On Monday night Sleigh Bells gave a rock-hard performance with great stage presence that kept the audience moving and dancing throughout the night.
AraabMuzik started the night off with his speed-dub tunes. His hands moved quickly over his MPC drum machine as he got the crowd dancing. By the end of his long set, the crowd was ready to experience Sleigh Bells.
Alexi Krauss excites the crowd during Sleigh Bells’ performance Monday night at the Boulder Theater. (CU Independent/Claudia Rebora)
Though the group had not taken the stage yet, whistling and screaming commenced. The crowd’s excitement increased when Derek Miller and Alexis Krauss with touring guitarist Jason Boyer appeared.
The 22 speakers on stage came into use right away with opener “Demons,” from their sophomore album “Reign of Terror.” The crowd erupted into dancing as the chainsaw-esque rock guitar sound started, and Krauss came onto the microphone. She jumped around the stage in her leather studded jacket in front of blinding strobe lights.
Krauss’ stage presence was undeniable from the beginning. She crossed in front of the row of speakers to the edge of the stage, where she bent down and sang to the sea of fans. This intimacy encouraged the audience members to give it their all just like the band.
When “Straight A’s” began, the lighting on the stage changed to a blue-purple while the strobe lights continued in the background. This punk rock tune, with screaming guitar booming drums, brought the speakers near the breaking point. Kraus danced crazily around stage, whipping her hair back and forth. The crowd danced with her, using their own crazy moves mixed with head-banging and fist-pumping.
“Thank you for those who have been with us since our first show at the Larimer Lounge,” Krauss said at the end of the song, out of breath from the high-energy performance.
Miller moved his guitar over the crowd at the start of “Leader of the Pack,” and the fans went wild. Krauss moved her mic above the front of the crowd, encouraging them to sing along.
This crowd involvement continued with “Infinity Guitars.” The crowd clapped to the beat and screamed the lyrics as the song broke down to a more metal sound.
“This is the time my heart feels like it’s going to f—ing explode,” Krauss said. “This is a sing-along so you’re gonna help me out.”
Alone onstage, Krauss began the catchy “Rill Rill,” and the audience heeded her request. Her dance moves were calmer, and she jumped into the crowd to crowd surf . She continued to sing as the audience moved her around slowly. As she returned to the stage, Krauss thanked the theater and exited the stage.
The audience chanted for Sleigh Bells’ return, leading to a three-song encore. Each member had as much energy as the original set.
The last song of the evening, “A/B Machines,” ended with an amazing guitar riff. The crowd bust out everything it had left, somehow not tired after such a high-energy performance. Mad dancing ensued, and the theater felt packed despite the small audience.
Sleigh Bells gave an amazing performance of high energy and killer tunes. The band never tired, and got the crowd loved every second of it. It was shocking that so few people came.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Claudia Rebora at Claudia.rebora@colorado.edu.
