Rock Sound At SXSW Day Two

The work begins at SXSW. Well, we say work...

Posted Friday, 20 March 2009 by Amy Freeborn in

Blog

We awoke with excitement on Wednesday – it is the first official music day at SXSW and this is when the party (and the hangovers) really get started.

After a quick breakfast (where a television news report announced that Metallica were playing a ‘secret’ gig at SXSW on Friday – well done on keeping the secret, guys. But yaay – Metallica!), we headed our separate ways to go about our business.

Posters for our parties were hung around town, the venues were scoped out and all the loose ends were tied up.

Meanwhile, your blogger went off and spoke to a whole load of bands, recording their answers on our phone-cam, supported by Play Now. Each of the bands and artists we spoke to were asked the same six questions – their vital statistics (who they are, where they’re from, etc); they told us three facts about themselves; they told us about two songs, whether it be their own two, or two they found inspiring, can’t get out of their head, etc; they gave us a recommendation; a SXSW survival tip; and finally, they recited a quote.

First up was Australia’s Birds of Tokyo – you can check out their interview here

Then it was off to the other side of town to speak to London’s Post War years – see their interview here

Next up were the longest and hardest rocking metal band in the world, Anvil. If you don’t already know their story, check it out – ‘Anvil: The Story of Anvil’ is a film and a book – and it tells the tale of these Canadian metallers who made a pact in their teens to rock forever, and more than 30 years (and not enough success) down the line, they’re still doing it. And thanks to the book and film, they’re finally getting the (second) chance they’ve worked so hard for. Check out what Rob and Lips had to say here

The darling Little Boots was next on the agenda, and you can see her interview here

Conveniently, the location of the Little Boots interview was right next door to an outdoor vodka cocktail bar, and seeing a few familiar faces inside, your blogger joined them and spent a nice relaxing hour on huge bean bags under an umbrella, getting a little tan on sun-starved legs. Bliss.

Next it was off to meet the loveliest, and best accented, group of people encountered yet, Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band. Check out their interview, in the dark depths of a venue, here

PS: lady pants means skinny jeans.

Following the interview the band gave this blogger a lesson, and a challenge, in the game of shuffleboard. Girls against boys – and the boys won.

After a quick re-charge and file transfer back at the hotel, it was off to meet Lags from Gallows, who answered our same six questions here

Then we met These Arms Are Snakes, who answered our questions here

With the official ‘work’ now done for the day, it was time for us Xtasterians to go out and properly experience SXSW. So with a few Dos Equis (beers) under our belts, the carnivores headed off for a steak dinner while the vegetarians went all country at Lamberts, with Hey Negrita and Eileen Rose. Eileen’s backing band featured a double-bass player who’s just come off tour with Hank Williams. He considered this is a bit of a detox for him. Eileen put it more accurately when she said that SXSW is, in fact, more of a re-tox.

We all re-convened and joined the huge queue to catch Circle Jerks, followed by Juliette Lewis and her new band, the New Romantiques.

Shout-outs to the Raw Power Management crew at the gig, who wholeheartedly embraced the ethos of SXSW, while not forgetting their roots. Cue drunken football chants being sung a-plenty.

Circle Jerks were amazing. As Stuart Xtaster says – it’s all about the punk. Nothing else matters. And these guys proved it tonight.

Juliette Lewis took to the stage next with her new backing band, which, it must be said, looked simply like they were going through the motion. Although, granted, it must be difficult playing shows when you know people are only there to see your movie-star front woman. Juliette was just as punk and powerful and beautiful as ever; the perfect front woman – all sass and sexiness.

Next it was a quick little walk around the corner to see These Arms Are Snakes. Quite a transformation had taken place with the singer since this blogger saw him earlier in the day. While we wouldn’t what to speculate what had been imbibed, it’s fair to say he was ‘merry and refreshed. The audience seemed to have an obsession with throwing cups and cans at the singer, while the singer seemed to have an obsession with squeezing his own nipples. It all got a bit weird when a rapper got on stage and tried to join in one of the songs.

By the end of their set it was about 2am and our feet and bodies were in desperate need of rest. After all, Thursday is the day of Xtaster’s first party, featuring Enter Shikari, The Bronx, Attack Attack, Frank Turner and Rolo Tomassi. We can’t wait.

Stay tuned for more reports and interviews from the party, tomorrow.