March 14, 2008 23:24

The Duke Spirit bring NME day party to climactic close

The London band thrill a packed house

The Duke Spirit fought through exhaustion and a collapsed keyboard stand to bring NME's South by Southwest day party to a climactic close.

The London band were in top form this afternoon (March 14), despite having already played several showcases at the Austin festival over the past two days.

"This is our last show but we'll do our best," frontwoman Liela Moss told the packed house, before generously offering her sun cream to the audience.

The band tore through several tracks from their recent album 'Neptune', including 'Lassoo' and 'My Sunken Treasure', and broke out an autoharp and a harmonica on a few tracks.

In the middle of their final song, touring keyboardist Travis Shettel's stand collapsed, leaving him playing his instrument on the floor.

"The stand was loose and the stage was shaking and it was a little more violent than I expected," Shettel told NME.COM after the set. "I think Dan [Higgins, guitarist] was stomping too hard," he quipped.

After their set, Moss confessed to NME.COM: "I was feeling raggedy-assed and raggedy-throated, so I was worried, but it was fun and turned out great."

The Duke Spirit played:

'Send A Little Love Token'
'Lassoo'
'Dog Roses'
'Sovereign'
'Into The Fold'
'My Sunken Treasure'
'This Ship Was Built To Last'
'The Step And The Walk'
'The Love In Me'

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.