Props to Perez, his closing night party was the hotness. What you lost in Duffy you gained in N*E*R*D*. And this time, we really could see all the girls waiting in the line for the bathroom.

The party went on til 6am, when it transmuted into a bizarre lo fi warehouse situation. We cornered Perez for our own special blog-off. And it had all been going so well...

Everybody, remember Iglu and Hartly's name. From Los Angeles, they're like Beastie Boys with added sex to replace the seriousness, all topped off with a Kraftwerky electronic sheen. They're rude, camp and fabulous and their song 'In This City' is an anthem in the making. They might not have been the coolest of the SXSW buzz bands, but they're one of the most fun.

The British contingent wasn't quite as huge as it has been in the past - all the better to catch amazing new US turns like A Place To Bury Strangers and White Denim. But the UK compadres who did come out made even bigger strides, like Louis Walsh's new favourite band Los Campesinos! - who doubled their fun by recruiting even more celebrity contributers for their fanzine.

Michael Stipe went to see them, you know.

One of the buzziest Brit bands this time round are Manchester's The Whip, who've played five shows and are making some interesting headway with the US labels. We're busy deleting libellous material from our chat with the boys from the band, so for now, check out drummergirl Fiona at their show at the Sansa playground, inbetween fending off the amorous advances of Har Mar Superstar.

SXSW isn't just about music, you know. It's also about election fever, like most of America right now. These new friends of ours have been trying to be push an outside candidate ahead of Obama in the Primaries... Britney Spears!