The people on the door of Empire not knowing what they were doing didn’t help, but at last we got into the venue just in time for Vérité. So triumphant compared with the stripped down acoustic performance we saw on Friday, Vérité owned the stage with their emphatic electro-indie-pop. Though they sometimes go a little too poppy, singles Wasteland and Weekend really got the crowd going, the silky smooth bass providing a backline that’s impossible to not get into.

Cathedrals were up next and the Californian duo gave an energising performance. Their silky electro is influenced by guitar music to produce an intoxicating sound, Harlem is their standout track, and while others slow things down a bit, they’re equally smooth. Cathedrals are one to watch with their debut album due later in the year.

Changing pace, we headed to Latitude 30 for Spanish four-piece, Hinds. Normally a venue exclusively for British performers, Hinds slotted nicely into the line-up. Playing riff-laden lo-fi rock, it was the all-girl band’s 16th SXSW show, but you wouldn’t have known it. Hinds are pretty rough and ready but it works, they’re lively and fun, and fill out the empty spaces between tracks with funny quips.

With things starting to wind down and our bodies failing us after a long SXSW week, we geared up for one last push at Main II.

We were excited to see Juce after hearing good things from other festival-goers since Wednesday and they didn’t disappoint. With parallels to Jungle – they actually have a song called The Heat too – the London three-piece have a funky sound with disco influences that really come through. Playing most of their stellar EP, Taste The Juce, plus a lot of new material, the all-girl act could be a real breakout in 2016.

Our last show of SXSW Music 2015, Beat Connection were next on stage. The Seattle four-piece have matured since their early releases, and their new material is a much fuller sound, influenced by tribal and experimental beats. Full of energy on stage, Beat Connections’ strong melodies shone through, with the crowd giving a big roar for last year’s Another Go Round.

And that was it for another fantastic SXSW. We saw more films than ever and had a fantastic Interactive conference, though Music was not to be outshone. The weather threatened to cut festivities short but we still caught a huge number of bands, with just as much racing across Austin from venue to venue as ever before. We’ll be back again next year, that’s for sure.

The morning looked alright, so we headed to the Four Seasons for BMI’s Acoustic Brunch. With a big crowd putting down their breakfast tacos to check out the acts, Mikky Ekko played a handful of tracks from his debut album, Time. The singer-songwriter made his name on Rihanna collaboration, Stay, but alongside touring guitarist Dave Quon (We Barbarians), they turned out a few stellar tracks of his own.

Up next, Vérité was a change of pace but playing acoustic leveled the playing field. Normally jubilant electro-indie-pop, her tracks worked very well acoustic too. Performing hits Wasteland, Weekend and a handful more, it made me all the more determined to catch her because the festival is over.

With the clouds closing in and storm warnings being issued by local authorities, we ran over to Fader Fort to catch a couple more acts. First up was Romans, a slow and moody pop-rock band that immediately got the crowd going. With a soulful touch to their sound, the lead vocals cut nicely through music although their tracks became a little samey by the end.

Following Romans were The Districts, who feel heavier live than on record. Melodic indie rock, the band are quite angsty and a perfect fit for fans of Cold War Kids. Releasing debut album A Flourish And A Spoil earlier in the year, there were peaks and troughs in their set but the better tracks really work.

With the rain lashing down and the forecast only getting worse, after the Districts we cut our loses on day three and headed for the dryness of a movie theatre. And with only one day left to go, we’ve still got enough in the tank to fit in a whole bunch of bands before the festival is over.

Contending with a strangely small and wide room, the duo’s downtempo RnB chillwave tracks work really well with the high notes of their vocals. Sounding something like Sam Smith atop James Blake’s beats, with bolts of upbeat Gold Panda or Caribou, the music is nicely layered but can fade into the background at times.

Opting against racing across town only to come back for Big Data at The Moody Theatre, we set up in the Austin City Limits venue early and caught pre-cursor, Priory. Playing fluffy, throwaway pop-rock, we should have raced around for someone else. Not even a guilty pleasure, there’s nothing to the music or lyrics, Priory were utterly stereotypical and without any personality, like each track was written on autopilot. Priory single, Weekend, is better, but didn’t come anywhere close to saving the set, actually it sounded a little like Rebecca Black’s Friday, which is never a compliment.

Luckily Big Data were worth the wait. With a funny sense of humour, a computer voice introduced the band on stage. Big Data have a great groove and rhythm to their music, with the joint male and female lead singers bouncing around on stage. A little like a much heavier Chromeo, Big Data have rock influences rather than dance, but they have the same groove.

An annual fixture on their calendar, and part of the reason we always come back for SXSW, Delta Spirit (pictured) were the last on our list for day two. Playing at the Yahoo-sponsored Brazos Hall, the five-piece indie-rock band played an amazing set to the packed crowd. Running through their four stellar albums with a lot of material from last year’s Into The Wide, jubilant performances of Language of the Dead and California turned the “one more song” promised to venue organisers into a 10-minute medley, much to the delight of the audience.

Two days down, two to go, SXSW Music has been a ball so far.

With day parties taking over every venue, bar and empty space across town, we headed to Container Bar for our first of 10 shows of the day.

Packed for headliners Charles Bradley and Delta Spirit, we got in just in time for Heartless Bastards taking to the stage. Playing indie rock with country inflections, the Cincinnati natives put in a strong performance with great melodies getting the crowd moving, although they could have gone for it a little more.

Our first time attending Fader Fort during SXSW, next we raced across town for the magazine’s annual event. Largely hosting hip-hop acts in the evening, the afternoon was indie rock, so it was perfect seeing The Cribs take to the stage. With older tracks being met by rapturous applause, the Jarman brothers played a lot of new material too, which seems to be a return to the highs of their first three albums. Typically bold on stage, Ryan tore left and right, though somehow held back from his customary dive into the crowd.

For the start of the official evening showcases, we set up at House of Vans, taking over Mohawk on Red River. First up was Girlpool, playing downbeat lo-fi rock. The songs are slow and winding though they change it up every so often with a chorus at breakneck speed. For the all-girl band – one on guitar, one on bass – playing without a drummer is fundamental to their sound, but you can’t help but wonder if they’d be better with a third member on percussion.

Alvvays (pictured) were on straight after, one of our real hopes for the festival. For fans of TOPS, Tennis and Real Estate, Alvvays play upbeat, melodic indie rock. Lead singer Molly Rankin brings a calm, tenderness to their music, and the tracks from their excellent self-titled debut album were even more engaging played live.

Heading south, next we stopped off at Stubb’s to catch Courtney Barnett. Every year at SXSW, there are always a handful of artists who really blow up, and we had Barnett pegged as a hype act for 2015. Unfortunately her lo-fi indie rock fell flat, missing the punch of something heavier, or the melody of something with groove, though her band did fill the huge outdoor stage with a powerful sound.

Wanting a change of pace, next up we hunted out some electronica and found Son Lux at Red 7 Patio. Very ethereal and ambitious, Ryan Lott’s musical project is a little hit and miss but when he gets it right, it really works. Playing with a couple of backing musicians on stage, Son Lux make great use of house beats and have an amazing energy live, but it can be a little grating over time.

Just around the corner, Beacon were more of the same at Swan Dive. A duo from Brooklyn, their silky techno works nicely with the soft vocals over the top, though after building to a crescendo each track never really drops, so in the end it feels more like chillout music.

Every time we come back to Austin, half of the venues seem have swapped location; this year Cheer Up Charlie’s has traded Sixth Street for the outdoor space on Red River and 9th. We camped out there for the rest of the night, with Twin Peaks first on-stage. Playing rowdy indie rock, and a little like a US version of The Cribs, most of Twin Peaks songs are short but go at 100mph. With surf and punk influences, their heavy style quickly got the crowd going.

A far more recognised name and still riding high on the successes of 2013’s Cerulean Salt, Waxahatchee are an all-girl garage rock band. Playing a lot of new stuff, sometimes they were a little droning, though the more upbeat tracks worked a lot better. It’s a lot of noise, similar to Twin Peaks, and though it was well-defined, it lacked the layers to pick the crowd up.

Debuting tracks from their excellent third LP, Atlas, at last year’s SXSW, melodic indie rock band Real Estate were back again, and our highlight of a busy first day of the Music festival. Playing a killer set with tracks from all three of their records, the Brooklyn band hadn’t planned a set so took some requests from the crowd before a particularly emphatic rendition of Talking Backwards finished off their show.

10 bands down, we were beat, so headed home ahead after a very successful first day. Roll on day 2!