One of the fun things about SXSW is seeing bands in somewhat unusual settings, oftentimes also performing rather unique sets. Such was the case on the Wednesday of SXSW as German band Laura Lee & The Jettes played a stripped down 5:00pm set in a hotel lounge, which they then repeated later that evening, playing a presumably identical set in the same hotel lounge at 6:00.
With Lee and her band set up in the comfy confines of the Hotel Indigo lobby, I settled in for a set of what Lee described as “slightly less loud” versions of her songs. It was an enjoyable set, both for the audience and the band. As Lee described it, she had a lot of fun figuring out how to reconfigure their songs for these shows and even likened it to being sort of her version of Nirvana Unplugged. Bowie and Meat Puppets songs not included, however.
A highlight of their set was “Cheap Wine”, described by Lee as a song about being over 30 and still chasing the rock and roll dream. Seeing as how Lee has already been on the scene for awhile with her other band Gurr (who are also quite good, by the way – check them out), it’s not surprising that she’d write a song on the subject. But also she’s not old at all and I saw many acts of all ages around Austin this week who were also still chasing that rock and roll dream. She did mention that one song she played later in her set was already something of a hit back in Germany. Here’s hoping she can repeat that feat on North American shores.