White Denim @ Lincoln Hall 11/6/9

I first encountered White Denim as the opening act for White Rabbits and Walkmen up in Milwaukee. I was impressed at their creative indie rock songcraft but not particularly blown away. Still, I thought this might be a band to keep track of as there was definitely an unusually high level of skill for an opening-opening act. Flash forward a couple of years, and here White Denim is headlining moderately large venues and getting regular airplay on indie stations and some degree of notoriety in the blogoshpere. But, a lot has changed in those two years. Their followup to the self-released 2008 debut full-length, Fits, has seen the band further hone their unique songwriting and arrangement, but with a newfound grittiness and 70s hard rock patina. Yet live, this show was full-bore 70s hard rock, like Deep Purple. It was a smallish crowd, but they were digging it hard, as was I. It was not expected, nor nearly as bizarre as some reviewers have said their recent live acts can be, but it was a surprising gem. I anticipate seeing White Denim again as soon as possible. A

  

A quick note about Lincoln Hall as this was my first trip to Chicago's newest venue. All the accolades and adoration is definitely deserved. The space is larger than it initially appears, but never feels less than cozy, and the acoustics are probably the finest in town. The front bar is classy, if cramped, but the beer selection and prices are stellar. The aggressiveness of the Schubas' booking agent is quickly establishing Lincoln Hall as the premiere draw in Chicago, much to the chagrin of other venues. Hopefully this can only mean great things for the concert-going public.