A Taiwanese singer song writer born in 2000 (making me feel old), Lucy started off the Taiwan Beats night at Elysium with a handful of catchy tracks that were highlighted by their playfulness and accentuated with Lucy’s charm on stage.
Featuring one word song titles like “Cactus” and “Cocktail”, she got the crowd into each track. A surprise for me was her take on Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” – transforming the tune to a dramatic sweeping ballad. Most of the time I hate covers that transform the song, but this one I appreciated.
The fun set ended with the song “Oh Hey”, which had a nice call and response and absolutely sounds like a hit. Check her out.
In town to help promote the new Manchester based music festival and conference Beyond The Music, taking place from October 11-14, you could argue that legendary Mancunian act New Order was the headliner for the festival.
Even if they were not, it will be hard for any acts to top the 90 minute set of bangers that New Order put out on Monday night (most bands at SXSW are given 40 minutes)
Having seen New Order four times now (including last September on their tour with Pet Shop Boys) so I pretty much knew what to expect including knowing the song order down to a tee (predictable due to the use of visuals)
You would think that would have diminished it for me- NOPE! Starting with their 2000 hit “Crystal”, the band took the packed crowd at Moody on a journey through their expansive discography of hits. Predictably, the best responses were for “Bizarre Love Triangle”, “True Faith”, “Temptation” and of course “Blue Monday”. Who else can say they saw New Order play “Blue Monday” on a Monday? We can. Everyone was singing along to every song and it was one big dance party.
As per usual, the encore was dedicated to Joy Division and on this occasion we got more than the one tune we got at the Toronto show. “Atmosphere” and “Transmission” were added to the inevitable “Love Will Tear Us Apart”, which I personally love even if it does hit differently without Ian Curtis’ deep voice.
90 minutes of dancing, nostalgia and fun for the sold out crowd – what more can you ask for to kick off SXSW?
For more info about the festival they were here to promote click here.
It’s not every day that you hear a band singing the praises of Mad Max: Fury Road as a part of their stage banter, but that’s exactly what Glasgow alt rockers Dead Pony did on Monday night during their midnight set as part of that night’s British Music Embassy programming. And truth be told, that may have played some small part in ultimately selling me on the band. That, and their appreciation for a certain Canadian popstar.
“We wrote this song after seeing Mad Max, the reboot,” said singer Anna Shields at one point. “Have you seen it? It’s a great fucking film.” That sort of off the cuff film fandom, addressing the crowd as if we were all just friends, may have been what endeared the band to me, but of course there’s much more to the band than their affection for post-apocalyptic action flicks. Not the least of which is Shields’ energy onstage as a frontwoman. And offstage for that matter – she initiated several audience invasions over the course of their roughly 30 minute set.
The band also dropped a somewhat unexpected cover song into their set midway through – a cover of Nelly Furtado’s “Maneater” that fit in pretty well with the band’s M.O. of mixing chunky riffage with poppy vocals and melodies.
Going to see a band called Rotting Christ on a Sunday night seems rather heretical.
This is, of course, kind of the point. It’s also rather fitting as the Greek black metallers are currently touring behind their latest album The Heretics, an album which one might be tempted to brand a concept album if not for the fact that pretty much every Rotting Christ album has dealt with the exact same concept. But hey, it’s a concept that’s been working for them since the late 1980s, so clearly the whole heresy thing is a winning formula.
Arriving at the venue just in time to catch the tail end of UADA’s set, I was surprised at the quick turnaround between acts and I didn’t have to wait too long until Carach Angren took to the stage. And once they got on stage, it also didn’t take too long for the band to egg the crowd on to take things to the next level. After playing only one song, vocalist Dennis “Seregor” Droomers decided it was time for the sold out crowd to get a wall of death going in the pit.
“I don’t think you believe enough,” he said, adding, “I know it’s packed but I’m not asking – I’m fucking telling!” He would later try to hype the crowd up just a bit more, asking, “Are you ready for a little more aggression? A little more speed?” It’s safe to say that yes, the bulk of the crowd was indeed ready for that.
The crowd was clearly also ready for Rotting Christ, who took to the stage around 10:30. Perhaps a bit late for my old ass on a Sunday night when I’ve got to get up for work in the morning, but the band made it worth my while. Vocalist Sakis Tolis is an engaging frontman and he and the band impressed with a dramatic, energetic performance, with tracks like “Societas Satanas”, “Non Serviam” and “The Raven” standing out as highlights.
