What The Hell Is Going On? #48: SXSW Week
By: Thomas Hannan
Hey mate,
Before we get down to the week in hand, the most exciting thing going on in our lives at the moment is undoubtedly ROCKFEEDBACK X: Ten Years of Rockfeedback – our tenth birthday party (!) which we announced on Monday. Live sets from British Sea Power, Future of the Left, Anna Calvi and Three Trapped Tigers are already confirmed alongside some SECRET SPECIAL GUESTS and DJ sets from everyone from Bloc Party and The Maccabees to Geoff Travis and White Heat. Further details and information on tickets are the subject of this piece of exciting literature.
Anyway, back to the present...
Apologies for the delay in bringing you the answer to the perpetual question of ‘What the hell is going on?’ this week. You see, whilst some of our crew were having a blast filming the weekend’s Field Day and Underage festivals in London’s Victoria Park, muggings here decided it would be a better idea to check out what was going on in my home county of Devon. Turns out, all there was to see was the Sidmouth Folk Festival and a woefully under-attended Silver Apples gig at Exeter’s Cavern Club. It’s nice to be reminded why you moved to the capital now and again.
But never mind the capital, where I really want to be is Austin, Texas. This week, we once again dedicate the Rockfeedback TV player to footage shot at the SXSW Music Conference in the deep south of the USA, starting on Monday with a very special feature on Daniel Johnston (pictured). In it, the legendary singer, songwriter and artist treats us not only to a rare, frank and hilarious interview, but also an exclusive acoustic session and access to not one but two gigs he played throughout the course of the 2009 festival. It’s maybe one of the best things we’ve ever done. Equally charming were Wednesday’s Rockfeedback TV stars the Wave Pictures, filmed again acoustically in session exclusively for our cameras on the porch of the Austin Folk House, our ever beloved bed and breakfast, earlier this year. Friday’s SXSW thrills come in the shape of the rightly widely regarded Real Estate performing the last gig of the 2010 event at what is perhaps Austin’s coolest venue, Red 7
Next week, we’re back off to Oslo in Norway to film a special episode on the Oya Festival – Pavement, MIA, The Specials, Paul Weller, LCD Soundsystem and tonnes more are playing, so we expect to have a blast, and then have a further blast telling you about the blast we just had, through our preferred medium of music television.
Tom.x
Artists in this article: Daniel Johnston, Real Estate, The Wave Pictures