Live Review

SXSW Day Three!!! – Austin, Texas

• 16th Mar 2008

Day three was the highlight of the four day SXSW music showcase with a perfect mix of the best new acts from the UK and around the world. Glasswerk picked carefully giving Vampire Weekend the finger in favor of The Cribs and finding the balance between massive nights and chill-out tent.

The Weakerthans opened up the Dell Lounge @ Volume where the blogging craze reached crazy new heights. Lead singer John K. Sampson summed up where music is going wrong as he looked over to the Lounge’s Blogging Cage – filled with trendy speed bloggers filming and uploading as the show went out – and said, “when did I lose touch? I don’t even know what that thing is!” His Canadian band have the best lyrics around right now and the mix of old and songs from new album ‘Reunion Tour’, served a hearty introduction for the huge crowd into their everyday tales of regional Canadian life from the curling craze (‘Tournament of Hearts’) to Bigfoot spotting (‘Bigfoot!’). Winnipeg now has a poet to make it famous. ‘Civil Twillight’ packed things up nicely for Canada’s answer to Teenage Fanclub -in music if not words.

She and Him – actress Zoe Deschanel (Almost Famous, Elf) and M. Ward (of solo and My Morning Jacket fame)- are a far softer edged Mark Lanegan and Isobel Campbell and their show broadcast for local Austin radio never really took off before it was over. She and Him – picture by BR, Glasswerk – release new album ‘Volume One’, which should be far more successful. This burning afternoon show was only their sixth live outing together and things should improve dramatically without the constraints of fitting around radio schedules.

Peter Moren of Peter, Bjorn and John played between Black Joe Lewis and Jens Lekman and showed why he should stick to the full band. A dull show between two mesmerizing acts at another outdoor showcase hosted by Club Deville. Having sweated buckets in the 90′ wave we cooled off in style at a swanky hotel bar to see French eccentric Herman Dune pull out some wonderful new songs and the classic from last offering ‘Giant’ – ‘I Wish I Could See You Soon’, still masterful even without the Angels voices. Laura Marling literally has that. The seventeen year old is never going to use it to sell millions, as she goes for Bronte wistful wonderings over hit records. Her icy deadpan delivery of numbers from her debut won over a surprisingly large crowd at the 90 Proof Lounge. ‘Ghosts’ and ‘New Romantic’ are such strong songs though that she may still be dragged kicking into the modern, celebrity life.

The Cribs were one of last years big success stories at SXSW, but this time around in a larger venue – Stubbs – a fading crowd, leaving after MGMT, were disinterested but for the UK fanatics. Despite playing a good set, largely taken from new record ‘Men’s Needs, Woman’s Needs, Whatever’ there was none of the usual madness. Far livelier and confirming their status as the UK’s most exciting new band was The Whip’s set on Maggie Mae’s Rooftop. These Manchester boys can send any crowd wild, but here everyone was ready to explode. Set in the heart of the mosh pit we jumped for joy to electronic pop of the highest degree. They could emulate New Order as a slightly updated, heavier band in the synth tradition. The set built in to the climax of ‘Trash’, which pounds hard from the computer before the lively bass, smashing guitars and keys soar. Certainly the set of the week. But then it always is; the Whip should be everyone’s favorite party band.

To comedown we went to church giving hearts, minds and livers the chance to reform. Ray Raposa’s wonderfully weird and off beat Castanets are perfectly suited to such an odd venue – The Central Presbyterian Church. His haunted voice with female duet and multi instrument backing made for a beautiful and peaceful finale. It was a near religious experience in the house of God and just to confirm it he laid out a Johnny Cash cover ‘I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry’. Our tired souls were lifted by another cover ‘Suspicious Minds’ – ten times the original. Reposa broke the atmosphere with his jokes, “Now as you can see behind me, this show was brought to you by Dell, IFC, Citi and JESUS! He put lots of money into this festival you know.” Nothing matches his own songs and he played us out, joining us on our pews to sing back to his band, before leading the congregation home.