), male violence and cycles of abuse (‘The Swinging Door’) and the value in reading books (‘Second Dimension’), until the album’s closing stages zero in on Petralli’s belief in the possibility of love enduring in a nourishing long-term relationship (‘We Can Move Along’), and the importance of kindness (the Prince-ly ‘Hand Out Giving’).

The result of all this endeavour is that James now oversees every aspect of his music’s up-to-the-minute digital production. “This is the first White Denim record where I’ve engineered and been the main producer,” he proudly states. “I’ve touched every sound that’s on there.” As ever, Petralli takes inspiration, if not specific techniques, from right across popular music’s history. For this project, Scritti Politti’s avant-pop masterpiece from 1985, ‘Cupid & Psyche’, was an influence for its densely detailed sonic texturing, but Petralli says he equally binged on YouTube clips of Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry and Dennis Bovell dubbing it up on the fly. In terms of actual songwriting, James has been vibing on Nick Lowe (see the rockin’ ‘Flash Bare Ass’), Jonathan Richman, Doug Sahm and Joe Jackson – “these guys who make very energetic, intentional music that’s sophisticated but also willing to have a good time.” Petralli’s band have always been just that – “sophisticated but also willing to have a good time”. Here, a handful of tracks were initially authored by 2024’s core team – guitarist Cat Clemons (Cat City #2, Precious Child), keyboard man Michael Hunter (Second Dimension) and drummer Matt Young (We Can Move Along) – which James then overlaid with lyrics and vocal melody. “It’s a fun challenge for me,” he says, “it keeps me fresh. I have to learn the changes and get inside of someone else’s world.”

By opening up to different methods of composition and production on ‘12’, James Petralli has succeeded in rejuvenating our precious White Denim, but while keeping continuity at its core. “If some will see it as a dramatic shift,” reasons James, “I think it’s part of a natural evolution. I’ve actually put in a lot of work to keep the guys that have left the band, or that I have let go, in the circle, at least a little bit.”So, OG bassist Steve Terebecki, still in Texas, “contributes as and when he pleases”, and original drummer Josh Block, who departed in 2015, not only plays on a couple of tracks, but also mixed the album, and now resides in LA as Petralli’s next-door neighbour! After the Covid period’s traumas, says James, “It’s hopeful to me on a personal level to talk about mending relationships, and respecting the past. We fell in love with this thing and thought it would be a good idea to pursue as a life together – I
never want to lose sight of that vision, which has enabled me the opportunity to keep doing it.” Therein surely lies ‘12’’s broader message: keep on keepin’ on.
 
Venue Info
Bringing everyone together through legendary nights in Leeds since 1967: it’s what we do.
Leeds Union Events is your official box office for gigs, club nights and festivals happening in the middle of campus at Leeds University Union.

Our stages have hosted some of the most unforgettable bands and singers across the decades, including Led Zeppelin, Bob Marley, The Clash, The Killers and Queens of the Stone Age. We continue to bring legendary nights to Leeds with the latest artists, and up-and-coming performers.

Our venues continue to be award-winning. We’ve got 100% in Best Bar None and the Refectory is marked with a blue plaque as a legendary gig venue. Not bad for a not-for-profit where all the money we make goes straight back into making sure our students love their time at Leeds!

Whether you’re a student, live in Leeds or further away, you’re welcome to join us in coming together over our love of great music and unforgettable experiences.

Access Information
The Union building – although challenging, is accessible with lift access across all floors of the venue and accessible gender-neutral WC’s available in each venue.

The Union building is set-out on six levels but there is either ramped or lift access to every level with the distance from the main entrance to the furthest part of the venues approximately 200 metres.
We have drop-down bars in all of our venues. 

Getting Here
Parking:
Parking is very limited close to the Union building and is on-street only, however, provision is available close to the Union entrance – between 10 and 40 metres, for up to six blue-badge holders.
Please note – additional Blue Badge parking is available on Campus – around 500 metres away, within the Leeds University Multi-storey car park should the spaces by the Union be unavailable. Additional spaces are also provided off-Campus at the Woodhouse Lane Multi-storey. All parking options are listed here.

Other Transport:
Walking: The University campus is approximately one mile from Leeds city station. Download the University walking and cycling map of the surrounding area.
By train, bike or bus: Leeds station connects us with all major UK cities and has a fast and efficient London service. For train information and timetables visit the National Rail Enquiries website. There are a number of excellent bus services in Leeds. Visit the West Yorkshire Metro website and First Leeds for timetables and general information. There is also a city bus which stops at the bus and train stations and the southern end of campus (near the back of Leeds General Infirmary A&E) every 10 minutes from 06:30 – 19:30 Monday to Saturday.

Visit the National Express website for details.

Customers With Medical Needs:
We welcome attendees who need to bring medicines, food or drink to manage medical conditions, or medical equipment. Please contact our access team if you have any concerns.

Assistance Dogs: We are proactive on the use of assistance dogs and can provide water and other facilities should you require them.

Strobe Lighting: The venues do include strobe lighting and other ‘flash-based’ effects as standard. In addition, as many of our events include aspects of ‘toured production’ – which are outside of the venue’s control, we urge you to contact us for more information on an event-specific basis at the earliest opportunity.

Toilets:
We have an access toilet on almost every floor of the building.
All of our toilets are accessible by lifts, which means whichever venue you’re in, you’re never far from your nearest accessible toilet.

Baby Changing Facilities: Our accessible toilets are equipped with baby changing facilities. We also have a dedicated changing place.

Booking Access Facilities:
Please email us at access@leedsunionevents.com to arrange booking any access facilities.

Accessible Ticketing: Every accessible customer is entitled to one free companion ticket with their purchased ticket. Please email us at access@leedsunionevents.com to arrange. 

Accessible Viewing Platform: All of our venues have a designated accessible viewing area.
Please note: there is limited space in this area, and it is reserved on a first come, first served basis.

Wheelchairs: We have space for 4 wheelchairs per event in our venues. Please note: there is limited space in this area, and it is reserved on a first come, first served basis. Please email us at access@leedsunionevents.com to arrange a space.

Priority Entry: This will allow you access 15 minutes early entry prior to doors, so you can find a suitable position that is comfortable for you. We also provide this for all seated and wheelchair spaces. 

Seated Spaces: We can provide seated spaces for anyone who needs them. These are booked on a first come, first-serve basis so sometimes they are not always available. Please let us know in good time if you require a seated space and we will confirm this with you. Please note that any companions will not automatically be provided a seated ticket, as these are of limited availability, we always reserve these for those with accessibility needs. Companions are however welcome to stand in the seated area.