Well, the
second official day of SXSW actually did kick my ass.
I don't know what it is, but this year seems more exhausting
than all of the other times I've attended combined.
Anyone else feeling this way?
Anyhow, the first act that I saw yesterday was at the AV
Club's party at Emo's, and it was the Most Serene Republic.
I've been a fan of the band for a really long time, so it
was nice to finally seem them play. I had always kind
of imagined them as a band that doesn't do much jumping
around or anything, but surprisingly they were all over the
place and full of energy. Too bad the crowd was a
bunch of stiffs.
Last year I discovered the Lone Star Lounge/Bat Bar setup in
the convention center and thought that it was a pretty cool
idea because of the great lighting and sound. So, this
time around I made sure to mark my schedule with at least
one performance, and it happened to be the Noisettes.
Their shows are always high energy and a good time, but
yesterday's was particularly memorable because of the fact
that they played What's The Time, Mr. Wolf? in its
entirety. Good stuff, right?. Though, I will say
that I would have liked to have heard some of the new
material they've been working on.
- Grand Ole Party -
- Be Your Own Pet -
- Robyn -
Ever since I
saw Grand Ole Party open for Rilo Kiley a few months ago
I've been wanting to see them play again. Fortunately,
they didn't disappoint, and this was despite an inattentive,
chatty crowd that was concerned with nothing but free
drinks. I mean, not that I blame them or anything, but
I just don't understand how this band doesn't immediately
grab your attention when they start playing. I blame
TV.
Wow! What a world of difference not playing at Emo's
and being a little tired makes for Be Your Own Pet. I
didn't mind their performance the night before, but as I
indicated yesterday I also thought that their penchant for
destroying their material live was a little bizarre.
However, at the Filter event they came out, cited being
tired and then proceeded to play a set based solely on
recommendations from the crowd. Which, meant that
while they still got to keep the wing-it mentality the
people in attendance got a show that wasn't just thrashing
noise. It makes me wonder if they're always either
crazy or just right.
Robyn's set can probably only be described as a joyful
disaster. There was a ridiculously long setup time
that saw people walking around aimlessly and unable to fix
the problems with the machine that was used to play the
backing tracks. So, because that piece of equipment
wasn't working she was not able to do Konichiwa Bitches
or any of the other songs that sound similar. Instead
she did the more quiet, pure pop numbers in her catalog,
which despite the circumstances, actually ended up being
really neat. I'd even go as far as saying that hearing
Show Me Love was one of the highlights of the day.
Maybe I can see her again some time when there are less
issues.
- Phosphorescent -
- White Hinterland -
To kick off my
time at the Jagjaguwar/Dead Oceans/Secretly Canadian
showcase I caught two half sets by Phosphorescent and White
Hinterland. It's hard to get an exact feel when you're
only seeing a tiny bit, but in my opinion I thought they
were both great, especially White Hinterland. I hope
she tours soon.
- Bodies Of Water -
- Evangelicals -
After last
night I have to say that I can't wait to see Bodies Of Water
again, and I don't necessarily mean at SXSW. I'm
talking about any point in the future. They were
honestly that amazing. Also, the new songs that they
played indicated that they may soon take over the world.
I say jump on the bandwagon now.
Evangelicals are not a band that I can say I'm that fond of.
I don't necessarily have a reason as to why I feel that way,
but that's just how it is. With that being said
though, I adored their set last night. They had a
tough act to follow in Bodies Of Water, and yet they still
strolled out and laid down the fury. It was impressive
enough to actually get me excited about the next chance I
may have to see them.
- Bon Iver -
- Jens Lekman -
Even though I
saw Bon Iver and Jens Lekman do full sets I'm going to put
my comments on them together. Why? Because
beforehand I was only vaguely familiar with the two artists,
and they both ended up having the same positive effect on me
last night. Bon Iver have a lot of great moody pieces
that I think would be better in a dark, intimate venue, but
they were able to make them work at a packed Mohawk.
As for Jens Lekman, I thought the same sort of thing.
Sure, his work is a bit more upbeat and expansive, but it
also has a very intimate side to it. I'd see them both
again.
- Black Mountain -
I sort of have
mixed feelings in regards to Black Mountain's performance.
One hand hand I thought they sounded as great as they always
do, but on the other their infinitely long setup allowed
them only 30 minutes of play time. That just isn't
enough for a band like theirs. Also, they didn't play
Tyrants, which was 65% of the reason I was in
attendance. Bummer.
-
John Laird -
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