I have to say, I’m not too fond of their choice of band name (for some reason “purity ring” makes me think of the Jonas Brothers and that sincerely freaks me out), but Megan James and Corin Roddick of Purity Ring put on a solid live act and their records will fill your eardrums with joy.
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They recently played a rather rocking set at the Triple Rock Social Club a couple weeks ago. Entering the venue, the first thing I saw was a huge bass drum hoisted off the ground like some inflated musical lollipop. That quirky touch, to begin with, definitely piqued my interest---weirdly placed musical instruments will always have a special place in my heart. As I waited in line for overly-priced alcohol, I saw that the stage was cut in half by a single black sheet. The lack of space helped focus the audience’s attention directly on the duo.
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From the second Megan and Corin stepped on stage the show felt distinctly intimate. The audience was in their own world. Purity Ring was in their own world. But the weird thing was that there was no disconnect. It was as if we were each getting a secretive glance into each other’s respective worlds and reporting back about how awesome it was. It was disconcertingly magical.
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Megan James was truly transfixing. She never made eye contact. Her eyes were either tightly shut or periodically glancing upwards. Confident-creepy- beautiful was how I described her to a friend and in every way I meant that as a compliment. Her ghostly croonings were accompanied by periodic sledgehammer-like poundings on the aerial bass drum as it turned from green to pink to a deep blue. I sufficiently dug the effect. The beats, themselves, slapped you out of your pre-show stupor and demanded some body-bumping attention.
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Opening acts are sometimes thought of as the ugly step-sisters to the Cinderella headliners they introduce, but I have found that it is always worth showing up early to snag an earful of these sets. More often than not, I am pleasantly surprised and impressed. The best overall shows I’ve seen have been when the auxiliary bands just kill it and prove that they are more than up to snuff. Purity Ring was one of these acts. They opened for Neon Indian and, I have to say, it was difficult for me to decide which set I liked better, which is saying something coming from a long-standing Neon Indian fan like myself.
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That being said, I truly hope you, dudes and dude’ams, snag a listen to some of their songs or, even better, catch them in concert. You won’t be disappointed.
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