Three Bands From SXSW 2013 That Left Me Wanting More
SXSW has come to an unfortunate end, but thankfully there were three new acts that left me completely impressed. All three of these bands are relatively new to my music queue and their live sets were my first real exposure to their music. Here are the three bands from SXSW that left me wanting more — AKA CRAZY emerging talent!
On paper I should not like Twenty One Pilots. A band with reggae/hip hop influences is not normally what I’m attracted to and their album was an okay for me. I gave it a few listens and appreciate their fresh approach to music and could see their obvious talent. At the Warner Sound showcase with headliner Paramore I became a Twenty One Pilots fan. The duo from Ohio was charismatic, confidant and put on a fantastically entertaining live set. Front man Tyler Joseph delivered his vocals and rap verses’ effortlessly, played the piano and the ukulele, and climbed the stage’s scaffolding in the same fashion Adam Lazzara of Taking Back Sunday has become known for. Drummer Josh Dun gave an impressive showing keeping the energy up with his furious drumming.
If you want to take a look at what why offer live, check out this collaboartive durm solo.
The 1975 was vaguely familiar to me before I saw them play. A friend recommend I check them out during the festival – and afterward I realized I had read about them here on the site. Go figure! Well the UK foursome were fantastic. Initially I was unsure by the look of the band about the kind of sound that was going to come from their Marshall speakers. I would have guessed a much grungier/punk sound, but their rock/pop/electronic/indie sound was a dancing delight. After the show I approached Matthew Healy, the singer/guitarist to tell him how impressed I was and he shyly thanked me for checking them out. Word on the 6th street is tons of labels have had their eyes on these guys.They are currently signed to Vagrant Records in the US and hopefully will make it to LA soon.
Take a look at their music video for the single, “Sex”.
This band had great timing. They played an adjacent stage to Ghost Beach at Maggie Mae’s, they were right under my nose. I was with a friend who recently became a fan, so we stuck around to see their set. The Australian natives had an interesting indie/rock energy that at times tribal/rhythmic influence. The front man gave off a Jesse Lacey esq mystic that made them even more interesting. Instrumentally they had bursts of energy that left you with a rush. Gold Fields is the perfect kind of band to see live as your first exposure, they didn’t disappoint. They had attracted a huge crowd by the end of their set, and it was well deserved
Here is their music video for the single, “Dark Again.”
So please give these bands some attention and let me know what you think. #musicrules
Who do you think is going to break out this year?
Let’s talk music, let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
