Day 5 of SXSW music was one final hurrah in this marathon of a music festival and there was no shortage of acts to catch. From veteran punk rockers to modern rock and roll and local Austin bands, Glide’s Neil Ferguson, Greg Ackerman, and Tim O’Neill bopped around to catch a solid mix of music.
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Psychedelic Porn Crumpets at Radio Milk
Saturday’s Radio Milk Recording Studio’s Second Annual Day Party in East Austin featured a diverse bill of bands booked by White Denim bassist Steve Terebecki including Australian neo-psych, math rockers Psychedelic Porn Crumpets. The foursome from Perth played a 45-minute set on the back-patio stage of James Petralli’s (White Denim) new studio. The Crumpets led off with simpler, intense, three-chord progressions, eventually delving deeper in to more complex rhythms while expanding outward into spacey, effects-laden, exploratory guitar work. The effect is hypnotizing yet unsettling in a way that can leave the listener uncomfortable yet unable to turn away. –Greg Ackerman
Los Coast at Side Bar
Even though the annual Athens to Austin party at Side Bar always puts a focus on bands from Georgia, this year’s event found local act Los Coast serenading the crowd packed inside this unassuming dive. Having recently signed to New West Records, the quintet is clearly catching attention beyond their home base. This was evident from the band’s set, which highlighted a handful of singles along with songs off their upcoming debut album. Singer Trey Privott seamlessly fused early Rod Stewart with a soulful Stax sound into his smokey vocals while his band turned twangy steel guitar, lush keyboards, and a thick bassy groove into psychedelic folk soundscapes. The beauty of Los Coast in the live setting is their ability to display a penchant for well-written and catchy songs while simultaneously being able to drop into a cosmic Americana jam at the drop of a dime. Their set at SXSW had the crowd buzzing with excitement about what we can expect from this band as they gear up to release their first album. –Neil Ferguson
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Boy Azooga at Radio Milk
The music discovery day that Saturday’s Radio Milk party turned out to be revealed exciting Cardiff, Wales act Boy Azooga. The synth-rock band that began as a solo project of Davey Newington has expanded to a quartet following the success of his groovy synth-pop single, “Faces Behind Her Cigarette.” Groovy, funky, rocking, and tight would all would be words to describe Boy Azooga’s blend of synth and indie rock that takes surprising turns. Newington’s latest record, 1,2 Kung fu ,dropped last year. Newington played and sang on nearly the entire album by himself in the recording process. –Greg Ackerman
The Stitches and The Briefs at Hotel Vegas
The eighth edition of Burger Records’ Burgermania was an all day and night blowout with a multitude of bands spread across four stages. Noticeably heavy on punk rock, the lineup featured plenty of chances to damage your eardrums and thrash around. One of the best moments of the night came with back-to-back sets from two legendary acts. The Stiches kicked things off with a frenzied set of bombastic tunes that found front man Mike Lohrman yipping into the mike while barreling around the stage as if possessed by the devil himself. In between smashing into his band mates – who stayed tight as hell despite the abuse – and precariously dangling the mike stand over the mosh pit, the delightfully unhinged Lohrman railed through songs off the SoCal punk outfit’s deep catalogue, bringing to mind a wilder era of music. Following this up was Seattle’s The Briefs, who touched on their entire discography and offered a poppier contrast to The Stitches. The band may have taken the cake for most songs packed into a set as they fired off tunes at breakneck speed, quickly putting to shame many of the younger acts on the bill. –Neil Ferguson
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Son of Stan at Radio Milk
Former Ben Harper and Ringo Starr drummer Jordan Richardson’s solo project, Son of Stan played the Radio Milk party to a receptive audience. The self-described Divorce Pop act delivered a fun, high-energy set of accessible pop tunes. The music felt anthemic in a 1970s, Thin Lizzy, guitar-driven and light-hearted vein. Richardson’s performance looked polished despite the casual surroundings of the neighborhood studio. This guy has played more than a few shows and has a Grammy (for Ben Harper’s 2014 album Get Up!) at home to prove his professional chops. His grungy approach to guitar pop felt appropriate to the rest of the day’s roster. –Greg Ackerman
Dirty Fences at Hotel Vegas
It’s safe to say the Hotel Vegas crowd was lubed up and ready to go by the time NYC rockers Dirty Fences hit the stage just after midnight, and their nonstop party rock was just what the doctor ordered. The Fences sounded tighter than ever as they plowed through a mix of songs from their newest album Goodbye Love and some old classics as well with hardly a moment’s pause to breathe. All four members shredded their asses off and provided vocals creating a powerful wall of pure rock n roll and the perfect party soundtrack for the miscreant Hotel Vegas dwellers. –Tim O’Neill
All gallery photos by Maggie Boyd and Arthur VanRooy.
See coverage of SXSW Music Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 and Day 4!
