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← back to archive	SXSW 2018: Part Two So after getting to sleep just before 4am following the late late Thunderpussy Tuesday night gig I have time for a couple of hours sleep before going to the early, early Thunderpussy Wednesday lunchtime gig, because they are playing an afternoon party at 1.45pm. I cannot imagine how they feel as I am like death on two legs and all I was doing was watching. I head out to grab some breakfast to be met with the most geographically challenged person yet that I have met in the USA, which is quite an achievement. On hearing my accent the person serving me asked where I come from. I said Scotland. She said which town. I said (to make things easier than explaining my home town of Ayr), Glasgow. To which she replied “There is a Glasgow in Scotland too, I only know about the one in America”. I didn’t have the heart to explain how there came to be a Glasgow in America, nor that there are at least twenty Glasgows in America and Canada. I left. To Lamberts way down on 2nd street to see Thunderpussy then for the second time in twelve hours. Simply brilliant and many of the folk from BR Riley’s the night before had come along. Another wild show. Ruby, Leah, Whitney and Molly were in great form. Thunderpussy Show Two I captured another great performance by them https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwjHo8gLi5A&list=UUDY2p2LwgsZfGiN5132sNIg&index=20 The band went to eat and rest, I went to see some music. First at the convention centre Wye Oak, a real favorite of mine who were fine but not firing on all cylinders as they say. Heading to the Scoot Inn I then see Hop Along another faourite whose work I particularly enjoy, I stopped first at Bangers Sausage Garden Restaurant, to see Lola Marsh, one of Israel’s current top artists. I can’t say too much about her performance. I don’t mean that I am lost for words, but I watched her and her four man band soundcheck laboriously for thirty minutes as they played the big star needing a perfect sound card. The crowd got restless. Sausages were consumed. Despite the elongated efforts ( the average soundcheck time at SXSW is around five minutes) their sound was crap and so were the songs. Still it killed some time in the shade before Hop Along. Unfortunately Hop Along were not quite at their best either, another low energy show - I think some bands just struggle to play in the daylight/afternoon. So I hopped along, ;), to the Stay Gold bar round the corner and saw a decent rock Colorado foursome called Slow Caves and then a great all girl NYC band The Ex-Girlfriends. They had the best intro of the day to one of their songs, saying "this is about gay feelings at Church summer camp". A raucous bunch. The day was heating up, as is normal…. The Ex-Girlfriends. Evening session started in Elysium, from Norway, a two man wall of ferocious drums and guitar, loops and lights, Aiming For Enrike. These two were special. Keep a look out for the guitarists foot pedal management around the 2:00 mark. Blistering set. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5zjCizD4fw&list=UUDY2p2LwgsZfGiN5132sNIg&index=19 Aiming For Enrike Into Velveeta Rooms for a bit of The Yellow Traffic Light from Italy. Could not have impressed as I have no recollection of seeing them, maybe I imagined it, then another spectacle. In Karma, the Mexican punk band, Descartes and Kant, play. The blur and the gas mask below sum up the act fairly well. Noisy, brattish, theatrical and very loud. Had to admire their efforts to put on a show. Also they are in the running for best band name of the festival. Descartes and Kant. More Nike followers next with Baywaves from Spain in Seven Grand. Students of King Gizzard, with members of that band helping produce their single, this was another cool sychedelic band, worth checking out. Spain always have a great representation here. Baywaves Back to Velveeta, where itturns out is an all Italian band showcase, this time to see Christaux. Every year there is a great ballad which sticks with me. This time it was from this fragile individual with a stormer song call Human. You all must check that out. He was from another time. Part REO Speedwagon part Jon Anderson of Yes. He was excellent. And, Southern Europe really going for it!! Here is a little taster. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX9zM3b723M&index=18&list=UUDY2p2LwgsZfGiN5132sNIg Christaux. In the mellow state of mind that I had just been taken to, and with my feet telling me to only go to a venue of less than four minutes walk, I headed back to the Central Presbyterian Church to see English band Flyte. They had launched an album that the UK’s Sunday Times said was the best debut of 2017. A four piece harmony pure pop group and they had every seat taken in the church which is impressive. Already semi well known in the UK and I have to say their vocals were great. Click on the link of their SXSW page to hear their keynote song. https://schedule.sxsw.com/2018/artists/18912 Not quite my glass of wine though so no photo! Hey, it’s a cruel world. (Liked the guitar solo that crashed in when least expected though). One session with another NYC band, The Nude Party (psychedelic wall of sound etc) later and joining me after a very long rest - lets be kind and say seven hours - Thunderpussy ventured back out for photo opps and live music. Here they are getting all Texan. One of the band bought the hat they are wearing in this picture. Who do you think? So we went to see French Vanilla who had so impressed me the night before. They too loved the band who coincidentally played in the same venue as them - BDRiley’s getting an A list line up. French Vanilla - I asked them to come play a house show, they said they would, we will see. French Vanilla. Then off to the Iron Bear to see a Scottish act Emme Woods. Turned out to be a Scottish Country and Western punk female. Unfortunately the best thing about her was that she was Scottish, not the C&W nor punk. Ah well. So we finished of with a guaranteed showstopper. I have seen Lo Cut Connie, every one of the past five years at SXSW, breaking my rule of not going to see bands I know over and over. Why? They put on a swashbuckling barroom blues show every time and in Adam Weiner they have a star waiting to be loved by the world. So to the Parish for the final show of the night at 1am. This time though they had changed quite a bit, a wonderful backing singer and a more big band glam rock sound. It was the best I have seen them. They even did a killer cover version of Diamond Dogs. Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJWedt8KFSk&index=17&list=UUDY2p2LwgsZfGiN5132sNIg All four of Thunderpussy loved it - hard not to. Apart that is from the grossest moment of SXSW 2018 when Adam grabbed some of his exposed chest hairs and plucked then out before sprinkling them over the unfortunate couple of people right in from of him. Suffering for his art, indeed. Lo Cut Connie And it was Ruby on the extreme left who bought the Cowboy Hat. Wednesday over and an early night back at the hotel by 2.45am. Good job I got a little rest because, next day, Thursday, turned out to be one of the Great South By South West Days……… It cannot be Thursday already!

← back to archive

SXSW 2018: Part Two

So after getting to sleep just before 4am following the late late Thunderpussy Tuesday night gig I have time for a couple of hours sleep before going to the early, early Thunderpussy Wednesday lunchtime gig, because they are playing an afternoon party at 1.45pm. I cannot imagine how they feel as I am like death on two legs and all I was doing was watching. I head out to grab some breakfast to be met with the most geographically challenged person yet that I have met in the USA, which is quite an achievement. On hearing my accent the person serving me asked where I come from. I said Scotland. She said which town. I said (to make things easier than explaining my home town of Ayr), Glasgow. To which she replied “There is a Glasgow in Scotland too, I only know about the one in America”. I didn’t have the heart to explain how there came to be a Glasgow in America, nor that there are at least twenty Glasgows in America and Canada. I left.

To Lamberts way down on 2nd street to see Thunderpussy then for the second time in twelve hours. Simply brilliant and many of the folk from BR Riley’s the night before had come along. Another wild show. Ruby, Leah, Whitney and Molly were in great form.

Thunderpussy Show Two

I captured another great performance by them

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwjHo8gLi5A&list=UUDY2p2LwgsZfGiN5132sNIg&index=20

The band went to eat and rest, I went to see some music. First at the convention centre Wye Oak, a real favorite of mine who were fine but not firing on all cylinders as they say. Heading to the Scoot Inn I then see Hop Along another faourite whose work I particularly enjoy, I stopped first at Bangers Sausage Garden Restaurant, to see Lola Marsh, one of Israel’s current top artists. I can’t say too much about her performance. I don’t mean that I am lost for words, but I watched her and her four man band soundcheck laboriously for thirty minutes as they played the big star needing a perfect sound card. The crowd got restless. Sausages were consumed. Despite the elongated efforts ( the average soundcheck time at SXSW is around five minutes) their sound was crap and so were the songs. Still it killed some time in the shade before Hop Along. Unfortunately Hop Along were not quite at their best either, another low energy show - I think some bands just struggle to play in the daylight/afternoon.

So I hopped along, ;), to the Stay Gold bar round the corner and saw a decent rock Colorado foursome called Slow Caves and then a great all girl NYC band The Ex-Girlfriends. They had the best intro of the day to one of their songs, saying "this is about gay feelings at Church summer camp". A raucous bunch. The day was heating up, as is normal….

The Ex-Girlfriends.

Evening session started in Elysium, from Norway, a two man wall of ferocious drums and guitar, loops and lights, Aiming For Enrike. These two were special. Keep a look out for the guitarists foot pedal management around the 2:00 mark. Blistering set.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5zjCizD4fw&list=UUDY2p2LwgsZfGiN5132sNIg&index=19

Aiming For Enrike

Into Velveeta Rooms for a bit of The Yellow Traffic Light from Italy. Could not have impressed as I have no recollection of seeing them, maybe I imagined it, then another spectacle. In Karma, the Mexican punk band, Descartes and Kant, play. The blur and the gas mask below sum up the act fairly well. Noisy, brattish, theatrical and very loud. Had to admire their efforts to put on a show. Also they are in the running for best band name of the festival.

Descartes and Kant.

More Nike followers next with Baywaves from Spain in Seven Grand. Students of King Gizzard, with members of that band helping produce their single, this was another cool sychedelic band, worth checking out. Spain always have a great representation here.

Baywaves

Back to Velveeta, where itturns out is an all Italian band showcase, this time to see Christaux. Every year there is a great ballad which sticks with me. This time it was from this fragile individual with a stormer song call Human. You all must check that out. He was from another time. Part REO Speedwagon part Jon Anderson of Yes. He was excellent. And, Southern Europe really going for it!!

Here is a little taster.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX9zM3b723M&index=18&list=UUDY2p2LwgsZfGiN5132sNIg

Christaux.

In the mellow state of mind that I had just been taken to, and with my feet telling me to only go to a venue of less than four minutes walk, I headed back to the Central Presbyterian Church to see English band Flyte. They had launched an album that the UK’s Sunday Times said was the best debut of 2017. A four piece harmony pure pop group and they had every seat taken in the church which is impressive. Already semi well known in the UK and I have to say their vocals were great.

Click on the link of their SXSW page to hear their keynote song. https://schedule.sxsw.com/2018/artists/18912 Not quite my glass of wine though so no photo! Hey, it’s a cruel world. (Liked the guitar solo that crashed in when least expected though).

One session with another NYC band, The Nude Party (psychedelic wall of sound etc) later and joining me after a very long rest - lets be kind and say seven hours - Thunderpussy ventured back out for photo opps and live music. Here they are getting all Texan. One of the band bought the hat they are wearing in this picture. Who do you think?

So we went to see French Vanilla who had so impressed me the night before. They too loved the band who coincidentally played in the same venue as them - BDRiley’s getting an A list line up. French Vanilla - I asked them to come play a house show, they said they would, we will see.

French Vanilla.

Then off to the Iron Bear to see a Scottish act Emme Woods. Turned out to be a Scottish Country and Western punk female. Unfortunately the best thing about her was that she was Scottish, not the C&W nor punk. Ah well.

So we finished of with a guaranteed showstopper. I have seen Lo Cut Connie, every one of the past five years at SXSW, breaking my rule of not going to see bands I know over and over. Why? They put on a swashbuckling barroom blues show every time and in Adam Weiner they have a star waiting to be loved by the world. So to the Parish for the final show of the night at 1am. This time though they had changed quite a bit, a wonderful backing singer and a more big band glam rock sound. It was the best I have seen them. They even did a killer cover version of Diamond Dogs. Here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJWedt8KFSk&index=17&list=UUDY2p2LwgsZfGiN5132sNIg

All four of Thunderpussy loved it - hard not to. Apart that is from the grossest moment of SXSW 2018 when Adam grabbed some of his exposed chest hairs and plucked then out before sprinkling them over the unfortunate couple of people right in from of him. Suffering for his art, indeed.

Lo Cut Connie

And it was Ruby on the extreme left who bought the Cowboy Hat.

Wednesday over and an early night back at the hotel by 2.45am. Good job I got a little rest because, next day, Thursday, turned out to be one of the Great South By South West Days………

It cannot be Thursday already!