Sleigh Bells Sparks

By Jamie Miles

Brooklyn indie duo lights up Syracuse art space

I arrived at Spark Contemporary Art Space a little after 8 p.m. As I walked into a room full of self-proclaimed hipsters and beers being passed around generously, I took a quick glance and realized that this was going to be a much more laid back scene than if it were to take place on Syracuse University’s campus. The party was already getting started and I was more than ready to participate in the fun, claiming a spot among a crowd full of SU students in anticipation of the show.

The opener, Mouth’s Cradle, filled a tight, dimly lit room with the synthetic noise of a keyboard and electronic beats. The sound was infectious as the fans squeezed through a wall of shoulder-to-shoulder students, bouncing to the beat as they snuck closer to the stage. Both oddly paired, identically dressed band members in red and black suit jackets and blue jeans, didn’t exactly look the part of an indie opening act, but they certainly brought a well-received sound.

Then Sleigh Bells took the stage. The crowd exploded into a mosh pit as the lead singer, Alexis Krauss, and her ex-hardcore guitarist, Derek Miller, brought enough energy to entertain a venue ten times the size of Spark’s 20-by-12 room. The band included some of their most popular songs in the night’s lineup: “Crown on the Ground,” “Ring Ring”, and “AB Machines”. Even following the show, the duo’s energy was apparent during a one-on-two interview in which they admitted, Syracuse (yes, Syracuse, N.Y.) goes down as one of their favorite shows thus far.

Catch some of the show, and hear what else Sleigh Bells had to say in this exclusive interview with Jerk.