Sleigh Bells Play from Across Their Catalog at Hometown Brooklyn Steel Show
August 26, 2022
Sleigh Bells – Brooklyn Steel – August 25, 2022
Alexis Krauss is a monster. Because of the tattoos, I couldn’t tell immediately, but when the light hit her just so at Sleigh Bells’ Brooklyn Steel show on Thursday, it became clear that the singer is absolutely yoked. “She does 5.12s,” my +1 informed me, which is apparently a rock-climbing thing that indicates that Krauss is strong as fuck. But as the night went on, it also became apparent that, despite the gaspy, raspy vocal style that made Sleigh Bells a sensation on record, Krauss is really a powerhouse vocalist, capable of spitting, belting nonstop for an hour straight through cuts from their five studio albums — the most recent of which, Texis, was released last year — and all while wearing what looked like fingerless gloves and a wallet chain.
The show seemed to be something of a victory lap for Sleigh Bells, Krauss along with guitarist Derek Miller, who shredded muscularly through the entire set himself, wearing what looked like compression shorts. The group is on the road in August as a four-piece with touring members Kate Steinberg, on keyboards and backing vocals, and drummer Jharis Yokley. All four of them were absolutely giving it up onstage in a show that leaned admirably on live instrumentation and singing, looking so formidable that I started to get a little afraid of the idea of the band leading some post-apocalyptic legion of mall goths, but Krauss dedicated the show to friends and family.
Mom was in the balcony, and she didn’t look like someone who had raised a future warlord. She seemed like a really nice lady. Good. The climate apocalypse is almost here, and I don’t want to have to die from getting a throwing star to my temple trying to retake Freehold Raceway Mall from some Hot Topic battalion to get shelter from the dust storms. On second thought, maybe I’ll just enlist. —Adlan Jackson | @AdlanKJ
Photos courtesy of DeShaun Craddock | www.dac.photography
