Brooklyn’s duo Sleigh Bells, stopped by the Warehouse Live to promote their latest critically acclaimed album, “Reign of Terror,” which has been featured on SNL, NME, SPIN, and a few other musical media outlets. Since their latest album, “Treats,” the band has changed from the hip-hop guitar slashing anthems to more guitar driven tracks.
Elite Gymnast is a group from Minneapolis, MN which had an odd method to their “show.” The group consists of a person playing the synth and controlling the beats while the singer would read the lyrics of the track off of the projector which had a background of some sort of waterfall or landscape looking similar to the cheap karaoke bars. Their music and style of show was a dark deep sound infused with a similar post punk English genre from the late 70’s. It was something that has not been seen before which made it that much more of a great short set from this unheard of band.
Javelin, the second opening act for Sleigh Bells is also from Brooklyn and brought a more retro feel to the show. Their music sounds like a mix of a lot of genre’s which were thrown together at random having no one true sound. Though most early bands do this to experiment and find their signature rhythm, this was too open for interpretation, with the use of a kazoo and a synth to mimic what was Hispanic music with a rap infusion and a hint of 80s American music. The overall quality was horrid and was just a mixture which had no true meaning of defining rhythm which would make this duo no more than just a fad with an over enthusiastic presentation.
As the stage hands set up the subwoofers on stage, the audience gasped as they saw what Sleigh Bells was going to be delivering. When the band took the stage at 10:45 the crowd cheered and riled up as the first track played and the bass and subwoofers moved the crowd into frenzy. The enthusiasm the crowd had and the power that the band contained combined to create the ideal environment for this band whose show last year only filled half of the venue. The event was recorded for a video that the band was doing so there was even more of a push for the shows extravagance.
The show was a guitar driven show, slashing riffs every other song with the Alexis (lead singer) screaming and singing in perfect harmony. The first track that was played was,”Demon” from their new album, “Reign of Terror,” which had the signature sound that the band has grown famous for. The crowd screamed the lyrics and moved to the throbbing floor and speakers which decorated the sides of the stage. Not all of the songs that the band played though consisted of the over the top guitar. When the band played “Rill Rill,” the audience screamed the lyrics as Alexis held the microphone to them for the chorus. Midway through the gig, the band played their first single from their new album, “Comeback Kid” which was a bit surprising since most bands save their latest hit for the encore.
While the night continued the combination of their music with the lighting and the environment made for an enticing evening. “Straight A’s,” is the main track which showed the true nature, intensity, and emphasis that the band plays on the guitars. This less than two minute track holds more raw energy than nearly their entire new album.
As the encore began only minutes after the finishing of the full set, the crowd did not budge and inch, but instead crowded closer to the middle and Alexis began singing and advising everyone to get closer. The final track that the group played was “A/B Machines,” which was the impeccable track to end the night on.
Though they have two albums out, the entire gig only lasted an hour and fifteen minutes, which was enough to please the crowd and hear all of the hits from both albums. They were able to keep the crowd going during the entire set as well as still keep composure to give an impressive delivery. As they continue to tour the country for the next few weeks, we are left with throbbing ears and hoarse voices from last night’s show as well as the memory of the spectacle they left us with.
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