While this year sees the return of SXSW as an in-person event, with bands from around the world converging on Austin to try and make a name for themselves and garner a few new fans, it seems that won’t quite be the case for everyone. For obvious reasons, and following last year’s pivot to a fully online format, the annual festival and conference is planning to move forward this year as a hybrid event with stuff happening both online and in person.
As this week’s latest music announcment would seem to indicate, that means that some acts are scheduled to play online-exclusive performances only. Among those acts is the intriguingly named Elephant Gym, a Taiwanese band whose jazzy math rock sound is something we’re looking forward to hearing and seeing in action this March, even if it won’t be live and in person.
Will the hybrid format stick around for future editions of SXSW? That remains to be seen, but for now, it’s a good addition to the festival’s programming. And seeing as how Taiwan’s offerings for SXSW 2021 were among some of the most memorable of last year’s edition, Elephant Gym’s performance certainly seems like it will be one worth checking out.