With quintessentially gorgeous Texas spring weather adding a vibrancy to the streets of Austin, the second day of SXSW music featured a truly eclectic array of acts playing at venues across town. Glide’s Neil Ferguson, Tim O’Neill, and Greg Ackerman hit the streets to sample as many of the musical goods as possible. Here are the sets that stood out…
Viagra Boys at Swan Dive
Swedish punks Viagra Boys stunned the capacity crowd on the back patio of Swan Dive with their entirely unique sound. A mash-up of punk, industrial, and New Wave topped with furious bursts of James Chance-inspired freeform saxophone flurries that could be most easily compared to Devo, especially when considering their deadpan humor and satirical lyrics. But really, Viagra Boys just sound like Viagra Boys, shrimp and all. The danceable drum and bass backbeats combined with heavy, pulsating guitar riffs and touches of synth and electric drumpad sounds made you want to move your feet and mosh all at once, yet their sound is so uniquely weird that most people in the crowd could do little more than stare in awe at the spectacle onstage. The set was mostly made up of songs off their newest album Street Worms, with odd yet catchy tunes like “Sports” and “Just Like You” showing how powerful the band’s sound is, and why their set was easily one of the most buzzed of the festival. –Tim O’Neill
Sarah Shook and the Disarmers at ABGB
One of the more exciting voices in the alt-country scene these days is Sarah Shook and the Disarmers. Her set at Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co. was perfect for a late afternoon hang as she treated the crowd to a well-paced set of songs off her two albums Years and Sidelong. Songs like “Good As Gold” and “The Bottle Never Lets Me Down” mixed a straightforward rock sound with twangy country, and Shook’s vocals are well suited for both. There wasn’t anything flashy about Shook’s set and that is what made it standout; just a sharp band playing tunes that brought the crowd to a time when alt-country was in full swing and good songwriters could be found everywhere. –Neil Ferguson
The Crack Pipes at Beerland
Austin band The Crack Pipes are from another era when this city wasn’t lined with homogenous glass condos, endless traffic, and tech bros on scooters, and it was possible to get by as a slacker in a band. Lately, the band has resurfaced with a new album called Fake Eyelashes, and though the members look a litter older and less slackerish, their set at Beerland proved their sound is still as wild as it always was. Much of the short set included songs off the new album, with vocalist Roy Colgan belting out lyrics and grooving like the bastard lovechild of James Brown and Question Mark and the Mysterians. The band veered from psychedelic boogie woogie to sleazy funk with garage rock grittiness under it all. Colgan was happy to pass the baton to his bandmates, who laid into frenzied guitar and keyboard solos and took the audience on a journey back to the days when Austin was filled with no-frills yet uber talented bar bands. –Neil Ferguson
Frederico 7 at Hard Luck Lounge
Brazilian-born Frederico Geib’s Austin-based band, Frederico 7, headlined The Cosmic Clash’s Latin artist showcase at Hard Luck Lounge. The exceptionally talented neo-soul act fuses elements of Afro-Brazilian grooves, American funk and dub reggae. The group’s guitarist, Sergio Yazbek, is a certifiable star in his home country of Brazil (he relocated to Austin five years ago). Yazbek was a member of popular Brazilian act, Cidade Negra who have sold over 10 million albums. In fact, the entire foursome is comprised of highly skilled musicians. Frederico 7 hit South By Southwest (SXSW) hard in support of new album, Exotico Americano, which dropped last month. -Greg Ackerman
Obscured By Echoes at Hard Luck Lounge
Austin’s Obscured By Echoes (OBE) came out of hiatus (lead singer Johnny Flores is completing a degree) to perform a one-off show at Hard Luck Lounge for The Cosmic Clash. The indie rockers delivered a high-energy performance, tossing in a cover of The Cure’s “Lovesong” into the setlist. If fans weren’t sure what artists influence OBE, it was clear after that delicious cover, which Flores and his band made their own. Make sure you check out their most recent album, Avidonia II: The Arrival (2017), which employs prog-rock melodies and spacey, out-of-this-world sounds and effects. It’s a gorgeous record. -Greg Ackerman
Thelma and The Sleaze at ABGB
One would be hard-pressed to speak an unkind word of Thelma and The Sleaze. After quickly getting over with their potty mouth humor, Southern charm, and introductions to songs about butt sex and fingerbangin’ the Nashville based all-female foursome proceeded to rock the socks off the midday Austin City Beer Garden crowd. A mix of organ heavy garage boogie and Sabbath-inspired headbanging guitar riffs pervaded throughout their set to the liking of all, including a few rambunctious toddlers who crawled about the ABGB floor. –Tim O’Neill
Drinking Boys and Girls Choir at Valhalla
Hailing from Daegu, South Korea, the Drinking Boys and Girls Choir made their first US appearance and played their noisy 90’s inspired pop/skate punk like they had something to prove. The youthful trio of drums, bass, and guitar blasted through their set at Valhalla with an exuberant, unbridled energy that only comes from a group who had to travel halfway across the world to get to the gig. Although it may have been their first time in the states the bands’ reputation seemed to have proceeded itself as the crowd was fired up from the get-go and their set culminated with some playful moshing and Seo Bondo spinning his homemade guitar made from an old skateboard through the air as a sort of punk rock kickflip. –Tim O’Neill
Oh Antonio and his Imaginary Friends at Hard Luck Lounge
Vintage popsters, Oh Antonio and his Imaginary Friends might not be the most suave band in the world, but the nerdy hipster Antonio Delgado has put together a fun, irreverent band that makes good music in the vein of They Might Be Giants and Elvis Costello. Their performance early in the day at Hard Luck Lounge lifted the audience, putting smiles on faces in the sunny, spring weather. -Greg Ackerman
All gallery photos by Maggie Boyd.
See coverage of SXSW Music Day 1!
