In 2010, Megan James and Corin Reddick were a couple of friends sharing melodies and beats from their bedrooms in Canada. Two years later, Purity Ring is filling venues across the country, riding the momentum of their well-received debut album, "Shrines.”
A sold-out crowd packed Crescent Ballroom in downtown Phoenix on Aug.31 to watch the electronic music duo from Montreal make their first visit to the Valley in a year.
The young crowd filled the venue well in advance of the headlining set and danced through opening act, Headaches, in anticipation for Purity Ring.
The duo took to the stage shortly before 11 p.m. with raucous applause from both the packed 21-and-over section and the overflowing under-21 section. As Reddick took the stage and began the percussion intro to “Belispeak,” the synthesized drumbeats sent chills down spines. It seemed fitting that the two opened with the song, as it was one of the first tracks they released as a band back in 2011.
Unique to that of most shows in which a band makes its debut appearance in the Valley, Friday night featured a crowd that collectively knew the headliner's songs like the backs of their hands. As Purity Ring quickly transitioned from song to song, most concertgoers wasted no time in identifying the track title and rejoicing about it with their neighbor before singing along.
With the only lighting in the venue coming from the hanging LED orbs hovering over the band and Reddick's light-up synth drums, the set proved to be a perfect counterpart to the tragically seductive music reverberating through Crescent Ballroom.
As the twosome played through the majority of "Shrines,” the band's ability to use their live performance to enthuse the crowd both musically and visually proved as a strongpoint of the evening. Reddick masterfully worked the beats and percussions while James voiced the unsettling lyrics that make Purity Ring's music so peculiarly addictive.
As if she was casting a spell on the crowd, James entranced the crowd at the intro of "Fineshrine” with the painful words "Get it closer let it fold / Cut open my sternum and pull / My little ribs around you.” The unlikely combination of James' haunting words and her beautifully frail voice had the crowd hanging onto every lyric as if it were her last.
Not all went perfectly, however, as James dealt with technical issues with her drum and informed the crowd she would be unable to use it for the evening. She also masterfully solved a minor crisis when one of the hanging orbs fell off of its LED light and James quickly re-hung the ornament without missing a lyric during "Obedear.”
The two often intentionally balked during some songs, creating a dramatic silence for a split second before continuing. This served as another way Purity Ring shocked the crowd during their brief yet brilliant 45-minute performance. After Reddick played the last beat in their closing song “Shuck” and the house lights returned, the crowd collectively rubbed their eyes to make sure they were not just part of a spooky dream.
The downside to a set by a new band like Purity Ring is that they simply do not have that much material to play with. After playing through most of their songs — which typically run about 3-4 minutes — the duo still left a large chunk of time unused that typically is reserved for headlining acts. But as the duo keeps making music and putting out more albums, this limitation will disappear.
Purity Ring's music sets itself apart from other acts in its ability to be both painful and beautiful at the same time. The Canadian duo lived up to the hype from their debut album with their live performance. It is a safe bet to say that no one in attendance will forget what they witnessed last Friday, as the hex James and Reddick put on the crowd may take some time to wear off.
Reach the reporter at mbobman@asu.edu
