I have to say, I wasn’t the biggest fan of Sleigh Bells when they burst onto the scene. It was too “in your face” and chaotic for me to really resonate with at the time. After finally getting around to Treats, I was won over pretty quickly by their intensity and hardcore take on the already dulling genre of dance rock. So I had an idea of what I was getting into with this live show.
Bosco Delrey
Opening was Mad Decent’s spacious and buzzed up pop artist, Bosco Delrey. While was handling a bit of a camera malfunction early in the show (I cannot confirm nor deny if that pedal is from Bosco or Neon Indian…), I gave up and just tried to enjoy his set. Sporting a look that would lead you to believe that what you were about to hear was some Vines cover tunes, Bosco brought on a sound that would best be described as if Jim Morrison started a bombastic dancehall solo project. That might turn you off and for a few people in the thin yet growing audience, it did. I kind of dug it and can see the potential draw once Bosco gets to really rocking out, which were his more interesting aspects. He played mostly tracks from his newly released Everybody Wah (April 26th, Mad Decent) and left just enough energy for the crowd to get ready for Neon Indian.
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Bosco Delrey – Baby’s Got A Blue Flame from Everybody Wah (2011)
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- Neon Indian
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Neon Indian
I’ve seen Neon Indian quite a bit and they are definitely one of our most covered bands here at Kata Rokkar, so what made this set more special you ask? Nothing much to be honest. Neon Indian continues to sound better live than on record and with a new record recently finished and to be released by the end of this year, the new songs were on the chopping block.
Neon Indian
Neon Indian
While it was good to hear the new tunes (and I mean that sincerely) once you’ve seen these guys twice, you kind of already know what to expect. The highlight had to be when everyone really started getting into Terminally Chill, so much so that when the band closed, the crowd was still going crazy and pretty much forced the band to do another song. Not something you see often from a supporting act.
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Neon Indian – Deadbeat Summer from Psychic Chasms (2010)
Sleigh Bells
Sleigh Bells
If you’ve listened to Sleigh Bells, and you probably have if you’re reading this, you kind of an idea of what their shows could be like. In fact, I was half expecting moshpits, crowd surfing, and probably an elbow in the face about three songs into the set. Plus it didn’t help that half their fans look like exactly like Alexis Krauss. So after a 30 minute set-up of classic rock anthems played over the wall of Marshall amps, both Derek Miller and Alexis Krauss strolled out to the sound of Sabbath’s Iron Man and rolled right into it.
Sleigh Bells
Sleigh Bells
Kicking of with Crown on the Ground and right into Tell’Em, the duo rocked the crowd like a band three times their size. No moshpits (from where I was standing) and no crowd surfing, just a bunch of happy people dancing around and head-banging to the absolute fury that was being exuded on stage.
Sleigh Bells
Sleigh Bells
As the wrath of Sleigh Bells moved onto Kids, Treats, and the face punching beats of Riot Rhythm, Krauss seemed to be clearly enjoying herself on stage. Clapping and swinging her head of hair around, she commanded the stage of the Independent like she owned it. That sort of confidence was pushed into the audience, who seemed to get their fair share of crowd interaction from the energetic lead singer.
Sleigh Bells
Sleigh Bells
In addition to the whole album of Treats was the only demoed song, Holly, something I didn’t really expect. After playing Rill Rill they left stage for about a minute and returned with a three song encore of Rachel, Straight A’s and the well received closer A/B Machines. Once the band wrapped up, I had to look at my watch to make sure what felt like 40 minutes was actually a 40 minute set. Granted Treats is around 30 minutes long and the addition of Holly didn’t help much. But the more I thought about it, I think 40 minutes of Sleigh Bells is probably as much as I can take. That amount of energy in one night was exhausting and the perfect dose of raw power. Sleigh Bells is definitely a band that mirrors the force their album conveys.
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Sleigh Bells – Tell ‘Em from Treats (2010)
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