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Tapes N’ Tapes, White Denim Austin trio White Denim had more energy than the entire crowd at the First Unitarian Church. The audience at the basement venue, of course, was skeptical of the opening band. But White Denim quickly put the crowd in its place with raw energy reminiscent of the Stooges. Outstanding drum beats ricocheted off the walls, and the vocals retained a bluesy-rock quality. Vocalist James Petralli has a soulful, at times Motown-like voice, not unlike that of the singer for Cold War Kids. Even with such a positive reaction from the crowd, the band members seemed to modestly keep their cool. The drummer asked to have the bass turned up, saying, “I hate to be that guy who’s asking the sound booth to do stuff for us while we’re up here.” White Denim seemed to have an intimate way of interacting that made you want to jump on stage with them. “This is the most fun we’ve had on tour,” said guitarist and lead vocalist James Petralli. Definitely a new Philly favorite, White Denim won the audience over with the same kind of energy that headliner Tapes N’ Tapes is known for. Tapes formed in Minneapolis in 2003, bringing an energetic, Pixies-like sound to the indie scene. While most of the crowd was hanging outside on a cigarette break, Tapes quietly took the stage, adjusting their instruments and warming up. Though Tapes N’ Tapes are touring to promote sophomore album Walk It Off, they started with “Jakov’s Suite” from 2005’s The Loon. They played a few new songs from Walk It Off, including fan-favorite single “Hang Them All” and the sing-along worthy “The Dirty Dirty.” The set mostly consisted of old favorites from The Loon, such as the eerily angelic “Omaha” and the high-energy “Insister.” When Tapes toured two years ago, the Philly audience responded with enthusiasm. A crowd can really make or break a show, and these hipsters shed their too-cool mentality, dancing through the entire set. But this time around, the audience was a little more subdued, swaying slightly or nodding their heads and quietly singing along. Tapes N’ Tapes’ highly anticipated second album was more than two years in the making, but critics felt they’d lost their momentum. The Loon is one of those rare albums you can listen right through without skipping tracks, making it a difficult album to follow. Walk It Off lacks the liveliness and emotion of the debut but does have a few catchy songs that show the boys haven’t lost their touch. One of the band’s best qualities was the raw, tinny sound of the self-produced debut. Walk It Off sounds a bit overproduced, causing the band to lose its original charm; tracks such as “The Dirty Dirty” were much more enjoyable live. On their second trip to Philly, it seemed they were upstaged by their opening act, White Denim. The boys smiled and thanked the crowd, quietly filing off stage as the crowd called for one more song in the hopes of an encore. After a few minutes, the house music came on but a lone fan in the front row wanted more. Said superfan climbed onstage and began chanting “One more song!” into the microphone with the audience joining in to no avail. Tapes N’ Tapes decided to end on a high note with no encore. Perhaps they had nothing left to give. —Cristina Perachio
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