At the show’s peak, a crowd of no more than 150 gathered to see School of Seven Bells at Grand Central in Miami Saturday night, an undersold turnout no doubt affected by the Flaming Lips performing the same night in Boca. But the headlining act would have been disappointing even to a packed club, thanks largely to the recent absence, mid-tour, of band member Claudia Deheza. The announcement that Claudia would be leaving School of Seven Bells, made this past week on the group’s Facebook page, is particularly surprising given that Claudia formed the band with her identical twin sister Alexandra, who sings lead vocals.
Even though the ostensible three-piece remained a trio onstage with the added presence of a drummer, School of Seven Bells were clearly lacking the fullness that can be attributed to Claudia’s sudden departure. The group’s sophomore album, “Disconnect from Desire,” is an ethereal masterpiece of electronic textures and poetic lyricism, but without Claudia, it’s less dynamic and colorful in a live setting. Alexandra is a terrific vocalist, and both she and guitarist Benjamin Curtis had appealing onstage presences as they played through the majority of “Disconnect” and three tracks from the band’s first album, “Alpinisms,” but I was not the only one who left their set feeling underwhelmed.
This is not a complaint that can be leveled at openers Active Child, who overshadowed the headliners by long shot. Live, it’s a two-piece, but Active Child is primarily the electronic music project of Los Angeles’ Pat Grossi, a former choirboy from Philadelphia who sounds like he’s channeling angels-albeit angels who enjoy listening to moody post-punk. If he wasn’t toiling in indie-rock obscurity, Grossi’s heavenly vocals would be a perfect fit for opera.
He played the first two songs on a miniature harp, not an instrument club-goers are accustomed to seeing on stage, then played the rest of the set on keyboard, sans a guitar-driven cover of New Order’s “Ceremony” for rockin’ good measure. As of now, Active Child’s only release is an EP titled “Curtis Lane,” available on Grossi’s website, but I can’t wait to hear more from this utterly unique act.
