SXSW Recap #3

We continue on with our SXSW shows, this time focusing on some of the great day shows. I mostly camped between Hype Hotel and the Beautiful Buzz/TBD Austin showcase which had some great under the radar talent, along with a few big time names in my book. This year I finally got to check out The Fader Fort which even though for only one show, It was cool checking out possibly one of the most coveted day shows to get into every year at the festival. The list is in order of the bands I saw, not alphabetical. The day shows were my best times to discover some cool new bands, and there are a few on today’s list. The majority of the pics today are from The Beautiful Buzz/TBD Showcase.

I will be wrapping up the rest of the list on Monday so check back for more SXSW awesomeness.

SADGIRL

I would never be able to look at any type of festival line up and claim to know every band on the list, so of course I was not familiar with SadGirl, but was sooo impressed when I heard their live set. I actually cannot find any recording that captures the awesomeness of their live set but I promise you they are a do not miss live band. The trio is from Los Angeles and they are a surf rock sounding band, but man Dakota (guitar vocals) can shred on his guitar. I highly recommend checking them out if you are not familiar and I will be following these guys for sure. Being completely impressed by them is one of the main reasons why I love SXSW, discovering great new bands that deserve recognition.

The Delta Riggs

I have seriously been waiting a year to see these Aussies live – they were on the SXSW list of bands last year but didn’t actually make it out to the festival. They definitely rock it out and I definitely recommend catching their live set as well. They did not disappoint. I apologize for the very dark pictures – two stages were set up at this showcase, but the larger stage was facing outside and it turned out pretty crappy for pictures. Hopefully listening to their awesome track “The Record’s Flawed” will make it better.

Highly Suspect

Highly Suspect is from Brooklyn and they have that awesome rock vibe similar to QOTSA. They definitely put on a great live show and the trio is coming out with a new album Mister Asylum that will be out in July. This band is definitely one to watch – great guitar shredding going on with this band, too. I was highly impressed.

DREAMERS

DREAMERS is another Brooklyn based band and they have a great indie pop sound going on with some great killer live guitar sets in between. Really enjoyed their live set and another band to add to my list of keeping tabs on. They were super cool dudes as well. Glad I got to discover this band and catch them live. Their four track EP that came out last fall is pretty sweet. We are including the track “Wolves” from the EP.

TAYMIR

I don’t know much about Taymir except that they look super young and they completely rocked their set. They are from The Netherlands and I was quite frankly blown away by their set. I am looking forward to what these guys bring as they are a recently formed band that came out with their first single in 2013. They have that classic kind of 60s vibe going on but with more of a Strokes influence. I have a feeling people will be finding out about these guys pretty quickly.

Civil Twilight

Civil Twilight being on this line up alone brought me here. They might be one of my favorite and most underrated bands today. They are a must see live band and after having seen them multiple times – they never disappoint. Originally from Cape Town, South Africa they have relocated to Nashville to hopefully infiltrate the US. Steven McKellar’s vocals are outstanding and the unique blend of sounds the band creates makes them one that never seems to disappoint no matter what creative direction they go toward. They have a new album coming out soon, played a few new songs and it was impressive. Here is their newest single, “Story of an Immigrant” – which will also be the name of the forthcoming album.

Dry The River

Although these lads needed a larger stage for the 5 of them, they did the best with the space they had. “No Ceremony” is the most recent track they have on Soundcloud and it’s still great – but they have a more recent release, 2014’s Alarms in the Heart that you can stream on Spotify. Their live set was nothing less of awesome and glad to finally got to see this UK band live.

Icky Blossoms

I knew nothing about this band from Omaha, NE of all places but they were highly recommended from one of the promoters putting on the show, so I stuck around to check them out. They only have older tracks on soundcloud, but they are working on new material and played a few new songs. They are a great synth driven band with driving beats and danceable tracks, but provide an awesome rock element with their live set and I am definitely going to be checking out their new material. They were a fun live set to see for sure.

Wolf Alice

I wanted to see Wolf Alice last year at SXSW but it just didn’t happen. Super glad I got to check out The Fader Fort and get pretty much right up front since their set was in the middle of the day. I was definitely not disappointed and was super excited to hear some of their new songs from their upcoming debut album My Love Is Cool which will be out this summer. If you ever have the chance to see this band live – do it! Here is the latest single from their new album.