On the heels of a tour supporting Weezer and the Pixies which recently passed through town, and after a last-minute postponement of a planned headlining date earlier this year, Brooklyn noise pop duo Sleigh Bells are making their way back to Music City for a proper headliner, their first in several years tonight, Aug. 19 at The Basement East, out in support of last year’s excellent, surprisingly intimate new mini album Kid Kruschev. Along with former Nashvillian turned Brooklyn based indie rock breakout Torres, this is, without a doubt, one of the coolest shows of the summer, and tickets are still available right here while they last! Read on for more about this excellent lineup below.
SLEIGH BELLS
It’s now been a decade since the formation of Brooklyn noise pop duo Sleigh Bells, and more than eight years since they catapulted onto the scene with their explosive, instant-classic debut, Treats. In the time since, the “hipster explosion” and flourishing blogosphere of indie rock that helped make them famous has certainly waned, and many of their peers fallen by the wayside, but the dynamic duo, made up of Alexis Krauss and Derek E. Miller, have managed to endure, releasing three more LPs, most recently 2o16’s Jessica Rabbit, and exploring new ways to reinvent their driving, hook-laden, riffed out, noisey, and anthemic indie pop sound. Last fall, the band returned surprise new mini album, Kid Kruschev, through their own label Torn Clean, and with it, explored a stunningly subdued new sound, which eschews the bombastic percussion and bold guitar riffs of the bulk of their material in favor of layered, synthy, introspection. Originally slated to appear at The BEast earlier this year, the group were forced to postpone that prior show, leading this return date to take place only weeks after opening for Weezer and the Pixies at Ascend Amphitheater. Even if you caught that performance, though, a short, outdoor Sleigh Bells set is a far from the full experience, and this headlining return marks the band’s most intimate Nashville date in years!
TORRES
Though she’s been based in Brooklyn for several years, we’ll always think of Mackenzie Scott, the powerful indie rock force who performs as Torres, as an honorary Nashvillian, since Music City is the place where she cut her teeth at the start of what has become an amazing solo run. Torres sprung onto the scene with the release of her self-titled debut album in 2013, burning up the blogosphere and earning a Best Track nod from Pitchfork for her single “Honey.” Further cementing her critical acclaim with her 2015 sophomore album Sprinter, Scott has continued to gain momentum with her raw, edgy songwriting style, penning tunes about everything from heartbreak to religion in moody ballads and fast, grungy songs. After touring with big names like Garbage and Tegan and Sara, the phenomenal up and comer debuted her best record yet, Three Futures, last year, and continues to grow in recognition on the national scene. It’s always a welcome homecoming when a former local artist returns as part of a buzzworthy tour such as this, so show up early and show her all the love!
Sleigh Bells and Torres will perform tonight, Aug. 19 at The Basement East. The show is 18+, begins at 8 p.m. (doors at 7 p.m.), and tickets are available to purchase for $25.