So, Mike speaking here. I’m sitting in Austin-Bergstrom Airport at the end of my second SXSW. I’ve got the cans on to drown out the sound. You can’t knock it, there’s 3 live bands playing in the airport departure lounge on the Monday after it’s all over, but I need to concentrate. On the way into the airport, a well-dressed local guy randomly asked me if I’d been in town for “SouthBy”. I guess I’ve got the thousand yard stare, but his coming up to chat apropos of nothing is typical of this liberal and overwhelmingly friendly city (apart from those religious fuckers, more on that later). Checking my luggage, the desk agent, another smart guy in his forties, asks “who’dya see bra’h, how’s it gone?” and he’s not just making small talk, he’s actually interested.
The first set belonged to the Kopecky Family Band, a seven-piece folk rock band out of Nashville, and an excellent start to my SX. Whilst technically not related, I’ve read this is a very tight-knit group personally and it shows when they play. KFB weaves complex rhythms and sounds around bursting vocals and punchy hooks. It was my first time seeing them and it certainly won’t be the last.
Mike: The fun part was seeing TJF’s tour manager, a sterling guy called Andy, trying to work out how to get Matt Thomas’ drum kit onto a diagonal stage that tapered to nothing. I spotted Ritzy Bryan over the back of the stage, being chatted to by some industry type, and you could see even from that distance how hard he was trying to impress, cheesy tooth smile flashing in the semi-darkness. TJF are big news over here. Eventually Andy’s work was done and Matt’s throne was installed. If truth be told, it was done bang on time, as were most things that week. If an event stated it was going to start at 9.15, it damn well did. I’d missed the previous band, but Peter told me they had been prima donnas setting up, and the venue stage manager had told them “you’re on in five or you’re not on at all”. Brutal at times, as we were to see later, but necessary when there’s something like a thousand bands and a hundred venues.
The Joy Formidable hit the stage bang on time for what was to be the first of six SXSW performances to kick off a 55 date tour. It was a corporate event, a nice venue, more like the bar of a smart hotel, but they played a blistering gig. They clearly and obviously buoyed and brimming, totally up for it, as they launched into a nine-song set fitting their status as headliners (most of time at SX you get six songs). The mood was happy, not aggressive, no guitars were thrown, although familiar faces got tapped smartly on the head with Rhyd Dafydd’s bass. Ouch!
Peter: I think I received a hug. No ouch there. This first set covered all the hits, but included ‘I Don’t Want To See You Like This’ which was the only time we’d hear that song during SX. Overall, it was a very high-energy set, especially from Ritz. I did fear that Matt’s monstrosity of a drum cage would slide off the stage into Mike and me.
Mike: That – TJF being (very) familiar faces – illustrates an ongoing dilemma for anyone going to SXSW. Of course you go in order to see people you wouldn’t normally have the chance to, but when you’ve got people you know playing, and love, it’s more difficult. It wasn’t just TJF either, Deaf Club, who I’d last said hi to in a car park 10 miles from my house in North Wales, were also playing. There was going to have to be some balance achieved.
It was then out into the night to say proper hellos to Peter and Pam who’d I’d last seen a year ago in Austin. It’s great when music forges friendships, isn’t it? Post-gig we had to make the schlep out to Buda, a town half an hour out, where we booked hotels defensively to the frankly disgusting profiteering in town. The place I’d stayed last year by the airport was now charging $400 a night for a $100 room. Way-to-go Microtel, but it’s wrong to single you out, all the chains were doing it. Somehow it was suddenly 4am and I’d been on the go since 4am UK time, 30 hours ago. We crashed. Four hours later I was up and awake, worryingly bright as a button.
Tuesday
Band number one of the night was someone I hadn’t seen before, Io Echo, out of LA. Aesthetically, they’ve got a faux Japanese thing going on. In fact they use some Japanese instruments in their recordings, but the idea confuses and conflicts with their sound which was a long way in the direction of electro-goth. I liked them, enough that they’re on my list to seek out when I get home. Singer Ioanna Gika’s sweatshirt, the one decorated with acid smileys that she had under the well-worn kimono gave more clue to the dancey vibe.
Peter: This was my first time seeing Io Echo and I was impressed. Having known them primarily for their hits, this set gave us proper insight into what was a shoegazey synth-driven pop and rock fusion that at times truly tingled the auditory senses. You call it electro-goth, but I heard vestiges of epic Zeppelin pouring from the amp cabinets at several points in the set. The electronica presentation merely updated the compositions and arrangements to present time in a way that work very well.
Mike: Still getting acclimatised, I’d decided that I wanted to see DIIV and Marnie Stern at the Mohawk. It’s a venue with an indoor and outdoor stage, of which the latter was going to be the venue for Iggy Pop later in the week. Fancy seeing those big acts like Iggy? Forget it. What typically happens for Iggy, and Prince, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, is that there is a raffle amongst holders of the $700 silver and platinum badges.
Anyway, back to tonight. DIIV were slotted to play the indoor stage, Marnie Stern outdoors, so we flashed our new wristbands and headed inside. Problem was that despite my best “coming through!” foghorn tendencies, honed by years of gig going, the indoor stage was just too packed, and the throng pressed right round the bar so you couldn’t even see it in any shape or form. We gave up and decided instead to catch whoever happened to be on the outdoor stage before Marnie. It was a lot easier out there, despite the early evening drunks, and we snagged a decent spot. Out come the band, and it was Io Echo who we’d just seen! We decided to hang on. They were still good, all smoke and drama, even if Ioanna did fling her mic stand to the ground at just the same point in the set.
Peter: The whole Marnie Affair gave rise to thoughts of other putrid acts I’d seen in Austin in previous years. Considering that gaining access to play at SX is partially a juried process, it makes me wonder just how much effort it takes to be a SX artist. Entrants need a demo of their band and act and must be financially sound and technically prepared to commit to the event, but the jury certainly has no idea how these artists might sound in a live setting versus their studio demos. Marnie was a good case in point. Bands coming to SX should have their technical issues sorted in advance and that includes things like giving amps a tune up before hitting the road. The aforementioned buzz was coming from the bass players amp, which had clearly not been road ready. Meanwhile, Marnie’s stage presence gave us a quick indication that there were probably more worthy acts to catch in the waning hour of the evening, especially from women not so concerned with their noisy personal cheese. As for the recommendation on Marnie, the word “no” sprouts to mind. As a guitar player, I’ll have to take issue with her alleged guitar talent — it was a second rate fret tapping technique that average teenage kids tackle in their early guitar lessons. Nothing special here. Move along, move along.
– Mike Hughes and Peter Dysart
Check out Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV and Part V of Mike and Pete’s gripping serialized coverage of SXSW 2013.
This delightful article is being simultaneously published with more of Mike’s classic photos at www.godisinthetvzine.co.uk, an awesome UK site. Please check out their offerings and bookmark the site for frequent returns.
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