The final Saturday of SXSW has generally always been a bit more subdued. There’s still things happening of course, but by the end of the week, things tend to slow down a bit. As the conference element of the festival starts winding down and with many of the artists having already played their big showcases, the last day ends up having a more laid back atmosphere. Except for all the folks who only show up on the final weekend just to party on Sixth Street … but that’s a story for another time.
Otherwise, it is a pretty chill affair and this year seemed even more so than usual. With that in mind, I decided to lean into that laid back vibe by starting my day off with a performance by Oracle Sisters at the International Day Stage.
Hailing from Paris, but made up entirely of expats from various locales (Ireland, Finland and the U.S.), Oracle Sisters offered up exactly the kind of laid back, mellow vibes I was looking for. Not too mellow though – they still know how to rock out a bit when the song calls for it.
The band also knows when a song calls for a guest fiddler. The most memorable part of their show came when they brought up Ian Stewart, a local musician who the band had apparently just recently met at Austin honky tonk The Broken Spoke. Stewart joined them for the last few songs of their set and he fit right in as if he’d been playing with them forever.
Serving up ’70s-style folk/pop/rock full of great harmonies and beautiful melodies, Oracle Sisters absolutely charmed the crowd on this laid back Saturday afternoon.