SXSW Music News - It’s started…
There’s no mistaking that the South By South West festival is underway. The first big event that got people exited was the Fader party - traditionally a big deal - which featured The Mae Shi, The Whip, Jeremy Jay, The Kills, The Ruby Suns, Chikita Violenta, Does It Offend You Yeah? Pandemonium Jones and a huge bunch of music industry people looking like lobsters due to sunburn thanks to the extreme temperatures (which isn't the name of a band on the bill*)
Plus Ed Harcourt and Van Morrison (oh yes) played earlier today. Someone also told me they saw The Vines, which was news to me as I thought they'd spilt up ages ago due to an extensive public lack of public interest. Then again, he didn’t say where he saw them. So maybe they were serving behind a bar.
In terms of gigs, The Domino Records night starts very soon, and that’s big news. The queue for the event is already several hundred metres long, composed of over-excited fans of the label that’s home to Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand.
On this evening’s line up are White Williams, Lightspeed Champion, Sons & Daughters, The Kills (no sign of Kate Moss by the way) and These New Puritans - all of whom are expected to rock at least reasonably hard.
But that’s not all, as R.E.M’s intimate show is kicking off later - with the band themselves taking the stage at midnight.
Okay, so we’ve spoken to a bunch of musicians that have been playing over the four day event. And as a general catch-all up about the state of their state of mind, we can let you know that Dev from Lightspeed Champion seems confused about how to get into any of the gigs, Sons & Daughters came to SXSW a few years ago so they already know where to get the best chili and fries, while The Kills are being (not surprisingly) very nonchalant about the whole thing.
And to hear interviews from all that lot, listen in to the Music Week South By South West Special this Sunday from 1pm.
As for the hottest tipped of the hotly tipped new bands, people have been chatting about this lot: from New York, (who’re on at the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Introducing night), Brighton’s , US anti folk hero , and apparently people are getting very excited about .
Have a listen. Make up your own mind. And let us know what you think.
Anyway, i better go. Michael Stipe's on the other line.
Bless him.
Matt
* In fact, now I come to mention it, A Huge Bunch Of Music Industry People Looking Like Lobsters Due To Sunburn Thanks To The Extreme Temperatures is an awesome name for a band.
