SXSW 2011 – Austin, Texas, USA – Day 2
4/5
By: Dan Monsell
Day two kicked off in a more sun-baked style, making us feel like we were finally actually in Texas, ready to get sunburnt, dried out and wake up surrounded by margarita glasses and an unquenchable de-hydration that would ruin the rest of our time. That's show-business. Once in town we endure some random Dutch (or was it Finnish?) music showcase in order to claim some free lunch tacos, and then we're ready to start our pursuit into the day by trekking all over to find the best sounds we can. Our legs hurt just thinking about it now.
[TWIN SHADOW]
The beginning sees us return to the French legation lawn party again in the hope of seeing Sub Pop's dreamy popsters Papercuts. Instead we get the end of Olof Arnolds making her strange pixie-like sounds on a tiny garden stage, and a bit of relatively disappointing Miami Vice smooth funkster Twin Shadow looking all good in the sun, but relatively dull in our ears. Papercuts weren't on - so we push onto the Pitchfork Outdoor party, which features two big dusty tents in a big Drive In. We're here for Games, three guys hunched over electronics welcoming us into a world of mystical electronic journeys. It's not the most exciting thing to watch, but the sounds are simply supreme, and a record by these guys is something to really look forward to.
[AUSTRA]
It's after this when we witness one of our finest new discoveries of SXSW, and it’s in an incredible club. Indeed, the sheer inventive nature of Austin's and venues that are in use all year round to support their incredible music scene is stunning. It's probably the same in number as the whole of London, for a place a fraction the size - making you realise the need for new venues with interesting set-ups, the best viewing possibilities, PAs, and artist requirements to just be better in London. Canada's Austra who we're here to see play to a half full room in a large club, but our jaw is completely tied to the floor by the end. Definitely winning the award for the campest thing we're likely to see across the few days, Austra features a lead female vocalist flanked by two backing vocal twins, with rhythm section and drums from 3 guys who look as if they just stepped out of the last days of disco. Generally it evokes Donna Summer with a Kate Bush magic and adventure to the vocal, and comes over like eating cherry pie whilst wanting to lose yourself in the dance of furcoat and vest attired dancefloor. Signed to Domino in the UK, they're a magnificent live act.
The rest of the day and evening sees a variety of different ups and downs. We manage to lose our schedule leaving us to wander around a bit and try and go with the flow discovering the new - a folly that leads us to reach the conclusion that an aimless SXSW is an unhappy one. Additionally moving around very quickly as we're not happy with what we're seeing something whilst desperately trying to drink steadily results in a not as happy a camper as one should be in such a great place. It did give rise to a great idea for a column called "the 20 worst bands at SXSW" where you go without a schedule and just duck in out of all the places where Hank and his band "Whiskey 6" from Arkansas are playing the window of a tattoo parlour on 6th St, but we decide to save that one for next year. At one point we ended up in club that looked like a David Lynch remake of the Athena shop with plastic red drapes watching Teen Daze, a laptop electro whizz who's playing to a really odd collection of locals in St. Patrick's Day attire and a few hipsters cutting loose on a sparse dancefloor to a guy doing nothing but starting at his screen.
[TRISTEN]
We get back on track strongly thought with a new schedule and Tristen - a definite fave from who we've heard and wanted to see before, and who we do actually see. A real country gal from Nashville she comes across one part female Elvis, another her apparent slight nemesis Caitlin Rose- (we're not sure of the details – that’s just what we heard). Whilst she's able to play some beautiful country songs it's all together more crossover and modern than just that, with a hint of David Byrne and Eno's joint acoustic and soulful forays, and The Byrds (albeit again in more modern college rock manner). The songs are incredible, and we watch a whole set without even really thinking about where we are we enjoy it so much.
[TORO Y MOI]
There's a little time left in the day for cult punks Off! to blast our ears off in some carpark, before we finish with the excellent Toro Y Moi, in front of horribly packed little rooftop venue, with a crowd that's shaken about by the arrival of Odd Future and Tyler the Creator running through jumping up on the rafters and dancing like a madman the whole way through. The new tracks sound excellent, and whilst Twin Shadow's funk is a little flat and dull, the slight rough-around-the-edges vocals and sounds that seperates Chaz and co, and what makes them so exciting.
Artists in this article: Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, Toro Y Moi, Austra, Olof Arnalds, Twin Shadow
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