Last Year I went to Austin, Texas for the South By South West music festival for the first time. In the past I'd always considered the festival a bit...pointless. I didn't really see the value of standing in Texan bars with the same music industry fools you try to avoid in London while watching bands that will end up playing 5-10 London shows over the next 12 months. But when you actually sample SXSW, you realize that the whole thing is a blast, a real joy for music fans, whatever genre floats your boat. Yes, it's packed with schmoozing music industry hustlers and yes it can feel like Groundhog Day with the same hipster bands popping up day after day, but sift through the hype and industry bullshit and you can find literally hundreds of brilliant new acts playing inspirational sets without fuss or fanfare.
There's something like 1,200 bands at SXSW this year. From March 11 to March 16 they will play in bars, on rooftops, in pool halls, in tattoo parlours, in car parks...sorry, 'parking lots', in dusty backyards, in grassy parks, in private houses and, frequently on the pavements/'sidewalks' of Austin's main drag, 6th Street. At any given minute, there will be 60-70 bands playing, all within walking distance of one another. There are not enough hours in the day to allow anyone to see all these bands. So you stumble from bar to bar, fortified by the free beers and free Mexican food on offer, and hope that the choices you make are the right ones. If not...well, there's always tomorrow...
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12
If you ever come to the SXSW festival, you'd better be prepared to queue. You will need to queue to pick up passes to give you a shot at attending the numerous parties that take place during the day (most 'official' SXSW showcases take place from 8pm-2am), you will need to queue for almost every single band you hope to see and you will need to queue in bars for liquid refreshment because all too often the bar staff will be, quite rightly, more interested in what's happening onstage. Thus we will spend much of today getting 'tooled up' with the necessary laminates to give us access to as many bands as possible later.
The first band we actually clap eyes on properly today are THE CONSTELLATIONS from Atlanta, Georgia at the Dirty Dog Bar. Strictly speaking they're not a K! band, their arty, experimental sound leaning more towards the woozy psychedelia of the Flaming Lips, but they're quirky and interesting.
Then we wander across to the Cedar Door to catch GOD FIRES MAN, the latest band from former Errortype:11/Instruction frontman Arty Shepherd. That GFM are playing in front of about 50 people in a venue that comfortably holds about 500 doesn't seem to bother the New York quartet, who combine tense NYC post-hardcore riffing with sprawling Smashing Pumpkins/My Bloody Valentine noise freakouts and soaring choruses. Look out for their A Billion Balconies Facing The Sun debut album on Xtra Mile Recordings imminently.
Next up are perennial Kerrang! faves CANCER BATS at the Red 7 Patio. The band's forthcoming Hail Destroyer album has been glued to the K! stereo for weeks and so we're expecting big things from the band in 2008. Tonight the Toronto quartet are on fire. Last seen in the UK playing with Comeback Kid, the band have upped their live presence 200% and with vocalist Liam Cromier in the crowd throughout and guitarist Scott Middleton peeling off one killer Southern-fried punk riff after another they're a compelling proposition, with the new tracks from Hail Destroyer absolutely...er, destroying. Go see them on their upcoming Kerrang! Most Wanted! Tour in May or be forever branded a fool.
Post-Bats we wander back to the Dirty Dog Bar to find out that excellent Brummie noiseniks JOHNNY FOREIGNER have just finished their set. Bugger. Consolation though comes in the form of a) Austin, Texas' most attractive barmaid who has horny men queuing up for photos all night and b) the sight of 'legendary' dwarf rapper Bushwick Bill from the Geto Boys being forced out of the venue after he continually invades the stage during a set by Oh Juliet, a Maroon 5-stle band from Axl Rose's hometown of Lafayette, Indiana. Bill is known as quite a fiery character - famously, in 1991 he shot himself in the face after his girlfriend gracelessly refused to kill him - but thankfully the little fella takes his rather undignified exit with something approaching good grace tonight. Which is good, as getting shot is definitely not what we came to Texas for. A few beers with Linkin Park's manager and we're back to the hotel for a nightcap. Or two.
Read Part Two.
Cool interview, I love Lostprophets!!.. Aw, I...
