Full Coverage: SXSW Day 3 with Flaming Lips, Alt-J, and Solange

Autre Ne Veut

We already brought you outstanding coverage of SXSW 2013 days one and two as well as photos from SXSW day three. We’re back with full coverage of the third day and will follow with full reports of days four and five on Tuesday as Wednesday as well as final reflections and festival highlights at the end of the week.

The initial shock of 12 hour days of blaring music and considerable alcohol consumption has begun to fade, and by day three, you’re in the groove of the beast that is SXSW. My day three involved hitting some of the festival’s most quintessential parties and seeing some of the most talked about bands.

Mikal Cronin

To kick off the day, I headed over to the Pitchfork day party in the warehouse that has played home to Mess With Texas for the past two years. MWT didn’t happen this year, leaving Pitchfork to take advantage of the prime location and large space across from the famous Fader Fort. Although Pitchfork certainly has its issues as a media source and web publication, they can certainly put together a lineup of incredible acts. My three favorite albums of the year were created by Youth Lagoon, Foxygen, and Unknown Mortal Orchestra, all of whom played the event.

Parquet Courts

However, since I recently photographed and wrote about them, I didn’t hang around until the event’s end. Instead, I saw most of the first half of the day’s acts: Waxahatchee, Autre Ne Veut, Merchandise, Mikal Cronin, Parquet Courts, and Mac DeMarco. Of those, Autre Ne Veut and Cronin delivered the best sets. Autre Ne Veut’s performance and stage demeanor are so divergent from most independent music artists that he is at once captivating as he delivers epic, electro-tinged R&B songs.

Mac DeMarco

Singles “Counting” and “Play By Play” stole the show, although “Ego Free Sex Free” sounded great in a way that I hadn’t remembered from its recording. Mikal Cronin possesses the incredible ability to move from simple, melancholic pop to abrasively caustic garage music in a single second. His set proved dynamic and memorable. The remaining bands delivered solid sets with Merchandise and Parquet Courts working similar angles on power pop and punk on the outdoor stage and Mac DeMarco playing rocked-up versions of his songs on the indoor stage.

Cayucas at Fader Fort

Each Year, Fader throws what has to be considered the most talked about party. With their exclusive RSVP and outstanding surprise guests, the Fort has become a SXSW mainstay. Stopping by to hang for at least a few hours is a festival must for me. I arrived mid-afternoon, had a veggie corndog and fried avocados to go with my Bushmills whisky and iced tea. It felt something like the Texas State Faire, but with excellent live music. Cayucas performed first after my lunch, delivering a set packed with their beachy, upbeat pop. It’s always fun to see the diversity in crowd at the Fader as urban apparel clad homeboys nod their heads to indie-pop in alternation with skinny hipsters who try to break it down to the latest rap sensations.

DIIV at Fader Fort

Small Black and DIIV performed similar sets with the former leaning toward more electronically synthesized sounds and the latter relying more on guitars. Both possessed great beats and dreamy backgrounds that made for solid sets.

Solange at Fader Fort

Of course, the headlining act of the evening was Solange. After a couple of reasonably well-received studio albums, it seems Solang is poised to make a bigger splash than ever before with her upcoming album to be released this year. Like her sister, Solange possesses impressive vocal prowess and natural onstage charisma. Unlike her sister, her current live show relies less on slick production and more on simple dance moves and the a live band. Solange’s songs tap into the current trend of 70s leaning R&B pop, a classic appeal that seems to draw in a wide range of listeners.

The Joy Formidable at The Belmont for Warner Sound Showcase

Following Fader Fort, the dusk of SXSW night three descended and I made my way to the Warner Sound showcase at the Belmont. Being almost entirely in the dark about the Joy Formidable, I obeyed the buzz and did some checking on their past material. I heard the thunderous drums, driving guitars, and epic vocals, but couldn’t place the points of reference–the band simply creates music divergent from much of what’s out right now. After seeing Joy Formidable live, their points of reference are no more clear to me, but their music has been bolstered even further by their incredible live show. Frontwoman Ritzy Bryan looks adorable onstage while demolishing the audience like a ten-ton-truck. One of my primary observations in covering live music is that many huge acts don’t have great live shows because they don’t have to–everyone will love the show for the songs they know. Local and small acts differ significantly in that no one will care about you in the least if your live show doesn’t completely slay. It’s awesome to see a popular band deliver so much live.

Alt-J at The Belmont for Warner Sound Showcase

Warner Sound’s showcase continued to deliver the buzzingest acts of the festival this year as Alt-J took the stage next. Alt-J is a band that has been on my radar for a long time, with some close friends claiming they would explode long before it ever happened. Using almost tribal rhythms and hinging on the distinct vocals of singer Joe Newman, Alt-J’s songs are infectiously addicting. The quartet sounded crisp and smooth live, providing solid stage presence, even if their toned down stage antics paled in comparison to the preceding act. It’s really surprising they convinced me as much as they did considering that they also had to perform directly before one of the best live bands making music–The Flaming Lips.

The Flaming Lips at The Belmont for Warner Sound Showcase

To be honest, I was worried. Planning to see The Flaming Lips and knowing that the Belmont probably would not provide enough room for the confetti cannons, onstage dancers, or giant projection screen filled me with dread that it just wouldn’t live up to my previous experiences. I was right about the absence of their usual toys, and yet, the Lips found a way to pull through with an equally memorable set as ever. This time, they did it by performing Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots in its entirety. These songs are so powerful that the band really does’t need all the theatrics. It helps that their fans (me included) are so loyal that a euphoric elation resonates and reverberates back and forth between the performers and the audience throughout the show. A Flaming Lips show is joy personified. There’s no better way to end a night. What else is there to say?