SXSW Friday
Day started fast at the Filter party with Ra Ra Riot (and scotch and BBQ), who my friend claimed need a stylist. I thought they looked pretty hot. They sounded huge playing outdoor with an ample PA system. Looking a little Arcade Fire-spawn, big sing-along and dance style, but hopefully that’ll help em bring their catchy dance-indie orchestra to the world.
Next up Fader Party, caught Cloud Cult, who perform alongside live painters and have the same instrumentation as Ra Ra Riot, though comparisons don’t make it much further. They experimented with dissonance and had a sort of Blonde Redhead thing minus the Japanese frontwoman..
Jamie T followed, and they sort of kicked the other British bands I’ve heard so far’s asses, Fratelli’s included, simply because they seem to have taken the same formulas a bit further and incorporated more rapping and aggressive playing styles.
Caught Old Time Relijun at Todd P’s all ages day time show, and my camera broke, so I couldn’t take a picture of it! They were totally badass. Frontmant spouting babble-tounged Spanish and writhing convincingly enough, alongside an upright bass that was downright jazzfunky despite the whole thing being the best punk I’ve heard in Austin.
Caught a little bit of Finally Punk, a girl band I’d like to avoid calling cute. …The first song was a shout out “do you want to be my boyfriend?”
Saw the beginning of Mew at the Under the Radar party and revived my camera enough to take a couple crappy pictures. The band verified that they’re best when the frontman shuts his croony mouth and lets the band get on with its anesthesizing and ample prog attack.
Ran to the Diesel party on the other side of the city to catch The Epochs, who played amped-up electronic pop with a couple of those insipient choruses that follow you out the venue door.
I caught part of Matt and Kim at the same show. They’ve refined their messy Todd P noise outfit into a well oiled thing I hesitate to call pop punk but maybe they’re the genre’s best chance at a reinvention. The camera was on its last legs at this point.
Girl Talk was awesome but I was about as excited about the bowling in the backroom. It was easier to avoid an ungodly pomegranate-tequila potion they were doling out for free.
