Sleigh Bells, Electric Ballroom, London

It’s a rammed Friday night at Camden’s Electric Ballroom, and there’s a noticeable air of anticipation surrounding the sold-out venue. On the street you can hear excitable murmurs, groups of people rush in with a heightened sense of urgency. Inside the punters are craning their necks and searching for every possible vantage point - the people want Sleigh Bells.

In a flurry of technicolour flashes, pouring smoke and studded leather, Alexis Krauss and Derek Miller bound onto the stage, wasting no time in launching into ‘True Shred Guitar’, and then promptly diving headfirst into the gunshot rhythms of ‘Tell ‘Em’. The volumes are maxed out, and Sleigh Bells are clearly running on full too. “Let’s get s**t going London!” roars Alexis before triumphantly hurling her pint into the ecstatic crowd.

The spectacle continues as Sleigh Bells shred their way through a whistle-stop tour of their two albums. The obvious highlights come in the shape of first album anthem ‘Infinity Guitars’ and the pounding drum machines of ‘Riot Rhythm’, but songs from ‘Reign Of Terror’ sit comfortably alongside the much-loved ‘Treats’.
‘Demons’ seems made for the stage, as does the crowd favourite ‘Comeback Kid’.

As Krauss sways and thrashes alternately across the stage, roaring into the crowd before producing sugary vocals the next minute it’s clear that she and Miller know that the comeback is complete. Krauss ends the set by throwing herself into the crowd and surfing across the room, before returning to the stage like true rock royalty. The band have just enough time to catch their breath before a rapturous encore of ‘Rill Rill’, and by the end of the set there is no doubt that the reign of Sleigh Bells is set to continue.