SXSW Day 2

Posted in Music, New Bands, SXSW
By Sam Bathe on 20 Mar 2009

Somehow waking up bright and early, putting off the likely jetlag crash for another day, first port of call for SXSW day 2 was The Peacock, and Wavves once more.

The tiny venue, east of the centre of town was the setting for Gorilla Vs. Bear’s annual SXSW party. The line-up was fantastic and Wavves got things really mnoving mid-afternoon. Despite the sweltering condition in the bar, the California two-piece were well up to the mark once more, producing an emphatic performance that somehow still got the heat exhausted crowd moving.

Next up, one of Austin’s most famous bands. White Denim have played SXSW countless time now, and their home town are more than appreciative every time. With more people somehow packing into The Peacock, White Denim ran through songs new and old, missing out the catchy ‘Let’s Talk About It’ and instead focussing on their more prog. material with amazing use of pedals and loops.

After a lengthy walk, and eventual cab, and quick stop by the hotel, it was back into Austin for the night’s shows. On a little later than expected, Heartsrevolution were more than worth the wait. Enigmatic frontwoman Lo ran about the Beauty Bar stage, and similar to Kap Bambino yesterday, made a great advert for the future of scream-electro.

After catching their final song in a set yesterday, I had high hopes for The Golden Filter. Put on to follow Heartsrevolution they always had a tough performance to live up to and sadly didn’t manage. The disappointment so far, without a doubt, as their songs struggled to stand out, each as one dimensional as the next. Most surprisingly their electro, synth heavy sound proved utterly empty.

Wanting to step of the beaten path, we headed west to Ballet Austin for our final show of the day. Proving anywhere can become a venue for music, in the studio’s biggest ballet hall The Death Set took to the floor. Despite a slew of technical issues not aided by the fact the crowd were standing on half the cables and monitors, The Death Set’s punk rock eventually got into action and the crowd were delighted with the quick taste they got before the PA gave in completely.

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