SLEIGH BELLS

Sleigh Bells don’t mess around. Having only formed in 2008, they have quickly gained an international following with their raucous noise pop and mind-bending live shows. We chat with Singer Alexis Krauss on the eve of their first Australian tour.

How did Sleigh Bells start?

It started when my mum and I were in a restaurant in New York and Derek was our waiter there. From a combination of Derek being very charming and my mum being very talkative, we found out that he had moved from Florida to New York to find a singer for this project of his. I had been more or less singing all my life, so we got together and he showed me these demos that he’d been working on for a while, in fact right back to [his previous band] Poison the Well. I loved the sound of them, they were like nothing I’d heard before, so I started singing on them and we’ve been working and playing live since then.

What do you think defines Sleigh Bells’ sound?

I would say volume for one, our live shows are pretty dynamic and wild and we’re of the mind that the louder it is the better. Deep production, vocals which are very melodic, although sometimes more full on, and those heavy guitar parts which come from a very classic rock sound.

This is your first time touring to Australia, do you have any expectations?

We’re really excited about it! It’s surreal to think that you can come half way around the world and have an audience ready to receive us even though we’ve only been around for a couple of years.

Jan 8, The Forum, Entertainment Quarter, $44+bf, moshtix.com.au