Sleigh Bells in Whelan’s, Dublin, on Sunday, 19 February 2017

I haven’t been this sweaty since we last played here,” Alexis Krauss tells the Whelan’s crowd, six years on from their last visit to the Wexford Street venue. Sleigh Bells bridged the Dublin gig gap with an ear-bludgeoning show in The Academy a year after that on the back of the ‘Treats’ album, but we’ve had to wait until this current tour in support of ‘Jessica Rabbit’ – album number four – to subject our ears to some more of Edward Millers’ brutalising guitar crunch.

Obscuring the ever-present Whelan’s logo, Marshall stacks dominate the back of the stage, even more prominent in tonight’s low-ceilinged room than in that Academy expanse. With Sleigh Bells’ wall of speakers present and correct, the room darkens, an electro synth backing track blares over the PA and a strobe light pulses in unison with the backbeat. It’s one of those rare occasions when a tall person in front is a blessing in disguise, a respite from the retina-searing flash pointed directly into the crowd. Sensory assault is a Sleigh Bells speciality.

Tell ‘Em sets the pace, with Krauss and Miller joined by a touring guitarist, all three throwing themselves around, barely avoiding collision.

It’s so fucking good to be back on this stage” Krauss smiles after It’s Just Us Now, an early inclusion from a small selection of new songs. The set edges heavily towards the band’s grungier side and less so to the more electro-pop leanings of ‘Jessica Rabbit’, although we do hear the debut of a never-before-played number – more vocally-oriented, less abrasive than the rest.

The guitarists vacate the stage for Kids (“It’s a dance song, so if you’re not dancing there’s a problem“), leaving Krauss alone with the full-blooded backing track, but really there’s no substitute for the onstage collusion between the players. Riot Rhythm is full-on banging, and Bitter Rivals similarly so.

“I know you’re ready for this one,” Krauss teases before the distinctive clarion call of Crown On The Ground rings out. Her postscript to the song says it all – “It’s fucking hot and I’m fucking deaf.”

From dipping into the crowd from the monitors, to the final flurry of activity through A/B Machines, Krauss acts as the fulcrum around which the onstage chaos lets fly, finally descending into the audience to be crowdsurfed back to the stacks for the wind-down.

There’s no encore, no returns – it’s just another no-frills, mercifully loud Sleigh Bells rock show.

Check out our interview with Sleigh Bells’ Derek Miller here.