After a grueling week at SXSW, where I saw 29 bands in three days, and hundreds if not thousands of brands, I am rested (somewhat) and ready to report. Over a couple of posts, I am going to outline the best and worst five brands that pumped their dollars into Austin, Texas last week, and the best five bands I saw (and where I saw them). So for your reading pleasure…
The Band Winners:
5. Andrew W.K.
Although he still has really only added one notable song to his live show in the past couple of years, Andrew W.K. continues to possess one of the best live shows around, especially wth the addition of an almost cartoonish heavy metal backing band (think Metalocalypse) behind him. The show was standard W.K., and at one point at least half of the people in the Time Out New York party at Buffalo Billiards were afraid the floor was going to disintegrate from how much it was sagging (apparently at another show, he broke through the stage). There really is no price you can put on giving people a good time like this, although the show did little to make me forget that Time Out New York is a 95% awful publication.
4. Washed Out/Small Black
This 1:00AM show (sponsored by seemingly no one) at horribly named Klub Krucial, was crazy good. I spent the entire set going back and forth between wondering how something so cool could come out of Perry, GA, and feeling like I was living in a really loud dream. If you want to know what song you should put right in the middle of your summer sit-outside-in-a-park-and-eat-food-and-drink-beer playlist, it is “Feel It All Around” by Washed Out.
Watch this fan made music video for “Feel It All Around, and TRY to tell me it doesn’t warm you up.
3. Sleigh Bells
Although both times I saw them, their equipment acted up in the worst possible way—halting songs in their middle and crushing the vibe—their set at the NPR Live From The Parish Concert (which you can actually stream, since NPR is doing it’s best job to make everyone else look like fools with a killer content capture and distribution platform) was awesome. This duo hasn’t even released an album, and from what I can tell might not even have more than 6 songs. What they did have however was a soul-slamming sound, with riffs I can only describe the sonic presence of as devastating. Live, unlike in their demos, lead singer Alexis Krauss totally breaks the hearts of every boy in the audience with her wounded screams, and flirty giggles. Songwriter, beat maker, and guitarist Derek Miller—wearing a shirt-and-tie-under-black-sweater combo most would suffocate in—shredded and looked pissed the whole time (maybe because their laptop kept messing up, and maybe just because it looked awesome).
Go see them on tour with Major Lazer and then Yeasayer over the next couple of months. Also, check out their demo for Crown On The Ground. Epic.
2. Temper Trap
At a bizarre event hosted by Dickies Sounds (some type of music thing that Dickies is targeting the totally wrong audience with. Hipsters? Really Dickies? Do you even know who buys your work slacks?) and Filter Magazine, Temper Trap took the stage silently after a pretty great set from The Boxer Rebellion.
Although I had heard OF Temper Trap, and had probably heard their song Sweet Disposition in a Chrysler commercial or something, I was totally unprepared for the sweet croons and subtle gyrations of Temper Trap’s lead singer Dougie Mandagi [Note: Sound that name out. Enjoy]. He absolutely owned the audience of about 250 people for the entirety of their set, and prompted me to immediately go home and “buy” their album. The last song they played included a lengthy guitar breakdown during which Dougie stole the drummers Floor Tom, poured water all over it and went to town Blue-Man-Group-Style, spraying water feet up into the air. It Totally capped off their set, and left everyone in the audience smiling.
Check out this awesome video for their song Science Of Fear.
1. Major Lazer
In an unfortunate turn of events, the weather in Austin dropped suddenly from a comfortable and summery 75 on Friday to a miserable windy 39 on Saturday. The band’s most affected by this immediate change were those scheduled to play outside on Saturday night. This however did not at all keep Major Lazer from playing the most balls-out impressive show at SXSW. On stage at the IHEARTCOMIX + Jelly + Mad Decent Carniville, in the bitter cold, and right after a surprisingly good set from The Very Best—And with Diplo behind the wheels of steel, and Skerrit Bwoy manning the mic (with insane backup dancing by Mimi), Major Lazer was not to be missed this year.
After a skipping record repeated the words “Major Lazer” over and over again about a hundred times, Diplo yelled into the mic “Yo, it’s cold as fuck” and the party began. People hiding in the American Apparel Factory Flea Market tent nearby rushed out into the cold to get the best view. As Skerrit Bwoy launched into the set, he and Mimi began throwing foam fingers in the shape of a laser gun. All the hits off of their debut album Guns Don’t Kill People– Lazers Do were present, and it wasn’t long until the squished crowd was moving enough to warm everything up.
Near the end of the set (which was one of the last), band members and DJs began to flood the stage, and people from the merchandise tent at the Carniville brought up boxes of Tshirts and began to throw literally hundreds of shirts into the crowd. Skerrit Bwoy (after holding out all night) revealed his big surprise, and brought out a 10′ ladder from behind the stage. To the roar of the crowd he then climbed all the way to the top, tied a cape around his shirtless neck, pulled down his pants, and jumped (boxers first) down on to Mimi. They then proceeded to vigorously dagger each other until the set ended, and the crowd dispersed.
Anyone who went to SXSW, saw Major Lazer, and does not count it one of their favorite performances from the weekend, is either blind or lying.
If you haven’t already, please check out their music video for Pon De Floor. It is a classic.
