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Photo: Richard Gray
White Denim frontman James Petralli, aka Bop English, promised heavy impro on his first solo date in the UK and was true to his word, each song culminating in an extended jam of searing noise.
The opening numbers did them no favours, seemingly a hangover from excellent support, new wave firebrands Spit Shake Sisters, as if their own wall of sound had leeched into the main act. Too loud and gritty for the tunefulness of Petralli’s material. However things quickly settled into a melodic groove with Turin Brakes-reminiscent ‘Long Distance Runner’ and the gorgeous ‘Trying’, both from recently released album Constant Bop.
In the tradition of Wire, who frequently re-name themselves and re-issue old songs, there’s a contemporary vogue for undertaking individual ventures, but essentially reassembling the same playing cast. And so too Bop English, whose name melds Petralli’s love of jazz and his major at college. Keyboardist, Kevin Schneider, sat amongst the guitar and drum combo, like an errant son put there to do his homework.
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Though from Texas, there’s a West Coast free spiritedness to their work that moves through power folk shuffle, T Rex boogie, and a full-throttle riff on Arthur Lee’s Love. Bands have always borrowed and sampled from the musical spectrum. In weaker outfits this can seem like an identity crisis, reducing the output to a game of spot the genre. Bop English, who don’t bother to look anything other than US college grads, segue between styles with ease and transcend this pitfall to post a distinctive edge.
The set’s second half featured new material that leans on mid-70s soul and the quack-quack of Eric Clapton’s Cream. It culminated in a riotous punk encore, with Kevin reprieved and handed the mic, to a delirious audience kickback. A raucous, life affirming night.
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