Blind Pilot at SXSW 2009 - more photos... photo by jeff barringer - staff photographer

by Harrison Davis - club kingsnake staff

I had always heard how exhausting SXSW is and all of my past experiences being limited to the day shows, I always just assumed that those people were just whining. They were not. It is rough, but it’s also an incredible experience.

My day started with Portland based indie folk band Blind Pilot. I caught them completely by accident and they really impressed me. They were a primarily acoustic band with one keyboard. I really enjoyed the use of a vibraphone to create atmosphere. The keyboard played also brought out his trumpet several times, and every time he did it really reminded me of Neutral Milk Hotel.

We Were Promised Jetpacks at SXSW 2009 - more photos... photo by jeff barringer - staff photographer

The next band I saw was We Were Promised Jetpacks from Glasgow, Scotland. They were a fantastic indie band that I think was the best I saw in the day. Their catchy hooks and high energy had the crowd going just about immediately. I’m hoping I catch them again later this week.

After those two bands in the Emo’s tent, I walked over to the outdoor stage to see one of my favorite local bands, The Strange Boys. I walked in about midway through their set and found that they had really tightened up as a band. Their punk blues sound was clearly impressing out-of-towners who had never heard of The Strange Boys. It was my third time seeing them, and I still want more.

Deer Tick at SXSW 2009 - more photos... photo by jeff barringer - staff photographer

After Strange Boys, I went right back to the tent that I started at to catch the second half of the Providence, Rhode Island band Deer Tick. I had heard a considerable amount of hype for the band before the festival so I was really looking forward to seeing them. I felt that they were a little sloppy live, but I suspect that they’re fantastic on record. They had an interesting sound that combined several genres of music including rock, folk, country, and blues. I hope to see them again after they’ve had some time to tighten up a bit.

The last band I saw during the day shows was New York’s Easy Star All-Stars. They are dub bands who specialize in covering rock songs. It was amusing to hear Pink Floyd and Radiohead as dub songs, and I wish there had been more, but this set focused on covering The Beatles. The reggae Lovely Rita was cool, but the complete lack of original material was disappointing. They are a very talented band; they just need to branch out a little.

Gallows at SXSW 2009 - more photos... photo by jeff barringer - staff photographer

After taking a short break, I was ready to start the night shows. The first band was London punk band, Gallows. It was absolutely the best show of the day, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up being the best show I see all week. The singer barely made it through the first chord before he jumped off-stage and sang and jumped right in the middle of the crowd. He desperately tried to get a pit going but it never really worked out. He expressed his disappointment in the crowd several times, making fun of ‘industry’ people for not being able to let loose. His disappointment in the crowd was certainly not returned to the band. The crowd may not have moshed, but they loved every second of the show.

The next band was HR Band. They are the solo project Paul Hudson, best known as the front man for legendary punk band Bad Brains. The crowd got into him very quickly just based off of who he was. He gave a very mellow, reggae based. HR didn’t move around much, but he sounded great. The crowd didn’t move around much either, until HR closed with the Bad Brains classic “Pay to Cum”. The moment the song started, the crowd erupted into a massive pit. It was pretty awesome to see, and even better to be a part of.

We then went from one punk legend to another. The Circle Jerks had the crowd from the very beginning as they stormed through their many hardcore punk classics. The pit that Gallows had tried to get was in full force for The Circle Jerks. The band tore through an incredibly high energy with such force that you would never be able to guess that they’ve been doing it for years. The set list included several hardcore punk classics like “Wild in the Streets” and “Behind the Door”. The crowds energy was at its highest point of the night through the whole set. It was fantastic.

The Circle Jerks marked the end of the punk part of the night. The next band was LA’s Juliette and the New Romantiques. Fronted by actress/musician Juliette Lewis, they were easily the band that I was least excited for that night. The band was nothing special but I didn’t hate it. I felt that it was generic, forgettable rock. From what I heard in the crowd, most were just as disinterested as me.

Then the night’s headliners took the stage, seminal ‘80’s post-punk band Echo & The Bunnymen. The band was extremely well received from the second they took the stage opening with the classic 1980 track “Going up”. The band continued to drift through their vast catalogue in an extremely tight fashion. The band sounded fantastic through the whole set, the highlight of which was “Killing Moon”, one of my favorite ‘80’s songs. By the time the band went back on stage for their encore, I was completely exhausted so I left a song or two short of the finish of the set, hoping to grab a couple hours of sleep before another full day of music the next day.

Echo And The Bunnymen at SXSW 2009 - more photos... photo by jeff barringer - staff photographer