So, that was SXSW 2024. What begin in promise passed through infamy, before a form of redemption in the DIY spaces it was built on. The decision to place the US Army as a ‘super sponsor’ was foolhardy and poorly communicated, and our full support goes to those who pulled out.
On the ground in Austin, Texas, we were struck by how personally each musician took the debate around whether to continue or not. For those who opted to continue with the official showcase events, there was a palpable sense of mixed emotions – Palestine flags dotted the stages, and in-performance speeches of total support for a Middle East ceasefire were nigh-on universal.
What should have been a celebration felt – at times – tainted. Chatting to bands who had pulled out, there was a surreal air to the conversation, almost as though they couldn’t believe it was happening. The unanimous stance of the Irish artists is to be applauded – but that support should come alongside condemnation of those who knew financial self-harm awaited their cancellation.
That said, the week bore witness to some fantastic performances. Alongside the official SXSW programming the city hosts a multitude of unofficial events, from flat parties and gallery performances through to fully-fledged venue showcases, sitting tantalisingly outside the main bill. Perhaps unsurprisingly, due to the volume of call offs and boycotts, this year saw the unofficial side of Austin emerge emboldened, with sets in virtually every space that could hold one.
Ultimately, our job as music journalists at a showcase festival is to celebrate and uplift talent – with that in mind, here are the best acts we uncovered at SXSW, both official and unofficial.
Dead Tooth
When CLASH caught Brooklyn post-punk outfit Dead Tooth inside at Hotel Vegas, the band looked like they’d been put through a thresher several times. Enduring a 13 hour bus ride to get to Austin, the pressures caused the singer’s back to spasm – so he performed half-naked onstage in a spinal brace.
Imagine Warmduscher with a dose of New York sleaze and a nod to early DFA Records and you’d be close – in this confined, sweat-enraptured space, they’re feral, unhinged, and terrifyingly close to the edge. An unrelenting live experience, Dead Tooth stood out from the chasing pack by a country mile with their prime rock posing, lethal riffs, and soaked-to-the-brink-with-perspiration sense of post-punk deviance.
Automatic
Stones Throw trio Automatic seem to work on a democratic level, switching mics for each song. Breaking down post-punk tropes, you could contrast them with ESG, say, but there’s a directness that points to hip-hop production in there, too. Frequently magical, the three-piece have an understated quality, a refusal to push their music in your face, that makes them all the more magical.
A succinct set, Automatic’s final evening performance tapped into the fading energies of SXSW, conjuring spasms from limbs beginning to fail. Seriously charming, their cerebral but sweet approach to music-making lifted the spirits.
Islet
FOCUS Wales hosted a fantastic showcase at SXSW, moving from rap to psychedelic pop via the many multitude of genres MINAS spliced together during his raucous, ear-splitting performance.
On the other end of the volume scale, Islet’s display of psychotropic sorcery tapped in that great Welsh lineage of the lysergic. At times feather-soft, the band could then switch it up, moving into Neu!-style rhythmic channels. Distinctive and pleasingly idiosyncratic, the group’s grasp of the element of chance meant that each song could go in a thousand different directions at once, held together by an unspoken pop pact.
Humour
Splitting the same venue with FOCUS Wales (except this year choosing the inside space), Scottish promoters Wide Days brought together some of the country’s best acts for a special evening in downtown Austin. Producer Rory James dappled the room in fragrant electronica, while Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite DJ’d a selection of his favourite Scottish tunes – naturally, haggis tacos were also on the menu.
Humour were the perfect way to work off the Caledonian/Tex Mex menu, their visceral, volume-enhanced performance threatening to take the roof off the venue. Staunch and poised, the band’s heavy duty approach to the set implied an incredible sense of focus and intensity. Definitely a night we won’t be forgetting for a while.
Thunder Jackson
Is it narcissistic to point out an act from your own stage? Perhaps, but CLASH can’t summarise our experiences at SXSW without mentioning Thunder Jackson. The Oklahoma City songwriter emerged the showmanship of Sly Stone with the songcraft of Elton John during a bravura set, his stratospheric levels of self-belief treating the bar at Lefty’s as it was a colossal arena.
Impressive on record, Thunder Jackson truly lives up to his name as a live experience – sky-splitting storms of countrified sound, he ended by throwing down the mic, barrelling across stage, the stunned crowd silent in his wake. An unforgettable experience.
Chameleon Lime Whoopiepie
Acting on a tip-off following a chance encounter at a Hacks & Flacks mixer earlier that day, CLASH high-tailed it to the Marshall Funhouse to catch Japanese act Chameleon Lime Whoopiepie. In truth, we weren’t 100% sure what to expect – random recommendations at showcase events can sometimes lead you down rabbitholes you’d rather forget.
In this case, however, the tip was right on the money. Chameleon Lime Whoopiepie are fantastic – cartoonish rap meets rock with outrageous levels of glee, it’s sort of like Beastie Boys meets CHAI. The female singer is joined by a drummer and guitarist in Donnie Darko masks, and the set is breathlessly entertaining and musically outstanding. In a league of their own.
Angélica Garcia
Partisan signing Angélica Garcia became one of the festival’s breakout artists, playing a flurry of shows the length and breadth of Austin. While this correspondent spectacularly failed to catch her sets on no less than four occasions – which, in truth, is an achievement in itself – roving writer Jack Parker lauded her performance as one of the week’s best.
Why? Well, her incoming album is a skin-too-few meditation on grief, and when faced with such majesty face-to-face it’s hard to the pull of her metaphysical artistry.
Gummy Fang
One of the wonderful things about Austin is how open and friendly everyone seems to be. A random conversation at a late-night dive bar saw this writer introduced to Willow Braun, lead singer and songwriter behind Gummy Fang.
The trio played a flurry of shows throughout Austin, one of which a crowd member helpfully filmed and uploaded in full. Rickety indie pop with elastic, Mike Watt style basslines and super in-the-pocket drumming, it’s a bit like The Raincoats meets Magnetic Fields but with a flavour of its own. Recent single ‘Ready For Love Pt. 2’ became the accidental soundtrack of our week – a potent supremely addictive ear-worm with a cute-as-hell video.
The Courettes
Is there a better, most stylish, more entertaining rock ‘n’ band on the planet right now than the fabulous Courettes? You’d have to look a long, long way for anything better. CLASH caught the final act of their multi-show SXSW run, and it found the duo (one Danish, the other from Brazil) going out with a band.
Ludicrously entertaining doo wop meets garage punk songwriting, the band’s exhortations to dance cut through the oh-so-cool industry crowd, resulting in a final evening sweatpit over at Hotel Vegas.
Farmer’s Wife
SXSW may have an international reach, but one of its primary functions is to platform local artists. Helping to accelerate Austin talent, this year bore witness to the strength of the scene in the surrounding area.
Take Farmer’s Wife. A much-tipped dream pop phenomenon, their scuzzy, torn ‘n’ tattered take on the template established by Mazzy Star et al resulted in some of the week’s most enchanting performances. Stellar songcraft, their live performances have a tendency to leave things raw, open, and loose, making each time different and distinct.
Die Spitz
Local four-piece Die Spitz were the name that kept recurring in conversations across town throughout the festival. The name is a kind of tongue-in-cheek homage to The Spits (a revered Austin group of shit-kickers who also played numerous stunning sets this week) but Die Spitz have a fury all of their own.
Kind of like Mudhoney meets SCOWL in the mosh pit, Die Spitz have this unhinged, animalistic appeal – taking their music right out to the fringes, they come close to collapsing before surging back, reinstating control. 2023 project ‘Teeth’ is the focal point, but there’s a huge amount to come. Prepare to get excited.
Glue Trip
Another chance discovery on the outside stage at Hotel Vegas, Glue Trip connect the psychedelic ley-line between Brazil and Austin. Dreamy songwriting that recalls peers such as Boogarins, they meld together the infinite promise of psychedelia with analogue synths and just a touch of bossa nova in the beat.
2022’s ‘Nada Tropical’ is the touchstone, but live and in-the-flesh Glue Trip allow their music to evolve in real-time. Billowing into spaces uncharted, the band have an elastic sense of groove that psych bands often lack, while retaining the punchy control of their proggy studio work. A late-night delight.
SNACKTIME
Philadelphia’s SNACKTIME are already local heroes, blending Onyx Collective style abstractive with rugged soul and funk appeal. Essentially the coolest marching band you’ll ever hear in your life, CLASH stopped past Mohawk to catch their set and wasn’t disappointed – foot stomping, lung bursting musicality, there’s a real sense of joy to their performances, matched to a funky backbeat. A UK tour now, please.
Fat Dog
PHAT DIGGITY DAWG. Evading the clutches of Brixton Windmill for a week, much-tipped UK luminaries Fat Dog touched down in Austin, Texas for a helter skelter week of shows that saw them emerge as one of SXSW’s hottest bands. A killer live experience, they move from the deliriously surreal to the gut-punchingly physical.
Literally everyone at the festival seemed to fall for them hard, too – from middle-aged Texan moms accidentally wandering into the wrong venue, to the Larry David lookalike who followed them to every single show. World domination surely awaits.
Victoria Canal
One of the final sets we saw at SXSW, and in truth one of the most special. Victoria Canal refuses to bury her feelings, resulting in songwriting of real power and enriching wisdom. Melodically beautiful and often searingly emotive, she catches the attention of everyone present at the British Music Embassy with her skills, and her gentle humour.
Closing by asking people to place their arm around the person they came to the show with, it’s a simple gesture but – in her hands – something with understated power. In a week beset by boycotts and complex conversations, it was a moment that illustrated how music can still soothe, and bring people together.
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