Day: 24 March 2010

SXSW 2010: Day Three – Stimulus Party + Nuke the Soup (19.03.10)

Friday brought with it one of the craziest days in my role as a journalist. I took care of many of the interviews you’ll soon be reading and watching on the AU review. Thankfully, it also happened to be stunningly beautiful weather. I began the day sitting down with An Horse by the beautiful Austin river, as…

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SXSW 2010: Day Two – Ray Davies (The Kinks) + The 88 + Roky Erickson with Okkervil River – La Zona Rosa (18.03.10)

To have the opportunity to see a great like Ray Davies is not something that comes around too often – let alone in a room with a capacity of around 1,000 people, and supported by the great band The 88. So it was to this showcase I headed to half-way through The Soft Pack’s set…

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SXSW 2010: New Zealand Party feat. Gin Wigmore and Stubb's feat. The Besnard Lakes and The Soft Pack (18.03.10)

Next-door to Sounds of Spain, a 42 below sponsored New Zealand party was pumping along, and the one woman machine that is Bachelorette was enjoying the stage. Recently supporting Animal Collective on their Australian tour, I have had the opportunity to witness Annabel Alpers in action, and was wholly impressed in the encounter. As such,…

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SXSW 2010 – Day Two – Introduction, SXSW Block Party and Sounds of Spain Showcase feat. Amaral (18.03.10)

It took a great deal of effort to get me out of my bed on my second day of SXSW. After heavy drinking, eating and almost 40 hours of no sleep, I had a good deal of catching up to do. You feel bad when you sleep in at SXSW – there’s always so much…

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SXSW 2010: Day One – Nas and Damian “Jr Gong” Marley + Dillinger Escape Plan – Emo's Main Room (17.03.10)

I ended my first day at SXSW at Emo’s Main Stage, catching the end of the only hard rock band I’d have the chance to see at the festival – New Jersey’s Dillinger Escape Plan (pictured below). Those who know me will know that they’re not my sort of band, but I felt myself sucked…

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SXSW 2010: Day One – Warp Records Showcase – PVT and Born Ruffians (17.03.10)

At the Warp Records showcase at The Pheonix, I caught the end of Pivot (pictured above and below), their set jam packed with new material. Yes boys and girls, the Sydney/Perth via London three-piece are back, and you better believe they sound better than ever. They ended the night with “O Soundtrack to my Heart”…

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SXSW 2010: Day One – Canadian Blast + Hype Machine's Lose Control 2 feat. Spleen United and Solid Gold (17.03.10)

As the afternoon moved along, I next checked out the Canadian Blast BBQ in Brush Park, catching the Montreal electro-hip-hop outfit Radio Radio. Singing in Acadian French, the trio were in town promoting their third LP Belmundo Regal. Their take on hip-hop is modern and inspired, and I found myself connecting with their music through…

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SXSW 2010: Day One – Introduction and Broken Bells (17.03.10)

Austin, Texas. Not a place most people outside of North America would attribute to being one of the world’s leading cultural meccas. Not a place I ever expected to visit. But sure enough, stuck in the middle of a state known the world over for is pro-war, pro-death penalty and pro-Bush stance, is a little…

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