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Arts & Entertainment
Week of September 27, 2010
Page 21
Sleigh Bells rock the MET for a Cheap Date By Tim Hordern Anchor Contributor
On Sept. 15, WBRU once again put on a fully promoted Cheap Date, costing a mere $9.95. Where, you might ask? It was hosted at an old Rhode Island icon – the MET, now located in Pawtucket. I had the personal privilege to witness the spectacle that was about to happen inside this poorly lit and strangely roomy venue. The MET opened its doors at 8 p.m., with the music to start at somewhere around 9 or 9:30 p.m. (so the crowd could liquor up). The concert pulled in a surprisingly large amount of people and was packed, considering the lineup of two bands. The warm-up band, Triangle Forest (WBRU Rock Hunt Winner in 2007), was a hometown favorite hailing from Providence itself. This threemember band had made me feel like I had thrown on tight, shiny spandex and stepped into a 80’s dance party. The band members played their hearts out and had the crowd dancing to the retro beats.
Like a classic retro band, its driving force was the synthesizers and vocoder which, in my opinion, was overused and there was no difference between the songs it was used in. Brendon Britton was the lead singer and the main synthesizer in the band. Martin O’Connor anchored the band with the bass synthesizer and the keytar (yes that is a real instrument, apparently) and Ben Britton lead the beat on drums. As this band performed, I noticed more and more how the songs seemed to blend in as the same one. At one point I turned to my buddy and asked if they had played the song already. I was surprised when I could understand the vocoder as the lyrics were slightly different. Despite the fact that I am not fond of 80’s retro, I did enjoy the band for they do have some catchy songs. After Triangle Forest, the highlight of the night came out to play – Sleigh Bells. The band formed by chance when guitarist Derek Miller met Alexis Krauss after waiting on her table at a Brazilian restaurant.
Courtesy of crvdmag.com
What followed their entrance on stage was a group with great guitar riffs, premixed beats and enough amps used on the stage to make the entire crowd go deaf. Guitarist, songwriter and producer Derek Miller lead the show with his power-heavy guitar licks while Alexis Krauss followed behind with vocals. The background music was a blend of pre-recorded beats, even in one song going as far as recording lyrics and having Krauss playing backup singer. Through all this, you get the impression that the guitar playing was well done and the singing
spot on. A big turnoff to me was the fact that I felt that the band was about Miller wanting to showcase his guitar playing talent and his musical beat mixes than the actual band. Don’t get me wrong, Sleigh Bells are amazing in studio and put on a hell of an energetic show, but the entire set seemed to be cheesy with its strobe lights and predicable stage presence. I think the over-the-top production shields the fact that Krauss needs some serious live practice. Some of the vocals were off and the backups (done
by Miller) were not even heard. Overall, the band seems to be better suited in a night club than doing a live rock concert, but the crowd seemed to enjoy their set jamming out and dancing to the music. In retrospect, the show was worth my time because I had a great time hanging out and listening to music. I feel these guys may not be worth a steeper price of admission, and I recommend you listen to them for a while first to make sure they are really your style before going to one of their shows.