Photos and Review by Tyler Sterling

Not even the sound of a train passing through Atlanta’s West Midtown district could match the brute force and technical prowess of Austin band, White Denim. The eager audience was too busy floating in the dense instrumental interplay and James Petralli’s blues-soaked vocals to notice the noise of metal train tracks shaking madly behind the venue.

Austin’s White Denim has a well-earned reputation for stretching their songs into wildly unpredictable directions for live audiences, and they did not disappoint the packed crowd at Atlanta’s Terminal West. The band played a career-spanning set, but made sure to give each song a memorable twist, with many medleys of tunes throughout their career sprinkled in. The new album, Performance, was well-represented among an assortment of the band’s live staples such as “Drugs,” “River to Consider,” “Anvil Everything,” and “At The Farm.” Everything felt fresh and spontaneous.

Petralli’s giddy smile was contagious. He played with an almost child-like amusement—frequently kicking up his legs and jumping in place while bending notes and passionately strumming his Gibson ES-335 . This energy drifted to the packed audience, which was awestruck at the band’s virtuosity.

After barreling through a two hour setlist that hardly left a moment to catch a breath, White Denim further proved that they’re a musical freight train and a live act not to be missed.