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If you haven’t been to Texas for SXSW and you claim to be a music fan, I highly suggest you start saving your “pennies” now and get over to Austin next year.
It’s four days of music, free booze, more music, more free booze, and even more music. This was my fifth year, but my first year hobbling round on a crutch with a leg broken in two places.
I ended up seeing 60 plus bands over the stretch – not too shabby for a gimp eh! While many memories of the bands blur together after a while, here are the ones that stuck out in my mind as bands to watch this year…
Foster the People
I first came across these LA dudes last year at SXSW and admittedly, was not overly impressed. But this year, they came back with a lot of hype and radio play behind their first single Pumped Up Kicks – so I decided to check them out again. Oh what a year has done. They were one of the hardest working bands on stage, making each song sound bigger with boundless enthusiasm. Their pop-esque tunes are very catchy and fun, setting the stage for a perfect summer anthem and many more shows for this virtually new band. Be sure to snag up their EP and try to catch them at The Great Escape in Brighton.
Jim Jones Revue
As with most bands at SXSW, I really had no expectations or clue what I was getting myself into with these guys. They headlined a day party at the world famous Antone’s nightclub and definitely made predecessors B.B. King & Jimmy Reed proud. Their blues/rockabilly sound filled the venue and had everyone tearing up the dance floor (the open bar didn’t hurt either)…
Dinosaur Pile Up
The great thing about SXSW is the random places you can see great bands and this showcase epitomized that. If you haven’t heard their sound, you wouldn’t think they could be playing at a quaint pizza parlor on the east side of town. But just five seconds into their set, the owner’s realized their quiet pizza joint was about to get ripped apart as if it were made of dough. This was by far the most eclectic crowd I’ve ever seen at a show (babies, hippies, geezers… oh yeah, the usual) but the guys put on a killer show turning each new audience member into a fan. These guys are playing Liverpool Sound City and all around the UK right now so definitely go check out a gig. Tell them the girl with stickers all over her crutch sent you.
Matt & Kim
I’m not one to typically see bigger name acts during SXSW, but Matt & Kim were the exception. Yes they’re poppy, but they put on one of the most fun, dynamic, energetic show I’ve ever witnessed. At one point during their headlining set, Kim (the drummer with MASSIVE biceps) puts down the sticks and heads into the crowd to do a bit of booty dancing to Major Lazer’s Pon de Floor amidst outstretched hands. Erykah Badu even joined them on stage to play the cymbals during Lessons Learned. If this is the first time you’re hearing anything about Matt & Kim, start with their album Grand and you’ll never look back.
Odd Future
There is only one word to describe this concert – INSANE. This was one of the most hyped up acts to play SXSW and I quickly discovered why. They straight up threatened the camera pit, dove into the crowd – climbing up and jumping off the scaffolding into the crowd (admitting they broke someone’s nose the night before) and started a water bottle/beer can fight with the crowd. As I stood in my safe haven at the side of the stage watching full, unopened bottles being launched into the crowd, I realized I was more impressed with their antics than their music. By the end of the set they had the at-capacity crowd chanting “fuck tha police” and it was probably the best ending to a concert I’ve seen in years. While musically they weren’t my favorite act, they were by far the most entertaining and gave one helluva memorable show. I would see them again just to see what sort of shit they’ll get themselves into.
Other amazing bands I saw that are on my ones to watch in 2011 list are: Pint Shot Riot (UK), Wolf Gang (UK), The Features (USA), Portugal.The Man (USA), Pulled Apart by Horses (UK), and Young Buffalo (USA), Enter Shikari (UK), AWOLNATION (USA), Brother (UK), and Twin Shadow (USA).
Hope to see you in Austin next year!
Allison is a marketeer and Purple Revolver’s eyes and ears in Texas.
Follow her on Twitter to see what’s going down on the Austin music scene year round http://twitter.com/allisonannetx