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Serj Tankian plays surprise SXSW show

System Of A Down man plays piano set

Serj Tankian played a surprise solo set tonight (March 13) at Stubb's as part of the Body Of War show at SXSW in Austin, Texas.

After a series of appearances from little-known solo artists at the venue, Tankian suddenly took the stage at 8pm and played three songs on piano.

Tankian opened his set with 'Elect The Dead', before playing 'Honking Antelope' then 'Sky Is Over', after which he gave out a message of conservation.

"We don't consider ourselves part of the environment," he said. "Because we think we're too important to consider ourselves animals. We're only just beginning to realise the impact of the environment on our collective lives."

Tankian left the stage to mass cheers as the venue began to fill with fans who had been queuing for hours to get into the venue.

NME.COM is bringing you full coverage of SXSW as it happens. Head to the NME SXSW page now for all the latest news, galleries and blogs direct from the festival.

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