After having just seen Blondie’s performance at Brazos Hall, I wondered whether they might be a hard act to follow and if I should just call it a night, but this is SXSW, and what’s the sense of going home when there’s still so much to see? Go big or go home, they say, and I chose to go big. After all, don’t they also say that everything’s bigger in Texas?
One thing that may not be bigger in Texas (or North America in general) is Norway’s The Launderettes. The band’s been going since the ’90s but don’t necessarily have a huge profile, though they did make a point of hawking their album, which is out on Steven Van Zandt’s Wicked Cool Records, from onstage. Van Zandt has also done his part to promote the band through his Underground Garage radio show, though before seeing their appearance on the SXSW lineup, I haven’t noticed them playing too many shows in the US or Canada. Here’s hoping a little further exposure might mean a bit more touring on this side of the pond
They put on a fun show full of energetic, catchy, organ-driven garage rock tunes that also featured a little theremin from time to time courtesy of Mona Varpe Helleland. Any band that features theremin has my heart immediately. Definitely a fun way to end out my Thursday at SXSW.