Day Three Wednesday

This should have been the day Eve joined but the Eastern seaboard blizzard meant her Boston to Austin flight was cancelled. All being well she would now arrive around midnight tonight and at least get three days of SXSW in. It is mid day. I head to Buffalo Billiards where the local indie station are having acts pop in and play a song live in air. I go to see Magic Giant play their keynote song Set On Fire albeit well stripped down. Here is the recording I shot on my iPhone then posted to youtube.

I then just have to go see what the New Dutch Wave is all about back at Swan Dive. I see someone called Klyne who might be the new Dutch Tom Jones, although I would not bet a lot of money on it. On to Cheer Up Charlies to see Tredici Bacci, from NYC. They are a 14 piece chamber rock orchestra with a fascination for Italian films in the 60s & 70s. They take the stage all wearing In’N’Out Burger serving hats. If you are ever looking for the best band for any party - this is the one. Woven into their own tunes were excerpts from Dancing Queen, the Star Wars theme, Bohemian Rhapsody and others. Nutters.

Tredici Bacci

To Sidewinder inside where Youngr, a one man instrumental dance machine from London was whipping the early afternoon crowd to a Frenzy. He had loops, synths, electric and bass guitar and a grand drum kit, most of which he appeared to be playing at the same time.

Youngr

To the best Dive bar in Austin, Valhallas for Portland’s latest finest female band, Summer Cannibals, with maybe the wildest guitar sounds of the week. An A+ lister who delivered!!

Summer Cannibals

Back to Cheer Up Charlies indoors to see the mailman of the band Ought, on his first solo appearance, Tim Darcy. If you like Ought you would like this. If you do not know Ought you ought to.

Tim Darcy

The billowing roof over CheerUpCharlies at the outdoor stage.

On that very same outdoor stage, the run of brilliant shows all day so far (apart from The New Dutch Wave one) continues with Girlpool now a four piece and creating a big sound. Special.

Girlpool

With that, the afternoon was over and news came that Eve was up in the air from Boston to Chicago with a 45 minute connection time for the Austin flight. I put that behind me and went for a complete change of pace. This SXSW some of the worlds best minimalist pianists and experimental classical composers were playing, four of the finest to be exact. So figure this out - there are six official showcase slots a night in every venue and six nights of SXSW with over 200 venues. That adds up to a lot os possible shows. You would think I would be able to see all four then, spread throughout the week, no? Nah, two of them played Wednesday night at exactly the same time both in St David’s Church, one in the actual church, the other in the Church Hall. You could not plan a worse arrangement. Well done SXSW schedulers. I picked the French twosome, Jean-Michel Blais and CFCF, who Pitchfork described as having a sometimes-gorgeous collection of ambient pieces. It was quite special.

Jean-Michel Blais and CFCF

Suitably enriched I decided to stay and see the third of the four pianists playing in the same venue, from Italy, Federico Albanese. He managed to make the previous composer sound like a stadium rock band as he minimalized his output to a whisper of keys, occasionally.

Federico Albanese.

I needed something lively to follow that up, River Whyless were stated as being NPR’s Bob Bolien’s favourite band at this years Americana Festival. Now that is a big redo. They were quite good, Neo-Folk, I was told which I just think means they are young and play folk music. However there was what appeared to be a drum and bass act playing directly below them on the ground floor venue at the same time. This meant the room shook to the core every three seconds. The Lead Singer apologized saying it was like playing a show on one of those simulator rides at Universal Studio. Finally I could take no more and left.

River Whyless

I hopped around a few venues. Into the appropriately named Dirt Dog bar to join a mostly male audience watch the all girl LA rockers, The Regrettes, who were trying to be The Runaways without Cherie Currie, but with several Joan Jetts. They were OK.

The Regrettes

Then to the Trinity Hall to see Peru’s finest, We The Lion. There are always a few lightweight but completely catchy pop songs every SXSW that seem to get a lot of support/airplay and break out to be some type of hit. Their "Found Love” song is one of those, I had the pleasure of seeing them play it live to every Peruvian who was in Austin. Fun twenty minutes.

We The Lion

I am now in another church, this time in the Central Presbyterian Church, to see a one man singer songwriter called Colin Macleod from the Hebrides, a series of islands also out in the North Sea off the coast of Scotland, like the Orkneys. I had to go support him. Unfortunately not many others felt the same way. This is the view from the front pew at the church.

This is the view the other way. He was very good but could not keep me for his whole show, so I left meaning he was playing to six people at the back of the hall. :( This will still not be the smallest audience of the week.

Colin Macleod.

By now I have heard that Eve has arrived safely and is on her way to the hotel andto bed to get ready for the Thursday madness. So off to my favorite venue, Esther’s Follies, to see the German all girl (plus drummer) band Die Heiterkeit. They were brilliant, Al described them as a German, female, Smiths which is not far wrong.

Die Heiterkeit.

From Germany to Israel and into Swan Dive to see the number one female rocker from that country. Ninet, the second act of the evening to channel the seventies big hair rock sound. Liked it.

Ninet

It is racing towards midnight now so time to whip around a bunch of venues before settling down for the 1am final show. To BD Riley’s Irish Bar to see Robocobra Quartet. Described by one music site as A sprawling sound that takes in jazz, post-hardcore and classical music. They were wildly over the top - a Bonzo Dog Doo Dah band for 2017.

Robocobra Quartet

To the midnight show to see Kevin Cole’s, of KEXP Seattle, number one pick - Mammut from Iceland. But the eastern seaboard storm has foiled their travel plans and they are a no show. I see Horse Thief instead, an old favorite who I have now accidentally seen three times in the last three years, usually after trying to see someone else. They deserve better than my attitude.

Horse Thief

To the 18th Floor of the Hilton Garden Inn which is the cheesiest venue of all SXSW, never has a big crowd, and those who do go are folk staying in the hotel who are somewhat surprised that there is some type of music event on. But it is a venue which always has some great acts playing, most I am sure, who are horrified to find out that that is where they are playing. Tonight is no exception. Jamie Wyatt had a record deal as a teenager. It went nowhere, She fell into drug addiction, robbed her dealer and went to jail for a time. Now she is on her second go and is building a huge alternative country following. She ss aid to be part of the new golden triangle of country along with Margo Price and Sturgill Simpson. She was very good.

Jamie Wyatt

I leave and check out Palm Door on Sabine to see if I can catch a few songs from Langhorne Slim. Even better, his show started late so at 1.30 am, I get to see the whole thing. He has come off the stage and got everyone to sit down, proceeding to take requests al night. Great end to the day. Another countrified story teller to end the day.

Langhorne Slim

Day Four Thursday.

Eve is here!!. We get things going early and head to Cedar St Courtyard to the Flood magazine festival showcase, thanks to our good friend Kyle, who gets us back stage to watch in comfort. It is 11.45 am!! We watch the finest band ever to come out of Greenland, Small Time Giants, who have the best introduction of the whole week to a song. “This song is about…..Sex…..Drugs…….And Whaling.

Small Time Giants.

Did I mention that all images are taken fro whereever I stood and on my iPhone? not bad quality all round. To the Australian party in Brush Square tent to see dance producer/mixer Throttle, then the Flatstock stage to see Italy’s Dardust and then to the Radio Day Stage to watch another super hyped but very good act from Australia, Middle Kids. I had seen them the previous week play a couple of songs at Skype Studio in Portland so it was good to see the whole set. Destined for bigger things, I feel.

Middle Kids

Back to Rainey St to Blackhearts again, first we see Knox Hamilton from Kansas, a catchy big rock sound.

Knox Hamilton

Then to see Baskery, who were just great. Eve liked them too, so worth going a second time to see these three sisters from Sweden. Wild stage show in the afternoon sun. Great setting.

Baskery

Now every year someone really disappoints you. I have come to realize it is usually people with a reputation and often it is at one of two venues, either Stubbs, which I do not like as it is a vast outdoor place or the Conference centre’s big day stage, which is usually populated by industry folk, so is a duller audience. It happened again this year (last year The Hold Steady were boring, the year before Courtney Barnett was poor). This year, sadly, The New Pornographers were just ordinary. It did not help that they looked like a bunch of comfy uncles and aunts.

The New Pornographers

Luckily there is always something to wash stuff like that away. To Valhalla to the afternoon Japanese party. First the hard rocking Hannato Chiruran. Theatric and loud.

Hannato Chiruran

Madcap usually goes hand in hand with many of the Japanese shows. Analogix did not disappoint, channelling their inner early Devo throughout their electronic punk show. Brilliant.

Analogix.

After the underwhelming new band Dams of the West, who are fronted by Vampire Weekends drummer but manage to have none of the songs nor talent of the parent group, then a wall of noise raw band, Royal Trux, we catch a special show from Yes We Mystic. I like to read how bands describe themselves, trying to find a few original words for a one sentence that might stand out. They say they are "Delivering at times like a dive into a dark, warm ocean, and at others like a blast of icy water on bare skin”. That would not have been the first bunch of words that came to mind on seeing them, but they were good, with a hint of seventies prog rock lurking under the surface. They also appeared to have Blackadder on keyboards.

Yes We Mystic

The night was almost upon us so we needed to do the stuff you do at these things - go and get a haircut. Yes, Eve did that. Then we ate, then we went out again. Tonight my son, Elliot would arrive around midnight too, so a big night ahead.

We got off to a stuttering start, seeing Manu Delago Handmade, a world music group with one of the best Hang players leading the band. (Hang is a sort of hand drum). It was as exciting as it sounds. We then troughed further with Ireland’s Jealous of the Birds, who took twee to new level. Just as the thought was developing that this might be one of those nights, up stepped one of the bands of the week. Scotland saved the day. Once more. The Spook School introduced themselves as follows: “We are a queer band from Scotland and we are all just a bunch of silly sausages”. They were outstanding. Part three minute punk, part bubblegum pop. A highlight.

The Spook School

If someone told you that there was a 15 year old who was in the mould of, but would be much bigger than, Lana Del Ray, would you go see them. We did, to another church ( seemed to be a theme developing about my venue choices) to see Billie Eilish. She was obviously talented, way older in attitude than her 15 years, and appears to be on the way to world domination. Interesting twenty minutes.

Billie Eilish

It was getting late, and Elliot was arriving at the hotel, so we popped back to get him. Eve could not resist the lure of going to sleep, but Elliot, after flying from Boston (five and half hours flight and three hours ahead in time difference) wanted to see some live music up close and personal. He had come to the right place. However, unlike Eve and I, he had no badge, not worth paying the money for two days, so he had to pay in to the venues and queue, and I mean queue. I had scouted out some combinations of venues and acts where I thought he could get in without too much trouble. So off we went. To Esther’s Follies, which never lets you down. Five dollars and he is inside with me to see Foxtrax, a fast rising LA rock band. Great show.

Foxtrax

Then we decide, what the hell, although it might have been a stronger word, lets go try to get into the biggest show remaining this night. We head to Cheer UP Charlies who have two of the hottest bands of the festival playing at midnight and 1 am. As we thought, a huge queue outside, and all for wristbands and cash paying folk. Elliot joined the q and I walked to the entrance. As I thought, no q for badge holders so I could walk right in. Time for some negotiations. After pleading to see if they would let “my son who has just flown in from Scotland(:)) to join me” they said to bring him around. Not only that, they would not take any entrance money for him , just smiled and said go on through. Got to love these SXSW moments. We grabbed a G&T at the bar and walked right up to the stage where we found a little wall at the side, from where we had a magical ninety minus. First up PWR BTTM, another self proclaimed queer band who play great geetar driven pop gold with spectacular energy and great in between song banter. One of the A+ listers.

PWR BTTM

It just got better. To wrap up a great day and give Elliot the best start possible, on came the fantastic Beach Slang. This broke my own rule as we saw them last year here too, when they were the best gig of the week. Had to see probably my favorite band of the moment. They were as good as we expected. Brilliant.

Beach Slang

Not only were they great but half way through the set they asked if anyone knew the words all the way through for The Cure’s Boys Don’t Cry and if they did could they come on stage and take lead vocals. Someone said yes and jumped on the stage. Watch the video I recorded on my phone.

And Day Four Is Over. Only two days to Go.

Onward.