Music Highlights: Wednesday At SXSW
The FADER Fort is not an official appendage of SXSW, but from the immense line snaking through the grassy lot outside of its entrance, you’d assume otherwise. While some patient fans waited up to three hours to get a wristband in order to get inside the venue, those inside were enjoying nine different musical acts playing to please the range of tastes associated with FADER magazine.
The only true disappointment in the Fort on Wednesday was the unexplained no-show of Raphael Saadiq, R&B singer/songwriter who was supposed to play the tent at 6pm. In his place, Welsh three-piece rock outfit The Joy Formidable performed, giving Saadiq fans an entirely different show than they were expecting to see in that time slot. Raucous rock (including the punching and breaking of a bass drum) replaced crooning Motown, but was not met with displeasure. One such Saadiq fan said quite simply…”well, that was a trip.”
Of all those bands (including Twin Shadow, Dom, Toro Y Moi, Young the Giant and Yelawolf), here were the highlights from Wednesday:
Oh Land! :: The Danish electro-pop artist’s debut album came out on Tuesday, and with the amount of shows she’s playing and the kind of talk she’s generating at SXSW, it should do well. Appearing on stage in a flowing black dress and black Doc Martins, and with her supporting musicians dressed in a matching hue, the dark appearance seemed to, at times, contradict the glowing smile from the singer’s face. She seemed to be truly enjoying herself and also seemed genuinely surprised to hear such a positive and vocal response from the crowd. But it could hardly be helped. The audience’s attraction is easy to break down: Oh Land has incredible stage presence. Dancing, twirling, drumming and singing beautifully over music impossible not to dance to made for an powerful 30 minutes set. Check out songs like “Son of a Gun” and “White Nights, if not the entire album.
More shows this week:
Thursday, March 17
Prefix Mag Day Party 1:30pm at ND @ 501 Studios More
Idolator’s Pray For Pop Party 5pm at Pure Volume House Austin
Friday, March 18 Waterloo Performance & Signing 4pm at Waterloo Records
Big Ugly Yellow Couch + I Guess I’m Floating present KILLER TOFU 12:30am at Lipstick24
Saturday, March 19
Brooklyn Vegan Day Party TBD at Swan Dive/Barbarella 615
Plus, she’ll be playing in LA at the Music Box on March 25.
Friendly Fires :: It will be difficult for any other lead singer of any other band performing this week to match Ed McFarlane’s dance moves. He worked up an incredible sweat, with more and more of his tight button-up shirt drenched by the minute) as the band performed the up-tempo dance punk that has made them a success thus far. Releasing albums since 2008, Friendly Fires has quite a loyal following, and having now seen them live, it’s apparent that their live show has a lot to do with it. This was live dance music at it’s best, with dual drummers keeping the beat and multi-instrumentals keeping the melody; all the while, McFarlane setting the tone, both with his vocals and his sultry, fun and erratic dance moves.
More shows this week:
Thursday, March 17th
SXSW MTV Garage @ Red River Garage (3:30PM)
Thursday, March 17th
Friendly Fires Presents - ND @ 501 Studio (11:00PM live set and 1:00AM DJ set)
Friday, March 18th
Windish Agency's 6th Annual Austin Day Party @ Emo's (5pm)
Jonquil :: From Oxford, England, this unassuming four-piece band initially came across as not much more than a Vampire Weekend rip-off. But as the set went on, it became clear that Jonquil has more to offer than just that comparison (although some of the tropical-inspired guitar riffs really do sound incredibly similar). Lead singer Hugo Manuel seemed to never miss a note, using a pleasant range of vocals including a falsetto impressive by any standards. Stand out songs were “Sunday Night” and a cover of The XX’s “Infinity.”
More shows this week:
THURSDAY 17th March
TBC Dovecote Showcase @ Emo's Annexe
FRIDAY 18th March
12:55pm BMA Brunch @ British Music Embassy, 512 San Jacinto
5pm Red House Pizza, 1917 Manor Rd (free show)
1.30am Hype Machine Party @ Pure Volume House
SATURDAY 19th March
10:00 Official SXSW showcase @ Emo's Jr
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