This was our 11th year at SXSW. It definitely seemed smaller than previous years, but that could also be because it didn’t coincide with Spring Break. Neverless, it was still fun and for me, it was a pleasure to see the rise of Asian bands to the forefront. Anyways, let’s do a recap.
Best Act
Gary:The Comet Is Coming. No question. Saw them at St. David’s first and then again outside of Latitude 30. Different feeling of euphoria each time. Also, Yola. I think I was on the verge of tearing up at one point – but can’t remember which song.
Ricky:
1. Otoboke Beaver. As I already wrote, they left an impression on me that i’ll remember for a while.
2. Chai
3. The Comet is Coming
Derek: Chai/The Beths/The Comet Is Coming
Paul: The Beths were my most anticipated act going in to SXSW and were easily one of the best acts I saw all week. I already loved their 2018 album Future Me Hates Me, but seeing those songs performed live sealed the deal. I saw them live three times during SXSW (twice on the same day) and probably would have been OK with seeing them play even more shows if I could have. Tracks like “Future Me Hates Me” and “You Wouldn’t Like Me” are feel good jams about feeling bad.
Worst/Most Disappointing Act
Ricky: Nothing really, since most of the bands I saw were new. I was disappointed Graham Coxon didn’t sing “Coffee and TV”, but that’s a minor complaint.
Gary: Everyone was pulling their weight this year and I honestly didn’t have a bad set, not even at the Australian who stripped down to his boxers … Maybe Big Phony. Because he would be disappointed if I wasn’t disappointed when he was trying to be disappointing. Films … now that’s a completely different story.
Paul: The great thing about SXSW is that if you don’t like something, you can just move on, so if you’re lucky you can avoid any major disappointments. That said, Italian shoegazers Be Forest didn’t do too much for me, but that’s probably more on me for being too sleepy and it being too late at night for their moody shoegaze sound to really hit home for me. The album still sounds good though.
Most Pleasant Surprise
Ricky: All the Asian rock bands kicking ass. Go Asia
Derek: Wyclef Jean’s performance at Parish
Paul: CHAI was amazing! Such a fun show. Also, seeing local Austin collective World Music Unleashed was a memorable experience. Five musicians coming together on tabla, sitar, violin, clarinet, and a standard rock drum kit to create a unique noise. Plus I found this mysterious message on a napkin at the bar at Russian House during their show:
(According to Gary, it translates to something like, “people who don’t drink = fucking losers” … I guess they’ve got a bit of a point.)
Gary: Small Glories. Reminds me how wholesome Saturday mornings used to be when Vinyl Cafe would beam through just as I was bleary-eyed. Good thing my Alberta roots are still there to resonate with them. But I had also to restrain myself from answering that I am from Edmonton.
Favourite Moment
Derek: Seeing Chai.
Paul: Seeing Mike D and Ad-Rock of The Beastie Boys give a talk that was basically just an hour of them being hilarious was great. And on a personal note, singing karaoke at the Japan party was pretty rad.
Gary: When the vag-cannon was ready to fire. It’s really difficult to translate how hilarious this really was, so the alternative would be when The Nude Party sang “Chevrolet Van” and it was so stupefyingly good that I thought it must have been a cover…
Ricky: I really enjoyed this track by the Comet is Coming
Also, going to Uchi and Franklin for the first time ever was quite great. Hopefully not the last time
What Was Different or Notable About SXSW This Year?
Ricky: SXSW felt sparse and tiny this year. I wonder if that’s just because it wasn’t during Spring Break. The bands definitely felt even smaller than last year, which isn’t a bad thing. It’s just different.
Derek: Noticeably smaller crowds, less access at Cedar St. Courtyard. :)
Gary: Austin was … lighter this year, on the psyche. Perhaps it was the chilly weather, or the thinner crowd, or perhaps a combination of the shows I decided to visit. It has not left the mark like last year. Coincidentally, it’s the first year in over a decade where I don’t have new tracks added to my phone from SXSW.
Paul: We’ve asked ourselves this question a few times in recent years and there’s been a general feeling that SXSW has been scaling down. It’s been noticeably smaller over the past few years, but this year was the first year that it felt smaller in a weird way. Not a bad way, necessarily, but like Ricky said, just … different. By the end of the week though, a quick walk along Dirty Sixth showed that in a lot of ways, things hadn’t changed too much.
Here is a playlist of bands we saw!