Sleigh Bells made their return to White Oak Music Hall in Houston last Friday to treat an eager crowd to new and old songs spanning their entire discography.
Opening the night was the vivacious Sophie Hunter. Sophie has already established a huge following on TikTok as a self proclaimed alt/pop rapper from Brooklyn. Hunter commanded the stage with only herself and a backing guitarist performing a set full of catchy beats, dope hooks and badass attitude that is unlike anything in the scene right now.
Sleigh Bells broke into the indie scene in 2010 with their debut album Treats. Treats was truly ahead of its time and introduced the world to a new sound that many reviews described as loud, boisterous, noise pop; something that was a fresh change in the music industry. Since the release of Treats the duo consisting of guitarist Derek Miller and frontwoman Alexis Krauss, have released an impressive six full length albums as well as a ep as well. While each album in their discography is different, they all stay true to that distinguished Sleigh Bells sound.
The duo recently released their newest full length album Bunky Becky Birthday Boy earlier in April this year so a full U.S. tour was imminent.
The band kicked off the evening with the song “Badly” off their latest album and then dove straight into the crowd favorite classic “Infinity Guitars”. Playing an impressive 17 song set that had pieces from every single one of their albums, the audience had no time to take a breather. Every single song was just as loud and energetic as the next, even when they “slowed it down” to play their ballad “I Can Only Stare”, Alexis’ powerhouse vocals nearly tore the roof off the venue.
Sleigh Bells live shows are nothing short of an energetic, chaotic, loud and beautiful time. One thing the duo does not lack is crowd interaction. Krauss continuously spent the night making eye contact with nearly every patron of the venue as well as jumping into the crowd to sing along with them. It’s hard to not walk away from the evening feeling like you were part of the band yourself.
It is impossible to leave a Sleigh Bells show without a smile on your face and your adrenaline at level one hundred. The duo have been around for well over a decade and continue to be one of the most impressive live bands in the scene. The Bunky Becky Birthday Tour continues on until mid June and is not one to be missed.
I’m a Houston based photographer. Currently living in College Station with my fiancé and our four cats. I’ve been attending and photographing shows around the Houston area for over a decade. Some of my favorite artists are Sleigh Bells, Magdalena Bay, Knocked Loose and so many more. I love attending shows and documenting the moment.
