Pitchfork Day 1 2012: Purity Ring

Photo Credit: Julia Duerst

Frankly, if you went to Pitchfork last night and weren’t blown away by either the set or sound of Purity Ring, you missed out. There has been a lot of buzz around these two young canadians, and with their album Shrines coming out July 24 on 4AD, their live shows will help boost sales significantly.

The band started slow, there were technical problems, the crowd was hot in the humid Chicago night, but when the first song finally did come on, “Shuck,” a b-side and the final song on their new LP, it wasn’t clear whether it would be a good set. However, when they transitioned into “Belispeak” right after, for which the crowd roared their approval and began to dance.

It was a sight to see, watching these two artists with such a unique stage presence. Singer Megan James spoke to the crowd in her soft and kind voice in between songs opening us to an honesty rarely found from bands on stage. Corin Roddick’s production has significantly improved since previous shows, putting effect’s on Megan as she sings and putting all his energy into his set.

The cocoon type objects hanging from the stage underneath the dark sky surrounded by trees gave the set a feel unlike any other that day. We were all shoved in together, stretching on our toes just to see Corin playing his invention, “The Binary” – a form of drum pad lanterns lighting up as he hit them. We were collectively drowning in their sound, and we loved it.