In recent years, Tuesday night has become the night the SXSW Music party gets started, so this year we headed to Hype Machine’s talk-of-the-town-event, Hype Hotel, for the evening. Walking in to a Jarvis Cocker set, the BBC 6 Music DJ was playing a lively and upbeat mix, with a lot of modern bands and some genres further afield too.
With the crowd lapping up the free Taco Bell, Miller Beer and Tito’s Vodka-sponsored bar, next were the energetic and exciting Panama Wedding. Playing lively indie pop, Panama Wedding feel like the first in a wave of post-Foster The People bands that are set to come. With some tribal sounds and an ’80s influence, the band also shared some similarities with Haim.
Magic Man were next on the bill but the indie pop five-piece struggled to impose themselves on the crowd, coming across as quite generic. Luckily to end the night, Tokyo Police Club (above) were bang on form.
Mixing tracks from their soon-to-be-released third album, Forcefield, with favourites from Elephant Shell and Champ, the Canadian indie rock band put on a very impressive performance, including new single Hot Tonight. A packed audience gave out raucous applause for the old and new tracks alike, and it was a fitting end to the first evening of SXSW Music.