SXSW - The UK contingent
A lot of new British bands are given plane tickets dumped in the Texas Desert and then forced to play South-By-South-West (SXSW) in Austin to pay for their journey home and simultaneously try to show-off some of the best new music Britain has to offer… here’s a run down of my picks for the agenda-setting festival.
BEARSUIT
MP3: Steven Fucking Speilberg: Speeding South-Eastern indie-pop gets revved up screeching from motorway to dirt-road to railway-track looking for the line that takes them to the sea, smiling throughout knowingthey are crazy.
CAPITOL K
MP3: Drum St Song: A Tropical outlook on grey-skies - endless possibilities and endless interesting noises all try to fit together and get along. Everything.
THE IRONWEED PROJECT:
MP3: Down To My Grave: Upbeat, sideways looking Delta-Blues from Manchester. Oh Yes. Absolutely. Worth your time.
THE INDELICATES
MP3: Julia, we don’t live in the 60s: Hard-working, and honest, driving a wedge between Morrissey and Art Brut’s Eddie Argos, digging out the gold and discarding the burnt relationships and isolation found within.
THE WHIP:
MP3: Trash: Irrepressible electro pummelings. Oh America we spoil you. The Rapture may have started in America and the rapture may well be the end of America. But until that moment we just whisper in your ear: (dance and throw off your feet).
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Some of the bands I’ve written about before are attending:
EMMY THE GREAT (previously)
MP3: Emmy The Great - Easter Parade.
I WAS A CUB SCOUT (previously)
MP3: I Was A Cub Scout - Pink Sqaures
JOHNNY FOREIGNER (previously)
MP3: Johnny Foreigner - Champagne Girls I have known
NOAH AND THE WHALE (previously)
See SXSW for mp3
MAGIC ARM (previously)
MP3: Magic Arm - Move Out
Mr Magic Arm plays Cool As Folk @ Sheffield University on Tuesday: 26/02 and he is not to be missed. I’ll be there, say hi.
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I would continue to ask you to vote for me in the NME award (nominated: Best Music Blog) but as they’ve failed to send me an invitation to the awards ceremony, I’ll have to do a Speilberg and boycott. So call you local congressman/ tribal elder etc and get it sorted.
Great post!
Especially lovin’ Ironweed Project …and Capitol K, The Whip, N&tW, EtG… it’s all good, all except Bearsuit! what’s with that weak ass 96kbps bitrate? shame on them.
Speaking of shame, 650+ FB readers and so few comments–in general I mean–c’mon lurkers, show Senor Smith some blog luv.
Cool site - came here from the crimea site to download their track and think I have stumbled on a wee gem. Goodonya
Fanfarlo are playing too and I’m kind of excited to see them. Do they not count as their singer is Swedish? Or because you think they’re shit?
A post about Fanfarlo will be coming in the next week Bill.
hi Mike,
great blog!
Cheers from Italy :)
Are you coming to SXSW Mike?
My fingers are crossed for the NME award!!!
Oh! and Lis Green is playing there too! I’m not sure if you’ve ever heard about her, but in any case: http://www.myspace.com/lizgreenmusic
I meant Liz Green, sorry, finger went wrong.
Hello Italy!
Niliana, I’m afraid I won’t be heading to SXSW but I might be heading out the States next year so we’ll see.
Liz Green is great, I don’t why I haven’t written about her yet.
Also heard the Answering Machine are heading down, not sure if you’re not a fan or you’re just not heard of them, but aside from doing a lovely cover of “Dylan in the Movies” when I saw them “Lightbulbs” is brill:
http://www.myspace.com/theansweringmachine
Looks like a great British showing all in all!
I absolutely ADORE Bearsuit!
The Ironweed Project sound amazing - gonna catch them when I am there for sure!