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 town which gives places like Berlin a run for their money. And it’s from here that I’m privileged to bring you 4 days of South by Southwest (SXSW) coverage – an event which attracts punters and artists from around the world – including 29 from Australia. Over these 4 days we’ll be covering plenty of our homegrown favourites while seeing what the rest of the world has to offer!
Our SXSW coverage also will mark the first time we introduce video into our ever growing library of content. We hope you enjoy our content, in what we consider to be the most comprehensive coverage of SXSW in Australia. And now, onto the music…
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Jumping off my plane in Austin, I was accompanied by writers, photographers, bands and fans, all arriving in the fine city for one reason: South by Southwest. And arriving at 9am, following a red-eye flight from Los Angeles, I think it’s fair to say that most of us were pretty sleep-deprived too. Not the best way to start one of the most intense festivals the world has to offer, that’s for sure – but I managed to pull through, thanks to a large amount of Texas style steak sandwiches, and a drink whenever I could get my hands on one. Thanks to both of these factors, I’m able to bring you the following coverage.
One of the first “surprises” of the festival, was an impromptu AOL showcase in a carpark, featuring Broken Bells – the exciting project of The Shin’s James Mercer and “I make everyone awesome and everybody wants me” Dangermouse (who plays drums in the live show). While a “surprise”, it was simply impossible to get into the venue, leaving most of us having to watch from the road outside. And while we didn’t get a good view, we certainly heard more than enough to know that these guys kick arse. Dangermouse smashed away on the drums, and James was sounding better than ever.
It was also my first exposure to the project, as I have yet to hear the album. This is a fact I plan to amend in due time – but for now, I feel like I got a good taste. As their music drifted over Red River St, and the police started getting people down from the walls outside, I thought I’d see what else was around. I stumbled into a The Eggmen in the courtyard of a Mexican restraurant (Jaime’s Spanish Village), where I was asked if I wanted to get on the mic and sing along to their sing along to their fiddle and ukulele inspired take on classic Beatles tunes. This offer confused me, and I chose to enjoy a margarita instead, but I wonder what would have happened had I said yes…
Such is the way of SXSW – you never know what you’re going to see, you never know who you’re going to stumble into – and when this fact revolves around amazing music, I already feel at home.
