Scottish bands seek to make their mark at SxSW 2015

While Apple continues to change the goalposts for any independent band or label seeking to distribute their music on what was once presented as an ‘alternative’ platform (reportedly shedding thousands of album titles from the iTunes catalogue at its ‘editorial discretion’ recently, you wonder if they’re still selling that Jet single) and Spotify struggles to match the meagre royalty percentage of physical record sales, a certain visibility and financial viability is increasingly lacking for artists on the bottom rung who aspire to tour outside of their homeland. 

As fledgling musicians without major league support hunch under a glass ceiling, South by South West still offers an undeniably tantalising opportunity to take the bull by the horns and do it yourself. Sort of. With a little assistance from Creative Scotland to help finance the trip, seven hopefuls will make the pilgrimage this month in the hope of winning a few hearts and minds amongst prospective fans, journalists, DJs, A&Rs, tour agents and festival bookers from all over the globe (some 20,000 delegates among the 300,000+ attendees) – essentially anyone and everyone who can help establish a presence in another region.

We spoke to three acts who are no strangers to these pages – each at very different stages of their career (two of whom are previous cover stars) – to ask how they’ll go about reaching for the next plateau when they get to Texas. Relative veterans to both the Northern American club circuit and South by South West itself, Kilsyth trio The Twilight Sad are better placed than most to realistically weigh up the potential yielded by the event. “Most of the music industry has some sort of presence at the festival so you never know who's going to be at one of your gigs,” says James Graham of the part that blind luck can play. "I don't think about who is in the crowd; it's about playing a gig and knowing that you have 30-40 minutes to be your best and leave an impression. First and foremost, we want the crowd to enjoy our gigs and maybe win over some people that have never heard of the band before. After that, you hope the right person is in the crowd that could help the band progress; with a lot of things in this industry it’s about being in the right place at the right time.” 

"With a lot of things in this industry, it’s about being in the right place at the right time” – James Graham

For one week in mid March, Austin, Texas is undoubtedly both, whichever size or genre you are. Although a background in indie rock has long been the bread and butter of the music strand’s remit, a strong background in electronic music and hip-hop has also become a significant part of the festival’s appeal. With the veteran likes of the Rhymesayers label – an independent beacon for 20 years now – sharing wisdom on how to survive in 2015, alongside showcases from relative rookies such as Bishop Nehru and Homeboy Sandman – all there to spread the word on the global stage – why shouldn’t one of Scotland’s brightest hopes in the genre seize the same opportunity? “I'm gonna meet Kate Tempest and ask her to write a wee number with us,” Hector Bizerk's MC Louie says optimistically. “There are loads of unofficial hip-hop showcases too with the likes of Ras Kass on... so if time is on our side I would like to turn up and try to grab the mic!” The trick to finding such watershed moments, it seems, is to abandon cynicism and fully embrace South by South West’s carpe diem nature.

United Fruit can’t wait to do precisely that. “This festival has always been a dream of ours,” says bassist Marco Panagopoulos. “It still hasn’t sunk in that we’re finally getting to go but we are totally ready to give it our all regardless. We can’t wait to soak up the sights and sounds, as well as meet some of the different people from all around the world who will be attending. We do have some solid reasons to go on top of that. Our management are in touch with some great people who want to help us out. This is our chance to finally meet and for them to witness our live performances.”

Hector Bizerk can be equally pragmatic. “We're excited at the possibilities of what can be achieved there but have no delusions of grandeur,” says Louie. “We're going there to do what we do best and make lots of noise, intent on adding to our team and shaping our North American strategy. We intend to tour there when our new album comes out later this year so I imagine a lot of the focus will be on that.” 

What tangible long-term benefits have The Twilight Sad found to their spring tours through Austin? “For a start, I think it’s helped the band play some major festivals as the promoter has been in the crowd and enjoyed the set. There is such a big media presence there so the band have been written about a lot, which helps you reach people that you wouldn't normally. We were able to play and record sessions that we wouldn't have normally been able to, if we weren't at the festival, which again exposes your music to new people. For me, all I am thinking about is making an impression on people and playing to the best of our ability.”

Where the likes of CHVRCHES, Frightened Rabbit and indeed The Twilight Sad – now looking to level up again on the back of their most successful album thus far – have succeeded in clinching record deals and launching successful US tours off the back of SxSW appearances in previous years, United Fruit are hoping this could be their time. “Hopefully, if everything goes well we will have help to get over to the States again later on in the year,” says Marco. “When we released our last single Open Your Eyes we managed to gain 63,000 plays. A significant portion of those were from the States so we are really hoping that there will be some people at the festival who are aware of us at least. Obviously the nature of the festival means that there is pretty much something to look at on every corner, but I reckon we’re loud enough to turn some heads.”

Hector Bizerk harbour similar ambitions. “Touring in the US is the next logical step for our development,” says Louie. “I think anyone going there without intentions of building their reputation is wasting their time. We're certainly not going there to waste anyone's time. Audrey and I did a mini-tour in the East Coast in 2014 and got some air play on college radio stations, but that's about the size of it for now. This'll change in March though.”

What kind of advice does James have to offer young hopefuls and occasional tour mates United Fruit on their American debut? “First of all, I'd say enjoy yourself but also remember why you are there. It's a great opportunity that a lot of other bands and artists would bite your hand off for. It's hectic and you don't always get the best sound check – if you get one at all – so don't worry if everything is not perfect on stage; that's part of the fun. It’s a no-nonsense, 'get on stage and show me what you've got' kind of thing.”

RELATED: THE SKINNY AT SXSW 2014

• The SXSW Diaries: Keeping Austin Weird
• A Veteran's Perspective on SxSW from Vic Galloway
• Video: The 2014 Scottish showcase, featuring Young Fathers, Honeyblood and more