Word came down on Tuesday that School Of Seven Bells singer/keyboardist Claudia Deheza had officially left the band for “personal reasons.” The band vowed to continue on. At the show, this was something that the band didn’t address and any speculation as to the reason would be irresponsible and disrespectful to the band. All we can do is wish Claudia well and hope that she returns to the band, or at least to making music again soon.

The live version of School Of Seven Bells now consisted of guitarist/singer Benjamin Curtis (who also handled the running the sequences and laptop), singer/guitarist Alejandra Deheza (Claudia’s twin sister) and touring drummer Zach Saginaw (who makes his own amazing music under the name Shigeto).

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss the vocal harmonies and synth parts that Claudia brought to the table. Bands with siblings, especially twins, seem to have a knack for creating otherworldly vocal arrangements. Those vocals were a big draw for me when I first heard this band. Thankfully, the band sounded great and defied my expectations.

Having not seen School Of Seven Bells live before, I don’t have a point of reference as to what may have been different or missing in concert with Claudia out of the band. On record, the band creates luxuriant dreamy electro-pop. Sometimes danceable and sometimes minimal beats topped with heavenly vocal harmonies, ambient synths and effects-laced guitar are the basis for School Of Seven Bells. Others use this same formula, but there aren’t too many current bands that do it as well.

Live, School Of Seven Bells build on their studio work and create a whole other monster. Alejandra more than held her own on vocals. Her lush, velvety voice poured effortlessly from her body. Curtis’s backing vocals filled things out and were a nice contrast to Deheza’s. On top of the sequenced beats and synths, Curtis and Deheza layered a wall of guitars and feedback that washed over everything in the best possible way. Rather than recreating their impressive albums, they took that framework and gave it a blistering new life.

What really sealed the deal was Saginaw’s energetic drumming. He wasn’t buried in the mix, just playing along to the drum tracks. He was an equal component, fashioning counter rhythms to what was already there and adding dynamics that you can’t achieve with programmed drums alone.

On tour with School Of Seven Bells was Active Child. The project is the brainchild of Pat Grossi, who was in the Philadelphia Boys Choir in his younger days. His voice is simply amazing. His range (from a deep tenor to a pristine falsetto) and control are something that you don’t come across to often in the indie music world. Live, he plays harp, guitar and keyboards over some sequences and beats. All together, it makes for a very ethereal new wave-esque sound (he even covered the Joy Division/New Order track Ceremony). Grossi was joined on stage by a bassist who helped to flesh things out a bit more for the live setting.

Local band Sleepy Vikings got things started. This band has been growing on me over the last few times that I’ve seen them and they did not disappoint. They play what can be described as a mix of alt-country and delicate indie-pop. It’s full of energy and yet laid back as the same time. And kudos to the band for actually playing the show. Both guitarist Nicole Schleif and bassist Sandi Streppone were sporting what looked to be broken right feet and/or ankles. I can only guess that it was brutal game of kick ball or maybe a tragic tandem biking accident that was the culprit. Either way, you don’t need feet to play guitar, and the band was great.