Yesterday morning I skipped breakfast and went straight for the humble pie. I was down the front taking a few snaps of Quincy Jones. They played this 10 minute movie about his life before he come on stage to talk, damn, even Princess Di would have felt like she’d had an empty and useless life after watching that.
Although I drew the line at the photo of the big QJ hanging with Celine Dion. I mean, I like a power ballad, but that moose should have sank with the Titanic. Bonnie Tyler all the way.
Back over at Emo’s Enter Shikari had a new drummer. I’m sure the new dude is a nice guy, but the old gurning motherfucker was cool. Shikari really tore it up, mental as hell crowd, even the new stuff went down seriously well.
After getting some dinner I walked down 6th St. My Bronx radar kicked into gear as I heard ”Young Bloods being banged out somewhere, I ran like a dumb teenager from the bloke with the chainsaw, managed to get down the front, take a few snaps and shout the lyrics from ‘Knifeman’ at full pelt, before getting beer poured over my head and losing my voice.
On my way out of the gig I bumped into Anvil making their way in to catch Gallows.
The thing about SXSW is that almost every thing is shambolic, running late and you can guarantee seeing some roadie sticking wires into a 4way, having forgotten to go to Maplins for a transformer. So having heard Little Boots was going on early, I headed over to bar Malverde, which was on the far edge of downtown, and populated by people that make your average ‘Vice’ subscriber look like Nora Batty.
Telepathe played before Little Boots. I wish I had telepathy, I would have stayed on the other side of town (just kidding). I’m sure they’re nice people and give blood, but one thing kept going round in my head their entire set, WHERE ARE THE BRONX PLAYING NEXT? More The Bronx’s fault than Telepathe’s.
Telepathe had 2 synchronised dancers though, all was forgiven.
Little Boots finally made it to stage two hours after I initially arrived, even Victoria Hesketh herself was shouting at the road crew ‘WHEN CAN I PLAY, I’M BORED?’
Next stop NME’s showcase night, and with Little Boots going on late, I managed to catch the last two songs of Frank Turner, I also managed to sing every glorious word to ‘The Balland Of Me And My Friends’. What a tune, in my top 10 of all time.
Wild Beasts walked on to their first ever gig in the US, and it was a packed house too, with people in the street watching from outside. I’ve seen them a few times before and never really got them, but tonight they were pretty special. And every where I went for the rest of the evening people were agreeing.
Hatcham Social up next and I only had time to catch a few songs before having to head over to see Heartsrevolution at the Beauty bar.
Hearts were being watched by various members of The Bronx and Albert The Rapper.
Of course Heartsrevolution went on late, but I didn’t mind too much, they were pretty fun to watch. Only problem is I had to get across town to catch Black Lips, and so I made it to venue just in time to hear ‘THANK YOU GOOD NIGHT!’. Shit.
Primal Scream were on after them, so I stuck around, and so it seemed did half of Texas. Mental packed, I ended up shooting the band one handed while grabbing hold of the PA stack with the other hand, tip toes balancing on the edge of a big drop. Shit way to watch the band, never mind taking photo’s. They were ace by the way.
I believe that was it for the day, thank God. My feet feel like that bird from ‘Misery”s been at ’em.