Best Acts That I saw this year from the 55 I witnessed ( thanks to missing Day One because my plane was inexplicably cancelled and having to leave on Saturday morning this year, for work.
Jamaican Queens, a David Bowie for 2013. Stunning live in a tent in a shitty location. Still strutted like the rock stars we crave. My Toppest Tip For The Top.
Divine Fits, the supergroup formed by lead singer/geetarists from Wolf Parade & Spoon. Saw them twice. Easily the most polished band seen, but still an undercurrent of pop menace.
Gabriel Sullivan & Taraf De Tucson, A desert lands Beirut. Saw them twice, both great, but best was in an acoustic show in a backyard of a cafe with Al and I and a table eating food of six who were there before the band turnedup and who left when their meal was finished while the band played. Second time with everything plugged in they took on a different persona and were great again.
The Last Bison. Dressed like extras from Little House of The Prairie, this years twee folk rockers. Check out the song Switzerland. Live they managed to cut to a rousing interpretation of that M83 song everyone knows played on violins and cello. Oh and a fifty something drunk aggressively shadow boxed throughout most of their set right in front of the stage, scaring all, especially the band.
Masarati. I accidently wandered in a solid wall of heavy metal pro rock instrumental mayhem, and enjoyed it.
Holy Esque. I always select one Scottish band from all the mp3s in advance of SXSW and go see them, this years were as good as teh previous picks which have included Admiral Fallow and Broken Records. Scottish pop Joy Division.
The Eastern Sea. In the best venue at SXSW, Esther Follie's Comedy store, we arrived minutes before they took the stage. A seated venue, every seat taken except three in second row, seemingly reserved just for us. Stellar. Plus, best G&Ts in Austin. Official.
Mac DeMarco. Slacker rock par excellence. Also the most wasted band of the week.
Alt-J. Yup. Believe the hype.
4onthefloor. A rockier relation of The Drive By Truckers. Check out Working Man Zombie.
Parma Violets. Of all teh buzz bands I saw, these were one of two who lived up to teh Hype. Frozen in 1978, wild live punks.
Family Of The Year. As Al commented, if the lead singer would wash his hair and scrub up, they could be absolutely huge. A Fleetwood mac crossed with The Go Betweens.
Camper Van Beethoven. One of my all time favourite bands who I have never seen live. Outstanding. I got to shake the hand of Sir David Lowery and they played Pictures Of Matchstick Men, with its skewered violin intro. Anyone who can play a song they recorded in the late seventies whichitself was a cover version of Status Quo from the late sixties with a passion of a bunch of seventeen year olds has to be applauded.
Friday night was magical. I saw a bunch of bands but from ten oclock onwards I managed to see four fantastic shows.
Roadkill Ghost Choir. Indescribable. Looked like a cartoon prog rock band. All lank hair, bored look and check shirts. Their sound was incredible. Long crafted songs with great hooks. A sort of Yes times 2013 Deep Purple.
The Giving Tree. A good time band who should do the soundtrack to the remake of Deliverance. Raucous, the word was invented for them.
King Tuff. The second buzz band who surpassed the hype. Again we found a viewing area, a bench at the side of the stage, minutes before they came on. Wild atmosphere from another throwback, with bells on, to the garage punk of the seventies.
Frank Turner. Last show of SXSW for me. One am, Sat Morning and England's new, poppier, rockier, happier, Billy Bragg, played a blinder. Check out I still believe. I think it was Dave who introduced him to me and as Dave said in a text looking back on our SXSW week, and quoting Frank himself, Who would have though that after all something as simple as Rock N Roll would save us all!
A few honourable mentions. I was lucky enough to win entry to the Sound City Players review show at Stubbs. Orchestrated by Dave Grohl, he had the entire Foo Fighters as the backing band and over a three and a half hour show, played with assorted members of Rage Against The Machine, Queens of the Stone Age, Slipknot and Cheap Trick. He brought on an eclectic list of singers, Stevie Nicks and John Fogerty being the highlights. Best moments. The song Surrender sung by Foo Fighters drummer. Taylor. Stevie Nicks doing Landslide. Fogerty doing Creedance's greatest hits. But best of all Rick Springfield doing Jesse's Girl!
The hype that got away. Here are the bands who were not bad, but not incredible that many were raving about. Jake Bugg, Foxygen, Alla Las, Surfer Blood.
Lists excite me so I end on my top ten shows.
10.Holy Esque @ Latitude 30
9.Roadkill Ghost Choir @ The Palm Door
8.Frank Turner @ Blackheart
7. Family Of The Year @ Radio Day Stage in Conference Centre
6. Gabriel Sullivan @ Lucy's Retired Surfer Bar
5. Camper Van Beethoven @ Los Sol a Los Luna
4. The Giving Tree @ Javalinas
3. Jamaican Queens @ Holy Mountain
2.The Eastern Sea @ Esther's Follies
1.Divine Fits @ at Moody Theatre