The SxSW Diaries #1: Keeping Austin Weird
In search of the indie super bowl, we report back from SxSW 2014
“Keep Austin Weird,” suggests the bohemian tourism catchphrase around these parts – usually found in bold colours on a psychedelic beach towel that looks like it belonged to The Grateful Dead’s merchandise range in the 70s. With that kind of slogan as a collective mantra and a few thousand bands descending on the town for five days, SxSW’s worldwide reputation as the indie super-bowl is no overstatement.
Attracting a global media gaze, it’s unsurprising that while the vast majority of acts and independent labels showcasing at the event’s music strand simply want to get the word out, established artists (both Neil Young and Lady Gaga are keynote speakers at this latest installment) and reactivated genre giants from yesteryear (whether it’s Queens' rugged hip-hop legends Mobb Deep or London’s own OGs of dapper, Spandau Ballet – here to chase down the American dream 28 years after the first try) have been accused of photo-bombing the picture as corporate interests continue to leer in. But with a programme this vast, Austin clearly has more elbow room than most.
This variety is half the charm; from the minute our plane touches the tarmac, cult musical heroes are seen to be partaking in everyman pursuits everywhere you look – Rage Against the Machine’s Brad Wilk sullenly saunters to the back of the taxi queue like the rest of us proles, Jarvis Cocker's polite whisper struggles to be heard over a biker gang cranking Pantera as he tries to access a gig with a pal ("we're very well behaved," he quietly assures the door staff ), while Gruff Rhys stands jaw agape outside a coffee shop as a small cluster of pro-gun lobbyists, barely into double digits, fail to bring the festival's bustling hub of Sixth Street to a halt.
Joe Le Taxi: Rage Against the Machine's Brad Wilk
Arriving late Tuesday night, the first band we take in are Glasgow trio Prides (ex-Drive-By Argument/Midnight Lion), who defy the jetlag to serve up their own distinctly euphoric synth pop to a packed Latitude 30, dubbed 'the British Music Embassy' (a cosy venue which will house 'Showcasing Scotland' later in the week when Creative Scotland takes up residence with an untouchable six band bill). Stewart Brock isn’t short of wisecracks as they glide through a tightly wound half hour set like pros, his compadre Lewis Gardner bringing the group’s edge with deft powerhouse drumming. A few locals enthusiastically spill out of the doors afterwards, vocal in their admiration for the band’s ability to claim a crowd of misfits as their own for 30 minutes.
Queues are already down the road outside most of the venues on our way to Bella Union’s showcase at the Central Presbyterian Church on Eighth Street. Showing off last year’s stirring second LP, Aventine, the congregation is seated and suitably reverent as Copenhagen’s neo-classical prodigy Agnes Obel weaves an enchanting set, tastefully evoking the sprawling autumnal melancholy of PJ Harvey’s latter day guise as much as Fairport Convention’s well worn folk rock aesthetics. A majestic – and just weird enough – start to our first SxSW experience. No Kumbayah cover, though – denied!
Vic's Pick
Esteemed radio presenter, SX vet and Songs in the Key of Fife author Mr Vic Galloway presents his highlights from day one
As a veritable veteran of SXSW, this is my 12th visit in a row and the event is firmly inked into my diary. I now look forward to the mid-March madness like no other time of year - it's a real assault on the senses and a time to gorge on music from across the globe.
Arriving into Austin airport on a direct flight from the UK, for the first time ever, I was picked up by a good friend, Scotsman and now Austinite who kindly drove me through the traffic to his lovely house off South Congress. Staying with friends here makes the experience even more pleasuable. After devouring some excellent fish tacos and a couple of pitchers of frozen margarita at Polvo's in South Austin, I headed straight to the British Music Embassy on Sixth Street. It was Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens' showcase with a selection of buzzing UK acts compiled into one bill, much as Creative Scotland are doing for the Showcasing Scotland show which I'm presenting here on Friday night.
As I'd only just arrived I had sadly missed a few acts, but managed to to catch nu-soul, nu-hype ensemble Jungle who were pleasant enough if not extraordinary, and then headliners Slaves. As my first recommendation, they make fine candidates: a two-piece powerhouse of angst, attitude and ferocity, wrapped up in sharp Fred Perry threads. With a singing drummer who stands and a roaming, wild-man guitar-player they fill the stage with a sound that simultaneously melds the anarcho-punk of Crass and the garage-scuzz of the White Stripes. A great way to begin the musical beanfeast in all honesty... My SXSW is off to a flying start!