LIVE REVIEW: Yeasayer and Sleigh Bells @ The Fillmore

For about 3.5 seconds, we thought Crystal Castles had teleported to the show. Then we shook it off and realized, oh no, that’s Sleigh Bells. The hardcore dance-pop duo are a bit of an adjustment, bass set way too high, harshly bizarre riffs paired with MIA-style rhymes and metal screaming tactics. It’s all very confusing…until you realize the sound guy/one half of Sleigh Bells is a veteran of harcore champs, Poison the Well. Ahhh, now it all makes sense. On record, it all somehow magically works. Live, it sounded more like static noise and screaming, although not entirely dissatisfactory. The best bits featured singer/screamer Alexis Krauss (formerly of teenpop group RubyBlue), doing her solos. It probably doesn’t hurt that she may be one of the hottest and most intense lead singers out there. Making their first appearance on tour with Yeasayer, we were quite impressed with their synchronicity, but the cohesiveness could use a little work.

As for Yeasayer, I believe a love note is in order.

Dear Yeasayer,

You had me at hello with your jumpsuits. The visuals were a plus. Anand Wilder’s a dreamboat…but then you opened your mouths. We could not stop screaming, dancing, and jumping through your hour and a half set of perfectly-glued, pieced and practiced songs. You scored a few points by saying, “We could have been at Coachella for 3 days, but Paris Hilton was there, that shit’s whack. Playing The Fillmore in San Francisco is way more of an honor.” Maybe you were buttering us up, but it was humbling, heart-melting, and comforting for those of us who had Coachella-envy (Faux-chella went just fine this year, thank you). I’ve never seen a crowd so excited, nor have I ever seen so many people sing along. It was like karaoke on dollar pint night. You’ve now officially moved into my top 5 shows of all time, and there are no words to express the gratitude for such a surreal performance.

xoxoxo

The Owl Mag