It sounds like the beginning of a joke – “an ex-girl group popster-cum-fifth-grade-teacher and her mum meet a metal-core guitarist-cum-waiter in a Brazilian restaurant…” – but for Brooklyn-based duo Sleigh Bells, this chance meeting would be life-changing.

“It was very serendipitous.

Mom and I were out for lunch, and Derek [Derek Miller, ex-guitarist for post-hardcore band Poison The Well] was our server that day,” says Alexis Krauss, Sleigh Bells’ vocalist. “He said he was looking for a female vocalist, and Mom being proud said, ‘My daughter is a fabulous singer’. If it wasn’t for my mom and a slight wine buzz we would not have Sleigh Bells!”

Alexis’ first forays into the music business were with Rubyblue – a US girl group who played instruments, created as a credible alternative to the female pop acts flooding the market.

However, the whole experience left a nasty aftertaste. “It was very manufactured and stifling. I learnt that if you’re going to be involved in the music industry, you need to negotiate your own terms, know what you want and choose who you want to work with,” she says.

“It was the lo-fi aspect that attracted me to Sleigh Bells – the sense that everything happened organically. We produced the music ourselves and were in control of everything.”

With this mentality, it seemed natural that DIY-kindred spirit Maya Arulpragasm – aka M.I.A. – would soon come calling. “Maya is one of those people who doesn’t have to wait for the jury before she makes a decision. It’s a testament to her creative insight,” she says. “She reached out to us really early on – I think we’d only played maybe one or two shows by then.”

At this point, Sleigh Bells’ only recorded material were demos on MySpace, so M.I.A. first heard the band on director Spike Jonze’s iPhone. “I’m sure it sounded amazing!” Alexis laughs. “But, she was intrigued and emailed us straight away – then flew to New York and went directly to Derek’s apartment.” A signing to Maya’s new label N.E.E.T. soon followed and debut album Treats was born.

>From the album’s opening salvo of guitars to the final raw chords and fuzzy beats, defining Sleigh Bells’ sound has split critics, with genres like “noise pop”, “techno” and “indie crunk” being bandied about.

“We have yet to settle on a succinct genre for Sleigh Bells. A lot of them make sense – we’re noisy, we’re based in pop, but I don’t feel entirely comfortable with ‘noise pop’,” says Alexis. “Our sound is culled from so many different genres – metal, hip-hop, Motown. We usually resort to adjectives – heavy, melodic, rhythmic… loud!”

Although singles Infinity Guitars, Tell Em and Riot Rhythm have all received major national airplay, it’s not just the music that has people talking – Sleigh Bells live shows are a wild affair, with Krauss tearing up the stage. “I’m pretty manic,” she says. “When I hear those huge 808 beats and crazy guitars, I feel like I have to meet the music and reach that level of insanity.”

It’s this passion that saw Krauss appear in NME’s Cool List last year, something that still bemuses the singer. “It’s so funny – before I was this indie badass I was Ms Krauss, fifth-grade teacher. It’s so odd being thrown into a place where people are looking to you for fashion advice and attitudes. I always think of myself as kind of a nerd.”

Starts 7pm, £9. Call Rounder Records on 01273 325440 or Resident on 01273 606312 for tickets.