Sleigh Bells: Noise Duo Confuse Red Hot Chili Peppers Fans, SNL Viewers

The size of a venue is important for a band like noise-pop duo Sleigh Bells. The Brooklyn-based guitarist Derek Miller and singer Alexis Krauss create ear-shattering dance music that fans can simultaneously mosh to -- perfect for intimate settings where Krauss can shout every word in your face -- but also big enough to fill every corner of an arena, which was something the band got to experience recently opening for the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

"When we were playing smaller rooms with pretty tiny PAs, we would end up blowing them out," Krauss tells Spinner. "We don't seek out to fuck up equipment. We warned people at the venues, but it's nice to be in a big venue where the PAs are much more substantial."

Having graduated to larger venues that can handle the noise is one thing, but another concern the band had while touring with Anthony Kiedis and co. was whether or not RHCP's fans could handle their loud tunes.

"It's definitely a challenge playing to an audience who was there to see one of their favourite bands," explains Krauss, who'll be playing in Montreal on July 5 and in Ottawa on July 6 as part of Ottawa Bluesfest. "There's not much crossover with their fans and ours, but there were a couple hundred people who liked the both of us.

"Most of their fans probably had no idea who we were and were like, 'This is really loud and it's jarring. I don't really understand what's going on!' Sort of polarizing in that sense, but we're always polarizing."

Even though Krauss didn't always feel the love from RHCP fans on the tour, she did feel welcome by Kiedis at all times, adding that "he just hopped into our dressing room to hang out with us and made us feel completely at home. It was an amazing experience and it was definitely a real honor to see the way an operation works on that scale."

Almost as big as playing with the Peppers was an invitation to play on Saturday Night Live, which was yet another polarizing platform for the band to play, especially considering it was only weeks after the now-infamous Lana Del Rey appearance.

"I think we did fine," says Krauss. "I'm not in love with it by any means. We're so loud and dynamic that, over broadcast television, we sounded pretty squashed and lifeless to me so it wasn't my favorite platform for the band. And coming out of the whole Lana Del Rey backlash, people were ready to pick apart anybody. I don't know anyone who didn't get shit about that."

Krauss admittedly reads some of the band's press but points out that "you can't let those things paralyze you, you learn from the experiences and move on."

Sleigh Bells is slated to hit the road again and headline their own shows this summer with a third band member in tow, Jason Boyer, who Miller knows through his old band, Poison the Well.

"He's been crucial to the live set up," explains Krauss. "It does justice to the music because Derek couldn't possibly play all of those countermelodies himself. Derek loves having another buddy onstage."

Even though Boyer's presence onstage adds to the live dynamics Krauss assures that the Sleigh Bells writing and recording process will always remain a duo.

"I think that us being a duo is really crucial to our dynamic," says Krauss. "There's a creative intimacy when it's just the two of us and there's less cooks in the kitchen. Our visions for the band are so aligned that I can't imagine adding another person to it."

Those dynamics will be put to work again as Miller and Krauss begin writing and recording their third album while touring.

"We just recorded the first song of the new record," reveals Krauss, who hopes to release the album by next summer, early fall. "There's always restlessness, especially on the road. We love the new material but it can get a bit monotonous playing the same songs and we just have a lot of ideas we want to lay down."

Sleigh Bells Play Corona Theatre in Montreal July 5, Ottawa Bluesfest July 6, Pitchfork Festival July 14 and Reading/Leeds August 24/25