Sleigh Bells-Neon Indian-Bosco Delrey at The Ogden Theatre: Review
Saturday night took us to The Ogden Theatre for Sleigh Bells/Neon Indian and Bosco Delrey. This was our first time seeing Sleigh Bells, missed them at SXSW and Coachella this year but have been hearing rave reviews from their live performances.
The night started off with Bosco Delrey taking the stage, I had never heard of him and only knew he was signed to Mad Decent's label. He came out with nothing but a guitar and began jamming away, my only question is why doesn't this guy have a backing band yet? His sound would be considered something like Buddy Holly discovering electro and mixing it a bit with minimal synth and modest bass. In fact I would dare to say that he reminded me a little bit of 80's band The Romantics. The yet-to be filled venue seemed to enjoy his set although some looked a bit confused and bewildered at times.
Next up was one of my favorites Neon Indian, led by the multi-talented Alan Palomo, he commanded the set front and center and blasted away through crowd favorites from their debut Psychic Chasms and a few new songs. The near sell-out crowd (trust me as we left there wasn't a square inch of free space) danced from the opening set that was complimented with an array of minimal laser effects and strobes that only made the show more enjoyable. Highlight of the night would have had to been "Deadbeat Summer" as Palomo's voice carried over the crowd and engraved itself into each and everyone in attendance. The crowd soaked up the set as if they were laying out in the sun enjoying a nice dose of synth pop.
It was about 11:00 p.m. and the only thing that stood out from the upcoming headliners was the enormous stacks of Marshall amps in the background. This only meant one thing, there was a possibility I may go deaf at some point during the set. As the crowd waited in anticipation with the house music blaring, the sudden opening riffs of Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" came on and well... all hell broke loose after that going straight into "Crown on the Ground", the crowd erupted into full riot mode as Derek Miller slashed away on guitar and the lovely and I emphasize lovely Alexis Krauss hit us with her screaming vocals. The short 30 minute set was precise and on point with the occasional "I love you Denver" thrown in. They played crowd favorites "Infinity Guitars" and "Tell Me" and left no room for an encore as they slipped out the door knowing the damage was done.