With ‘For The Recently Found Innocent’, the sixth record under the White Fence name, Tim Presley made a slight yet still distinct alteration in the development of his output. Moving from his own home where the lo-fi cuts of all his records had been made, Presley, along with collaborator and close friend Ty Segall, took to the latter’s garage and headed in a much more cohesive, fluid route. Presley’s penchant for wonky 60s psych-pop was a central theme on the 2014 record, yet still retained an edge of cascading experimentalism.
Now taking the record out on the road, White Fence hit the stage at the fleece with commanding attitude, the many highlights of ‘FTRFI’ fittingly suitably in with Presley’s ever prolific and expansive back catalogue. ‘Anger! Who Keeps You Under’ and ‘Wolf Gets Red Faced’ are both immediately received, their immersive hooks shine under Presley’s untampered exploration with chord progressions, the tight connection of the band completely understated and positively direct throughout.
The band aren’t any old names either. Cate Le Bon has become a staple part of the White Fence touring experiment, providing some furious, post-punk rhythm to Presley’s whimsical yet still raw structures. The powerful prowess of Thee Oh Sees and long-time WF member Nick Murray is unpredictable, yet controls the consistently enveloping fuzz breakouts that the band take though the hour set. Never overdoing it, the lyricism is kept to a subtle minimum, Presley’s fey vocal adding to the mystical nature of his output.
Over the course of a non-stop, enticing set, the band appropriately cover all of the Californian’s rich output. Presley brings the untreated beauty of his earlier records to the fore and injects them with the sharp, pop sensibilities of his later work. The Instrumental wig-outs sufficiently substituting the lops and cuts that made his earlier work so esoteric. In a live setting, Presley has found a middle that forms an entirely absorbing prospect.
Photography by Tim Ellis