As opposed to the more than a dozen bands I saw yesterday for day one of SXSW, I only saw eight bands yesterday, but I might trade seeing those eight for all the other shows I’ll see over SXSW’s five days. Wednesday proved to be a day full of highlight after highlight as I crossed off of my list several of the bands I was most excited about seeing this year.
After a late start due to way too much day one content, I began the day at Giant Noise’s media event at ACL Live & the W Hotel for an outstanding media reception. Thanks a ton to the good people at Giant Sound and ACL Live for treating us right and making us feel special for the afternoon. Rising star Shakey Graves played a set of music, providing a perfect vibe for the early afternoon 2nd day of SXSW.
I couldn’t believe that there was no line for Chelsea Light Moving at the Parish for Consequence of Sound‘s day party. I ducked in late and only got to shoot a couple of songs in pretty bad light, but it was great to cram that into the day’s schedule. Thurston Moore joked with the crowd lightheartedly between a few crunchy, powerful experimental jams. After plowing through the last song ferociously, he jerked the cable from his guitar and snarled, “See you on the streets!” before exiting the stage.
Although it required some patience and induced some anxiety, I managed to get into the much lauded NPR Showcase with Nick Cave and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Words really can’t describe just how phenomenal these performances were. I’m a Nick Cave fan, and I loved the new album (and gave it a glowing review), but I wasn’t prepared for what a force Cave is live. I’ve seen the dancing and antics on video, but the show surpassed that, imbibed with theatrics, mocking, obscenity, and a spiritual buoyancy and seediness only achievable by Nick Cave. Quite a few new songs comprised the bulk of the set, including “Higgs-Boson Blues,” “Jubilee Street,” “Wide Lovely Eyes,” and title-track “Push the Sky Away.” Seeing this kind of performance marks a once in a lifetime opportunity. If you have a chance to see Cave, don’t miss it.
Tacvba performed after Cave, beginning with a song that incorporated soft, traditional Latin American music before morphing into a more raucous ska-leaning production on the next several numbers. Though the band doesn’t suit my palate, they did serve as an often needed reminder that there’s a whole slew of successful bands out there off the indie-buzz-radar. Further, the crowd loved them, and many of the band’s fans down front sang along with all the lyrics. Kudos to NPR for bringing in music from around the world.
Inside Stubb’s, several bands played short sets between the heavyweights on the outdoor stage. I had already missed Waxahatchee by the time I realized that Stubb’s was utilizing their indoor stage (which made much more sense considering the set times). Thankfully, I didn’t miss Youth Lagoon, who played a short set of his ghostly, dreamy pop. Due to having to queue up for the photo pit for Yeah Yeah Yeahs, I was only able to see a few songs, which included “Mute,” a standout track from Trevor Powers’ recent Wondrous Bughouse. I plan to see Youth Lagoon again this week for a longer set.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs are one of the primary bands that were on my list of bands I’ve never seen and badly wanted to. Now that I’ve seen them, I can’t wait to see them again. Karen O embodies the definition of a performer. She’s charismatic and energetic, theatrical and focused. Opening the set with what is presumably the title-track from the band’s forthcoming album Mosquito, Yeah Yeah Yeahs continued to perform a few new and old songs including crowd pleasers “Gold Lion,” “Cheated Hearts,” and “Maps.” Here is another band that’s incredible live–not to be missed.
Coasting on a euphoric high of seeing outstanding bands, I made my way down to the IFC Crossroads house to see Divine Fits. Although I’ve seen them before and they’re playing almost as much as Macklemore and Ryan Lewis this year, I wanted to catch one of their sets. This supergroup of sorts delivers live, with Dan Boeckner taking the prize for the most energetic and frenetic of the bunch. Along with Britt Daniel’s sort of laid back, cool demeanor, the band is a ton of fun to watch live. I caught half their set before walking across the street to catch the last half of The Black and White Years.
After initial and widespread critical acclaim, the Black and White Years have had a quieter period in their career. Now, the band is poised to return to the forefront with a new album on Modern Outsider and the part-time addition of frontman Scott Butler’s wife Adrienne. The band’s new track “Just Like Old Times” sounds great and may be the best track the band has ever produced. Live, the group’s set hinges on the wild antics of talky lyricism of Scott Butler, although Adrienne did close the night for an adorable rendition of “Just Like Old Times.” Keep your eyes open for this band.
It’s difficult to foresee this week getting any better than Wednesday was, but hey, we’ve still got three full days to go. A full photo set of these bands will be up in our post-SXSW coverage. Sleep beckoned last night, and music calls today. Photo editing will have to wait.
All photos © Bryan Parker and Pop Press International. Click any image to open set in slideshow view.
