Hugh Cornwell at SXSW 2007 |
Here is my take on some of the bands I saw on day 1 of SXSW 2007. Bands and musicians reviewed are Foils, David Vandervelde, Hot Club de Paris, the Boggs, Seoul Electric Band, the Dirty Skirts, Monsters are Waiting, Hugh Cornwell, and Vehicular. Ratings are given as stars.
Foils ****
The Foils from Oxford, England tore through a 45 minute set of the best Punk Funk I’ve heard since Gang of Four.
David Vandervelde ***
David Vandervelde was here to remind us that the truest, most primal and addictive properties of rock 'n' roll are ageless. Hailing from Chicago, Mr. V rocked the house.
Hot Club de Paris ***
This hot indie band from Liverpool played a short set of skewed tunes with great harmonies and a keen since of humor.
The Boggs ***
The Boggs are a group of street musicians from Brooklyn who know how to make a killer rock and roll stone soup. Take a pinch of bluegrass, folk, blues and country, throw them into a pot, and boil them down to their gizzards.
Seoul Electric Band (Seoul Korea) ½ *
I could see these guys on a cheap Korean cruise ship or Holiday Inn lobby.
The Dirty Skirts (Cape Town, South Africa) ****
http://www.thedirtyskirts.com/
Catchy sing-a long-pop with a jagged edge. Cheap Trick would be proud.
With a top of the charts hit in South Africa, the Dirty Skirts wear their 80s new wave influences on their sleeve, or should I say, tight bright orange pants. By updating the 80s thing with their high energy pop punk, they gave the few in attendance at this early show just the right jolt to start off their evening music marathon..
Monsters are Waiting ***
http://myspace.com/monstersarewaiting
Sultry vocals clash with distorted, slashing guitar driven by a mad man drummer was just right.
Hugh Cornwell ***
http://www.hughcornwell.com
http://www.myspace.com/hughcornwell
When I entered the Elysium to catch up with Hugh Cornwell it was déjàvu. Hadn’t I pulsated on the dance floor in this club twenty years ago? Wasn’t this the hottest gay disco in Austin? Then as the crew worked to prepare for Hugh the DJ turned up the techno and a lone transvestite spun like a tornado on the dance floor, skirt flaring out under the mirrored disco ball. Nice.
Hugh Cornwell, the original guitarist, singer and main songwriter for the Stranglers, looked dapper in his cool grey suit. With an acoustic guitar he mesmerized his fans, many, including me, who saw him thirty years ago at Club Foot in Austin.
His set included classics like "No More Heroes," "Nice & Sleazy," "Duchess," "Golden Brown," "Always the Sun," and "Goodbye Toulouse." Who would believe thirty years later, the punk attitude of
Hanging Around had morphed into a friendly campfire style sing-a-long song.
But, we loved it. Newer songs off his forthcoming album sounded great. "Picked Up by the Wind" and "Do Right by You" - and "24/7" with its clever Bob Dylan theme - only confirmed that Hugh is the man.
Vehicular ***
http://www.myspace.com/vehicular
The Austin hip hop act Vehicular was a nice surprise. I found them as I hobbled toward my car after 2 AM. The crowd loved them and kept them on stage until nearly 2:30. You really have to see them to understand, but can you picture Pee Wee Herman spitting out words faster than a pissed off women on speed?
