SXSW RECAP: THE BEST OF SXSW

Photo by Samantha Marble. For more photos see Brooklyn Vegan's Pizza Party Wrap Up.

by The WZAd (ATX)

Protip for anybody going to South by Southwest next year: make sure you get yourself fluids and nutrients at regular intervals every day. Don’t make the same mistake I did and forget to eat and drink, especially if you plan on spending an extended amount of time in the sun headbanging and fighting hipsters off your back.

Despite the occasional dizzy-spell though, SXSW was a lot of fun. I got to see nearly every band I wanted to (Dillinger Escape Plan, well, escaped me), I met a lot of cool people in bands and in the metal community (hello: Matt, Mark, Andy, Luke, Faiza, Sam, Fred, Rich, Grace, Kat, Chris and many others!) and I did all of it for free. If you followed my awesome guide to SXSW, you did similarly!

Here, I want to highlight a few bands that really brought it to SXSW this year in terms of performance, some of them doing so multiple times. These are bands you should be looking out for now; if they come near you, don’t miss them and don’t skimp on the merch.

The first band that really blew me away this year was Philly’s Javelina. The currently label-less (!!) sludge-dealers played harder and with more vigor than the last time I saw them, and the crowd loved it. I loved it. Javelina are one of the better sludge bands out there right now, and if you have a chance to see them on tour with Howl, take that opportunity.

I also had the pleasure of seeing Landmine Marathon about three times in the course of two days. While the rest of the band kicked ass, Grace Perry was the epicenter of the performance, doing her insane crazy-dance and starting the first pit I saw at SXSW. She even managed to tear a hole in my Brutal Truth shirt while I was wearing it, something I’m more thrilled than bummed about. I bought a Landmine Marathon T in approval.

Speaking of killer femetal singers, Salome put on the most upbeat doom metal show I’ve ever seen. Playing material from both their self-titled and their split with Thou, the band got the crowd moving in ways I never expected might happen. Aaron Deal, the band’s drummer, was the nicest person I’ve seen grace the Emo’s indoor stage. At the same time, Katherine Katz brought out more audience cheers than any other performer that day when she slowed down and did those low-pitched death-growls she’s so good at.

My buddies in Dallas grindcore act Kill the Client knocked together more than a couple skulls the few times I saw them. That band is one that simply doesn’t compromise or slow down – when they’re playing you can either keep up or get out. At our Pizza Party, they played an especially good set to a tiny venue, and they used that to their advantage. Champ Morgan, their vocalist, climbed to the top of the roof during one of the songs and finished it from up there before coming back down again and pushing some ninny kids around.

Almost immediately afterwords at our show, Trash Talk showed up and proceeded to knock everybody on their asses. Say what you will about the crowd they attract, but the band knows how to make good hardcore. This was one of the few times during SXSW where I jumped into a successful pit and felt good about it. After throwing a few hipsters to the ground, who wouldn’t? It made the bloody knee and ripped jeans all the more worthwhile.

While I’m on a hardcore/grindcore kick, let me mention how sick it was to see Hatred Surge and The Endless Blockade back-to-back. What made it even more sick was the setting – I saw them at a soon-to-be bingo hall where my school’s radio station, KVRX, was holding their free SXSW show called “KVRXPLOSION.” I say “bingo hall,” but “warehouse” is really more accurate. A wall with glass windows and doors divided the area into two rooms where two bands would alternately set up and play. While Hatred Surge and The Endless Blockade were setting up, a twee indie band played in the other room.

Hatred Surge started screaming feedback from the floor while the crowd surrounded the band, ready. Some people waited and stared from behind the glass windows, either unsure of what to make of the band, or absolutely sure that they didn’t want to take part in any of it. They played. A pit erupted. It was brutal. Next, Endless Blockade set up their noise and went at it, grindcore-style. The crowd response was more of the same. It was a good show.

Two days later, at Red 7, I got to see Bison B.C. a second time, having already seen them at the excellent ACTION! PR showcase. In the more intimate venue, Bison could really get up in people’s faces with their sludge-via-three-stringed-bass-con-flying-Vs. Did you know they have a new album coming out soon? I’m sure it’ll do something along the lines of rock and roll.

Now, let's talk about Coffinworm. These guys played our show, and it was literally the best performance I saw of all SXSW (with the powerviolence double-team in close second). Crammed in the backyard of a pizza store off of 6th street, with the sun beating down on us, the band encapsulated the playing area in a bubble of dark, inescapable sludge. They were literally the heaviest band that played all week, and I feel bad for everybody that had to miss them. Their debut drops soon via Profound Lore, so don’t waste any time thinking about whether or not you should get it. You should.


Video by Brooklynvegan, head to their video page to see more from our show and others.

Finally, I’d like to thank everybody involved in our killer show at Hoek’s Death Metal Pizza, starting with Fred Pessaro of Brooklynvegan and Rich Hall of 1000 Knives. These guys made everything happen, and because of that we put on what may have been the best show all week. I’d also like to thank all the bands that played: Speedwolf, The Funeral Pyre, Book of Black Earth, Landmine Marathon, The Atlas Moth, Zoroaster, Coffinworm, Kill the Client and Trash Talk. Everybody did an amazing job and we were floored by every performance. To everybody who showed up: thanks for coming out! Hopefully we can do something like this next year.

If you saw something else you liked at SXSW that you want to share, or you went to our show, let us know in the comments!