My Big, Gigantic Drum Kit

bmichael:

shorterexcerpts replied to your post: Sleigh Bells Is Lana Del Rey But Good

Well that, and they only played SNL after the 2nd album came out, well after they proved they could be a great live act. Which isn’t exactly a minor difference.

I saw them play the Studio at Webster Hall, for an MTV broadcast — this was before Treats or right around the time of its release — and it was easily the worst live performance I’ve ever seen in my life from a band you expect to be good.

For context, here is a review I wrote of Treats

I want to rent out musical halls and destroy their PAs with this album. I want to see if this album can literally raise the dead. I think it can. I want this album to take my hearing because it’s the last thing I want to hear before I die and I don’t want to die yet. Sleigh Bells’ debut album is so roundly and thoroughly successful that it’s difficult even to talk about.

I like the band.

Also, whatever Sleigh Bells did or didn’t prove before they played SNL, they certainly didn’t do much to distance themselves from LDR with their anemic performance on Saturday night (and I love some of their recorded output and dislike pretty much all of hers).  Admittedly, they’re probably a band that lives and dies on the mix, and SNL is the least dependable slot on late night TV when it comes to live sound. That said, I don’t think they made many new fans this weekend.