Imagine the Runaways if they were lead by Lita Ford and deeply influenced by MIA and you have an idea of the excitement and wonder that is Sleigh Bells -one of the best bands around. Sleigh Bells have been around since 2008 and broke through almost immediately with a head turning SXSW performance. They are a beat hook bonanza.
Opening for Red Hot Chili Peppers at Prudential Center on Saturday night, these guys filled the half empty Arena with ease. The sound is a brittle mix of thumping, computer generated beats, noise guitarist Derek E. Miller and lead singer Alexis Krauss' off the charts energy and skills.
On stage, it was amazing. An absolute pleasure. Alison is part woman, part machine, she can scream, she can sing, she moves about the stage with ease, and she may not be able to dance but she lets her hips do the talking. Standing in the middle of the stage, she whirls her hair around and around like a heavy metal Goddess while Derek, who I caught with his previous band Poison The Well on a Warped tour, is a white noise metal man.
All of this is amazing, but a change of pace "End Of The Line", with Alison kneeling on the floor, is better just because it is unexpected and relatively laid back.
Soon they perform "Comeback Kid" with a gorgeous light show, bright bright white lights on stage, flashing on and off. And later still, they top A/B Machine with an end of set "Demon" and all the heavy metal comparisons crash in on themselves.
Some bands get over hyped, but of that put you off Sleigh Bells, believe me. They are not over hyped at all. Playing a 16K seater, Alexis and Derek made it their own. Very impressive band.
Grade: A