Rock City’s basement is full by the time The Story So Far take to the stage and the room makes a lot of noise as they kick off their set with ‘Daughters’ from the album ‘Under Soil And Dirt’. A couple of songs later they play ‘Right Here’ which is a personal favourite from their newest record, ‘What You Don’t See’.

Arms and hands are being thrown in the air, and this continues as they carry on to storm through their set. The fans here clearly agree with us that The Story So Far are one of the best live bands in the world this side of 2013, as they jump around, crowd surf and go absolutely mental. Frontman Parker James Cannon is very energetic and puts his mic towards the crowd as they sing the lyrics back.

The set-list tonight has a nice mix of old songs and new. The energy levels are kept high all night with an impressive effort from both the fans and the band. This isn’t the first time for us seeing the band and we do have to say that they somehow manage to get better every time!

Finally, the band say their “thank you” and begin to leave the stage, the crowd shout out their “boo” and just as people start to leave, Parker asks if they have time for one more and everybody stops. The band finish tonight’s set with fan favourite and well known ‘Quicksand’ which quite clearly goes down very well as the fans have their last chance to sing-a-long, crowd-surf and have fun! Good stuff.

Shikari lay waste to Scarborough tonight. Before that though, The first artist on is new UK alternative hopefuls Baby Godzilla; despite their best efforts and some frighteningly energetic stage moves (good on you, guys), the fans here don’t seem too impressed, and the bar is suddenly rammed. Shame! Hacktivist are next up though, and their DJent blend of technical metal works wonders with the onlookers here. A particular favourite (of course), is the group’s cover of Jay Z and Kanye’s ‘Ni**as in Paris‘ which reverberates around the massive space. It’s great to see this young band thrive in such an environment.

When Enter Shikari take to the stage, ‘Gandhi Mate, Gandhi’ is the standout, and delightfully, everyone is drenched in each other’s sweat but they love every minute of it. With this song, there’s so much anticipation for vocalist Rou Reynolds’ rousing speech, and as he begins to screech his words of infinite wisdom, the crowd builds intense amounts of aggression before letting rip and nearly tearing the roof off the criminally under-used gig space that is Scarborough Spa and the Ocean Room.

Real props must go to the crowd who are incredibly supportive through the entire show tonight; the atmosphere has been incredible and the audience did Scarborough very proud!

We eventually get started with an unexpected encounter with balls-out (not literally) rock ‘n’ roll three-piece Those Rotten Thieves, as we catch the tail end of their set in Leeds Uni Mine – and our reward is to be treated to a song called ‘Leather Lover’. “It’s about making love in leather,” clarifies frontman Ricker, just in case you were under the illusion that it might be about a person with a fondness for soft furnishings. Joking aside, the band provide a slice of good, dumb fun to kick-start the day and wake us up a bit.

We’ve actually come to see something far more cerebral in the form of Swimming Lessons (aka Ben Lewis), who kicks things off in Leeds Uni Stylus. His set of ambient electronic dreamscapes is seamlessly woven together – it’s the sort of soothing, blissful music that makes the fact we haven’t had much sleep a lot easier to bear. After that, we kill some more time over in Mine watching pop-punkers Blackeye play a quick set. There’s potential for sure, but a little more of a grungy kick wouldn’t go amiss – as it stands, their sound is a little too bubblegum-sweet for our liking.

Leeds University proves to be a strong choice for any early attendants who were willing to make the trek, as Department M are next up in Stylus. Owen Brinley’s new project is fast becoming a favourite among the Soundsphere team, and for good reason – but those expecting more guitar-based sounds from the ex-Grammatics man might be in for a shock, as there’s not a six-string in sight (Nana’s keyboard still makes an appearance though, Grammatics fans). Owen’s sweeping falsetto is now complimented by brooding, post-industrial electronica – debut single ‘I’ll Fax You An Apology’ hums with malice, while set-closer ‘J-Hop’ matches its mantra-like vocal hook with hip-hop drumming and sinister keyboards. It’s definitely the darkest that Brinley has ever been, and it suits him well.

It wouldn’t be right for us to attend a festival this close to home without supporting some York-based talent, and fortunately we’re able to catch one of our favourite local acts Fawn Spots playing in Mine. Crashing into action with ‘Watered Down’, they put in one of their most frenetic sets to date, almost seeming to play even faster than normal in order to cram as many songs as possible into their half-hour slot. There are new songs that almost take more of a straight-up punk direction, as well as a handful of older tunes that still put a smile on our faces – the chorus riff on ‘Age Old’ in particular remains one of the most satisfying in their arsenal, while ‘Grey Arcade’ gets a fantastically ramshackle treatment. Simply put, if you haven’t been paying attention to this band, then you really should start doing so – they’re one of the best noise-pop acts in the country right now.

More Soundsphere favourites are to follow in the form of Dinosaur Pile-Up (pictured), who have the unenviable task of playing the University’s vast Refectory in the middle of the day – the home-town advantage is on their side though, and they draw a sizeable crowd. But while the songs both old (‘My Rock ‘n’ Roll’, ‘Traynor’) and new (‘Arizona Waiting’, ‘Derail’) are brilliant, they’re marred by some heavy-handed engineering. Now don’t get us wrong, we like it loud here at Soundsphere – but there are limits, and throughout the set the drums were at an ear-splittingly high volume. It’s a bit like viewing the Mona Lisa through a muddy pane of glass – you know it’s still a beautiful thing, but the experience just isn’t as enjoyable. Still, sound issues aside, all signs look good for release of the band’s new record in June.

The day’s biggest surprise comes in the form of London Grammar – it’s a surprise that we’re able to get in the venue in the first place, given how hotly-tipped they are, but a tip-off from a friend has us chancing our arm and getting to Leeds Met Uni just in time. The bigger surprise, however, is how enjoyable they are – it’s easy to look at a hyped band and immediately be sceptical, but we find ourselves beguiled by their spacious, expansive sound. The band call to mind Zola Jesus fronting The xx, with Hannah Reid’s voice finding a perfect balance between power and restraint as her bandmates conjure up swooning soundscapes around her. For once, we’re convinced to believe the hype.

After that, it’s once again time to switch gears and head back up the road to Stylus, where Danish electro-pop up-and-comer MØ is strutting her stuff. The most obvious comparison is Robyn (MØ even has her own song about longing to dance with a specific partner), though in my mind there’s also a little of The Knife’s Karin Dreijer Andersson present as well. Perhaps this is what a Fever Ray record might sound like if Karin let her hair down – or in this case, put it up into an impressively long ponytail. It’s a striking, confident and captivating performance, encapsulated by her lead single ‘Pilgrim’ – the kind of forward thinking electro-pop/R&B hybrid that ought to be taking dancefloors by storm.

Happily, we’re now in prime position to watch one of the day’s absolute must-see bands, London post-punk quartet Savages, who’ve perhaps come as close as any band in recent years to capturing the spirit of early Joy Division. It’s a testament to the band’s tenacity that they manage to completely destroy Stylus despite being plagued by technical issues. Singer Jehnny Beth’s microphone barely works for the first two songs, leaving ‘City’s Full’ bereft of its angry, dynamic vocals and ‘I Am Here’ missing its wailing crescendo (ironically, the band immediately launch into ‘Shut Up’ after the issue is fixed). Later in the set, Gemma Thompson suffers a guitar failure that sees the remaining members holding down ‘Give Me A Gun’ as a three-piece – it’s testament to how bloody good Ayşe Hassan (bass) and Fay Milton (drums) are that it still somehow works. But these frustrations only serve to highlight what a tightly functioning unit Savages are – and Jehn’s seething anger is put to good use on the venomous ‘Fu**ers’. In the hands of most other bands, a sentiment like “don’t let the fu**ers get you down” might come across as trite, but Jehn’s delivery soon banishes any such thoughts from our minds. The band’s final three songs cap their set off in a triumphant fashion – beginning with ‘She Will’, which starts as a majestic slice of post-punk and ends in a wide-eyed, maniac whirlwind. Then there’s the brutal ‘Hit Me’, in which Jehn matches her bandmates’ sheer sonic viciousness by managing to make the words “hit me, won’t you hit me!” sound like a threat – and finally, there’s ‘Husbands’, whose driving pace and explosive riffs see the crowd respond by forming a mosh pit at the front. This one-two-three punch proves that Savages not only utterly brilliant, but also aptly named – they’re the kind of band who’ll thrill and terrify you in the best way possible.

After a brisk walk, we arrive at Holy Trinity Church in good time for Icelandic songstress Sóley, who couldn’t be more different to what we’ve just witnessed at the University. Her songs are delicate, ethereal things of beauty, her voice as sweet as her on-stage demeanour is utterly endearing – but while her delivery is spot on, the atmosphere in the church is anything but reverent. Not only is there a constant hum of chatter (and even some shouting at one point), someone also decides that it would be a great idea to start emptying the bar’s bottle bins during her set – and to compound the issue, all the noise is amplified by the echoey acoustics of the building. Perhaps Sóley’s music is a little too outré for a festival crowd at 9pm on a Saturday evening – particularly the sinister ‘Kill The Clown’ and the dream-like ‘The Sun Is Going Down’ – but it’d be nice if those who simply aren’t interested would just leave the building and let everyone else enjoy it. As it stands, hauntingly fragile songs like ‘Pretty Face’ almost get lost amongst the noise – it’s a shame, as spellbinding set-closer ‘I’ll Drown’ is perhaps the most wonderful thing anyone who strained to listen over the hubbub will have heard all weekend. In an ideal world it should have been enough to bring the room to a standstill – but despite the less than perfect conditions, Sóley is polite to a fault, and I can only hope she’ll one day be able to return to a more attentive audience.

There’s one last band that we want to catch before we leave, but they’re going to make us wait – a perhaps questionable piece of planning means that Melody’s Echo Chamber take about an hour to soundcheck, with roughly half of the time spent simply trying to cram their not-inconsiderable amount of equipment onto Nation Of Shopkeepers’ tiny stage. Eventually they’re ready, with Melody Prochet thanking us for our patience – and then all the crowd’s resentment and tension is washed away within seconds as the band launch into the heart-meltingly brilliant ‘I Follow You’ and the atmosphere immediately becomes feel-good. From that point on, the band don’t put a foot wrong – Melody is in possession of a gorgeous voice as well as being utterly charming to boot, and her band whip up sun-kissed psychedelic jams via fuzzy guitars, laid back rhythms and warm synths. The extended psych workout at the end of ‘Crystallised’ is a particular highlight, as is the sprawling, dreamy ‘Endless Shore’, but the whole set is a joy from start to end. If I could have captured the moment where Melody makes a little heart shape with her hands as a gesture of thanks, I’d frame it and put it on my wall – it sums up the mutual love present between the band and the audience perfectly.

Overall, Live At Leeds has delivered the goods once again, providing one of the most consistently brilliant days of live music we’ve had the pleasure of experiencing so far this year – and that’s to say nothing of all the great bands we no doubt missed! Here’s to another successful year in 2014 – we’ve every faith that next year’s lineup will be able to match the quality we’ve seen today.

Sadly, the absence of House Of Pain’s disc-spinner from Limp Bizkit’s line-up isn’t all that feels a little bit off during this ambling Florida show. This just isn’t as much fun as it should have been. It just feels a little awkward. Like lunch with an ex who hasn’t moved on; you soon realise, you’re only there for old times’ sake and it can’t be the same.

Don’t get us wrong, this show isn’t straight-up bad. We really like Limp Bizkit and its opinion-splitting, juvenile frontman Freddy D; always have, so there’ll be no derision here, only a gloomy realisation that we’re all a little older and that it may be time to hang up the baggy shorts and baseball cap once and for all. This is the band’s first US Tour since 2006, with Durst recently citing a lack of interest in his homeland and a concession the band were “a movement in time that had passed”.

After all, the guy is 42 now, and the year 2000 was longer ago than most of us who dined on albums like ‘Chocolate Starfish’ and ‘Significant Other’ as teenagers would care to admit. But some bands age like wine and others age like milk.

Despite the surprisingly bushy-bearded Fred’s glum outlook, this show is sold out, with more red lids than you’ll ever see outside of a Bisto factory. And there are moments when the old energy that made Durst a love-him-or-loathe-him nu-metal icon rise to the surface, while eccentric guitarist Wes Borland’s down-tuned riffs are as guttural as ever. Otherwise, this is Bizkit-by-numbers stuff.

Some of the band’s signature songs; ‘Break Stuff’, ‘Rollin”, ‘My Generation’, ‘My Way’, ‘Take A Look Around’, ‘Rearranged’ and Livin’ It Up, are worth the admission price (which is much more than 3 Dollar Bills y‘all!) without blowing the roof off the place, but everything else feels like filler and the seemingly endless breaks between songs continually kill the flow.

An unpleasant incident where a grown man punches a female audience member in the face, as well as Fred’s constant talk of backstage fellatio and demands for girls to get their boobies out doesn’t help the vibe either. Way to grow old ungracefully, Fred.

Strangely, Durst refuses to play ‘Nookie’ (“f**k that song,” he says in response to chants from the audience) and there’s no sign of the band’s awesome cover of George Michael’s ‘Faith’, despite cranking out an awesome nu-metalised version of ‘Killing In The Name Of’. That summons more passion and energy from Fred than any of the self-penned songs that earned the band 40 million record sales.

Towards the end of the show, Bizkit also plays its new song (yes a new song!), ‘Ready 2 Go’, which will headline a new studio album on the hip-hop label Cash Money later this year. Minus the ridiculous mid-track cameo from Lil’ Wayne, it’s an absolute monster, with a booming riff and ridiculous lyrical arrogance reminiscent and typical of the band’s turn-of-the-century glory days. Maybe there’s hope yet?

“Back it’s the mother fu**in’ rock god / I’m so poked faced ladies goin’ Gaga / That’s right, it’s Freddy D, the public enemy / You know the one that had Britney, droppin’ to her knees!” You tell ‘em Fred. After all, age is only a number. Isn’t it?

Firstly tonight, Feed The Rhino rock out with a song called ‘Tides’ which is a fantastic way to open proceedings here. Starting from a slow ominous introduction with clean vocals, it builds into a really impressive fist-pumping hardcore anthem.

Sadly everything else just seems lacklustre, with multiple breakdowns at inappropriate times. Theres no buckling down into the groove, no adrenaline pumping riffs to bang your head to, just lots of sudden bursts of noise. Except for ‘Tides’ which is a stellar song, it’s such a shame that the rest of the material isn’t as well crafted, as this is a band with a lot of potential.

Next up is The Defiled, and their dirty shock-rock meets metal breakdown sound fits perfectly with their Manson-inspired stage presence. The songs are tight and anthemic, their stage presence is explosive and they even have a sexy ballerina caught and killed by mad medieval doctors drama piece during their performance which is entertaining and really fits the atmosphere. You could see how much they are enjoying playing their home town, and how happy they are to have signed to Nuclear Blast Records. Deserved boys.

Next up, we hail to the mighty Gojira, who are definite contenders for best live metal act right now With riffs so devastating you worry the building will collapse, perfect timing and absolutely stunning lighting effects, everything here is a blueprint for how to make metal history. A magnificent live performance, and something from which every band touring can learn, as no one understands the power of riff like Gojira (except Bolt Thrower of course).

The final band of the night is the mysterious (and epic) Ghost, headed by their antipope vocalist in full satanic regalia and surrounded by his musicians in their trademark cloaks. Always a confusing band at the best of times given the secrecy regarding their identities, their sound of hard progressive rock meets early heavy metal never really clicked with us and seemed so alien from their on stage persona. They have such a strong black metal vibe with the overtly satanic theme, corpse paint and hidden identities that you would imagine their sound would be a blast-beat filled hate attack, yet it isn’t. What is on offer here is good, well-rounded work with a strong late 70s and early 80s vibe from very talented musicians that’s completely at odds with their presentation. If you can get over the mismatch then there is a good band here waiting for you and a great live show.

Though those unfortunate laws of physics, time, and space prevented us from being at every show at once, we did manage to see truckloads of the world’s finest upcoming bands and musicians – and we’ve got the lowdown for you right here.

TUESDAY

If you’ve never experienced Austin during SXSW, let me paint a picture for you: the sky is blue, and the barely cloud-concealed sun is beating down on blocked off streets where you’ve got crowds of all shapes, colors, and sizes swarming with excitement. They’re getting their bratwurst from a stand and giving a dollar to that guy that juggles machetes. They’re dressed in crop tops and neon sunglasses that were given to them free, playing with yoyos that were also free, some wearing badges that they paid 2000 US dollars for. They have folk music going through their left ears and metal through their right, coming from dueling rooftop bars on either sides of the street.

Get the picture? We certainly did, and if you think it’s overwhelming, it is at first – but any music lover will learn to love it almost instantly.

The first band we encounter as we begin our journey is Jared &  the Mill. We assume Jared is the cute frontman, and the Mill his talented ensemble – gentleman from Phoenix  Arizona striking their banjos, mandolins, and cellos with spirit, very much pulling off a Mumford and Sons-inspired style, though lacking vests and hats. Their upbeat tunes are just the kind of fun we needed to kick off a great week – the lyric “it’s a perfect night to be here in our youth” providing a general SXSW truism. It is a great night/day to be in Austin as a young person – or any person, really, so long as you aren’t scared of noise or deaf.

Next, we discover The Buster Duanes, quite by accident. Really, the sound of trombones and kick-ass trumpeting draws us in, and keeps us hooked and impressed by big band finesse. There about seven band members who in combination create a great sound filled with smooth vocals, brass, and bass, and, you guessed it, more brass. The jamming vibe carried throughout the set – they even did a great rendition of Bill Whither’s “Use Me,” which jived perfectly with their style.

Next on the agenda is Macklemore and Ryan Lewis and Tegan and Sarah, who we wait in line for a considerable amount of time. Unfortunately, and despite said consideration of wait time, the show reaches capacity before we can get in. We’re pretty bummed about this. Here is Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop” for your enjoyment nonetheless – oh how we wanted to see these fellas live. I guess they are just too popular for their own good – or ours, anyway.

WEDNESDAY

Wednesday kicks off with a party! Literally – we catch DJ’s Young Guru and Just Blaze at Empire Automotive. Author Neil Gaiman and his wife Amanda Palmer of the Dresdon Dolls were also here for reasons not entirely known to us, but that we are entirely okay with.  The DJ set is a lot of fun – these two innovative mix and mashers mix and mash like the masters they are, spinning songs under the tent-covered stage amidst laser lighting and dancing fans.

.

But you don’t want to hear about that! You want to hear about Wet Nuns.

We actually were lead to this band’s show by a British girl we became friends with over the course of the week, (Katie Wilkinson of the band Gaggle) who is a close friend of the group – and we’re glad we did. These gentlemen played at Head Hunters,  where we watched heard and, well, experienced the set from an upper balcony in this amazingly cool  venue. Despite what the name Wet Nuns seems to imply (holy women drenched in water, or some sort of fetish porn), this band is anything but damp or celibate – they burned the place up with some seriously unholy guitar riffing , which combined with roaring vocals infused the room with an incredible garage-rock sound.

We ended the night at a Charity Bar called the White House, where rapper Mason performed (we were slightly disappointed by the bands here. But there was an open bar and we made some connections, which was good).

THURSDAY

Today makes up for some of the difficulty we had the first two days – finally, we are getting the hang of downtown Austin’s layout, particularly pertaining to where and when things are happening. Our first discovery of the day is the band Branches. We love the imaginative lyrics, male and female harmonization, as well as the use of xylophone and accordion box. This band has an Of Monsters and Men feel to them, with a similar whimsical and melodic vibe. Hailing from California, US, this band describes their genre as “indie-folk-rock-family-fun” which we think is pretty spot on.

Next, we were headed back to Rainey Street at a venue called the Lustre Pearl. Aside from having delicious margaritas and tacos, and a beach-house-party vibe, what was best about the event was the incredible line-up and the crowd’s enthusiastic response (ours included). It was a hot day, and despite being under a tent where sun could still hit you in the eye, and also right next to the wall-sized speaker, the music made up for it! First band were the Generationals, followed by the Canadian wonder Diamond Rings, Brooklyn’s St. Lucia, and culminating with Icona Pop.

Starting with Diamond Rings, (we only caught half of The Generationals) – Oh, boy. The frontman of this Canadian band is really something else. A first look at him, with his bleached blond head and leather studded jacket, has you wondering if he could possibly pull it off. He proves himself a driving force within minutes. Turns out John O’Regan is the band, which is in retrospect no surprise. O’Regan slinks around the stage, interacts with the fans, and delivers smooth alt-rock vocals over beats and edgy guitar riffs. Not only does his talent shine as a musician, but entertains like a professional, and perhaps at a level of no one else we see the entire week.

St. Lucia of Brooklyn brings more of a pop-driven energy to the stage, and it is super contagious.  With catchy hooks the crowd isable to pick up easily, St. Lucia has us all singing and dancing along as if their songs are already hits, which given time, they may be. Instrumentally, there is flawless technique at hand as electronic beat and percussion create a multi-textural sound, which layered with spacy vocals makes for a dynamic and fun atmosphere. Not only is the outside area at Lustre Pearl flooded with fans, but the enthusiasm is almost impossibly high. The energy O’Regan of Diamond Rings built up carries and explodes with St. Lucia’s sound. All leading up, understandably, to the incredible Icona Pop.

Sweden’s Icona Pop, as expected, is beyond excellent; they succeed in taking the electronic-pop-rock theme from the set before and taking it to a new tier of awesome. While on the surface they are just two girls, clad in black, with no other instruments but their microphones, voices, and sound-mixers, it doesn’t take long to reveal the one-of-a-kind energy and technique that has brought them so much success thus far.  It’s hard to watch the performance without being inspired by the serious girl-power they possess and amplify – as most bands have a male majority with perhaps one token girl, it is incredibly refreshing to see two women absolutely killing it on their own.  It’s no wonder their song “I Love It” was featured on HBO’s “Girls.” Even if it was the episode in which they were on crack.

FRIDAY

It’s officially the weekend, though for us and the rest of the tourists Austin is supporting, of course it’s been the weekend all week. It’s the weekend-end, perhaps, but things are only getting more exciting, as more and more hula-hoopers hula hoop on 6^th street, and the wolf-violinist on the corner of Neches violins with extra fervor. An extra layer of trash has covered the blocked-off streets, a festive and colorful litter that seems a bit like confetti (but is actually a million flyers).

For us, the day gets started with a touch of Ireland, and by that I don’t mean we got drunk and sang Wild Rover (St. Patrick Day is still 2 days away). Instead, we catch an showcase at BD Rileys featuring some incredible Irish bands:  Squarehead, DeLorentos, and Funeral Suits.

Standout here might have to be Delorentos, though close to tying with Funeral Suits. Delorentos blows us away with incredibly well-constructed verses and choruses, paired with instrumental precision and spirit. This might be in part to the fact that each of the 4 band-members is a singer-songwriter; I can only imagine, with four experienced song-writers bound together, the song quality can only be 4 times greater.  Indeed, each song seems a well-crafted and well-executed mini-masterpiece, and the experience has us engulfed and happy.

Funeral Suits proves excellent, as well, showing us a range of emotion within its alt-rock casing. Moments that involved moodier and darker feelings ridden with shadow and despair contrasted nicely with lighter songs, which glowed with vibrant vocals and thrilling instrumentals. All in all, we were impressed by the nuance and skill the band shows, and their ability to manipulate the mood as if simply adjusting light.

Our evening showcase at Stubb’s BBQ takes a bit of waiting, but due to an extraordinary line-up and enormous outdoor venue proves entirely worth all trouble.  The first band is The Mowgli’s , an 8-person group from Los Angeles that seem more like a small, close-knit tribe than a band, which works in their favor. The Mowgli’s are like modern-day hippies, but the peace-love-and-happiness show they put on isn’t at all sappy or cliché – it’s honest, pure, joyful and fun, and filled with an energy that could make even the grumpiest person crack a smile. Mr. security guard, I’m looking at you.

Walk Off the Earth is next – you may or may not know this band by their viral cover of Gotye’s “Somebody that I used to Know,” in which all 5 band members perform the song on one guitar. The best part? They did it live, and it was amazing. While Walk Off the Earth is known largely for their creative cover songs, what many people don’t know is that they have incredible original music as well, which made up a majority of their set. They prove to be just as innovative as their YouTube videos imply – and definitely more than just a cover band. Their music, much like that of The Mowgli’s, has a joy to it that carried easily to the crowd, who are brought into their magic world. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of their performance is the fact that the lead female singer is extremely pregnant, and it doesn’t stop her a bit.

Folk-rock singer-songwriter Lissie takes the stage next. Though decidedly unglamorous in attire, Lissie performs with a raw talent that doesn’t need any extra glitz – the woman is a rock star  and she acts like it. Her Illinois roots definitely show as some of her music crosses into country territory, but for the most part it is solid rock, with great personality. The only shame about this set is that it was cut short – by about 4 songs, apparently, and Lissie was none too pleased. Luckily, she was able to perform a cover song she’s become known for at the very end – a rendition of Kid Cudi’s “Persuit of Happiness” that perhaps beats the original.

Last artist of the night – Cold War Kids! And we are super excited for these guys – so is everyone it seems, and we laugh at the fact that there is probably a line of people outside the venue that won’t get in to see the show (or this is what we tell ourselves). Anyway, CWK is one of those bands that I don’t realize I know as well as I do until I see them and have that “Oh, so THEY sing this song” moment. Did I mention, as well, that throughout the evening we have been getting closer and closer to the stage, and by this point we are basically front row? Right in front of the aforementioned grumpy security guy whose job is to watch the crowd. Best job or worst job? You tell me.

Anyway, Cold War Kids definitely ended the night with a bang – there is no denying the musical chops these guys have. Incredible and powerful lyrics performed with precision along with mint instrumentals: indie rock at its finest. Being that close is almost like being on stage. My only complaint would be that the set seemed to lack the personality of its predecessors, even if the music surpassed it. The energy in between songs just seemed lacking (though it is getting late, and that might be our tired feet talking).

SATURDAY

What? Saturday already? Where has the time gone?

It is especially hot today, and we think that most of our sunburn was picked up in the early afternoon as we drag our luggage across hot Austin suburban sidewalk (where we’d be staying with family for the remaining trip). After fueling up on some fast-food chicken from Sonic, we are ready to tackle the day and bus into the city.

Finally in downtown Austin, where the streets are suffering from a week’s worth of pizza plates littered by music-savvy drunks, we wander into our first show: Story Books. This 5-piece band, from Sittingboard, Kent, UK, bring atmosphere to the rooftop stage, delivering piano, guitar, and vocal driven songs that have tenderness, nuance, and feeling all stitched into a patchwork of engaging sound. The thing with SXSW is that you rarely know what to expect when taking a chance on a showcase, save for what you hear from the street, or read in your schedule. Sometimes you get lucky, and sometimes you strike out. We definitely stumble across something really special here, and recommend Story Books for anyone interested in alternative music with elegance and depth.

Estelline is also a unique and interesting find that we enjoy considerably. Indie-folk-rock that is West-Texan in origin, Estelline’s music seems to color the territory in a new and exciting way that is distinctly Texan and at the same time, like nothing we’ve heard. The frontman’s drawl along with strumming electric guitar is at times dark and nostalgic, utilizing narrative lyrics that seem filled to the brim with experience. Their music is expressive and captivating, an uncommon gem of western glory we think has serious potential to become huge.

We head over to Shakespeare’s Pub, next, for The Hush Sound. This band was one of my favorites 5-7 years ago, in their prime – since which time they’ve been on a hiatus. Seeing them reunited is not only personally nostalgic, but a reminder of just how darn good they still are, after all this time. What makes this band so noteworthy to me is the complexity of the lyricism, as well as the incorporation of classic piano, alternating female and male vocals, and an all-around jazzy-indie feel that is really irresistible. Not only this, but the band puts on a great show. Perhaps it’s because they’ve been together so long, but the rapport they have with each other, and with the crowds, cannot be beat. You can tell how comfortable they are performing, and it truly sets the mood.  We got to see some of our favorite classics performed live along with some new material that everyone should definitely get excited about.

The last artist is Jenny Owens Young. As our journey reaches its end, we’re glad to let her take this spot because really, we just want to be her best friend. Forget her endless talent, gorgeously composed songs, and provocative voice – she talks to the crowded Cedar Street  courtyard as if we’re all just pals in a bar in New Jersey, which, we’re convinced pretty soon we should be even though no one really likes New Jersey. Despite the awesome personality inherit to her being, the music is incredible as well – her voice has a very distinctive sound that adds a unique flavor to all of her songs. In this particular performance, almost the entire set was performed acoustic and without a band. This setting really allowed her to shine as an individual, though it would have been nice to experience the full punch of her music with some percussion and bass. The fact that we got a T-Shirt with a dinosaur on it more than makes up for lack of drums, however. We consider it a win.

Other standout bands we see include Fierce Bad Rabbit and NO CEREMONY///. We suggest you check them out as well, ASAP, because they rock.

SUNDAY REFLECTION

Austin has some serious cleaning up to do. It’s hard to believe anyone will be celebrating St. Patrick’s day on a Sunday after a week of all-day all-night music of all kinds, but anywhere you go you will still find people making fools of themselves in green. Not us, however. Not today.

Reflecting on the week, we enjoyed SXSW in Austin more than we can express in words – shall we express it in music?  No, because the talent we’ve witnessed here has put us off trying to play a guitar ever again. It is probably for the best. As for you, readers, we definitely recommend this music festival to anyone who can afford to use an ATM that charges 7 US dollars per withdrawal. Austin is a beautiful city, even when it is covered in the debris of posters – in fact, many an Austin resident nearly convinced us to move here. The ATM fees, though treacherous, were worth the exposure to such a vast amount and variety of music and talent. Heck, the sunburn was even worth it. I may come back to New York city (where it is snowing) with sunglasses shaped burn-marks on my face, but I also have a T-shirt with a dinosaur on it, new friends and musical interests, and a mind-blowing experience I won’t soon forget.

Goodbye Austin, Texas, and nice weather, for now. Goodbye music from left, right, up, and down. Hello ringing sound in my ear from standing dangerously close to speakers (that might linger for a while).  Next time I come, I’ll bring some sunscreen, fully prepared for immersion in sunshine and festivity.

It would be a surprise, for sure, if history were to somehow unearth a duo able to extract more from the humble acoustic guitar than the thoroughly unique rock ‘n’ rollers, known as Tenacious D.

During the resurgent pair’s Old School Acoustic Show at the gorgeous Fillmore Theatre in downtown Miami Beach, they thrashed that timeless combination of wood and steel with the speed and ferocity of a sexy mountain lion, yet plucked and strummed with the shy tenderness of two nervous young fillies exploring each other’s bodies after one too many glasses of cheap chardonnay.

Indeed, the endearingly unkempt and Rubenesque Hollywood megastar Jack Black and his rotund musical soulmate Kyle Gass pack enough raw sexuality into a two-hour set that even Mother Teresa would leave bemoaning the lack of a fresh pair of bloomers. “But we thought the D was done,” we hear you cry? “That’s so 2001.” Not so.

‘The Pick Of Destiny’ movie, as poorly as it was received (whatever, screw the haters, we liked it), did not close the chapter on this most unorthodox pair of modern rock stars. “Just like the Phoenix”, as the scruffy-bearded Black croons in the fanatically received band’s opening number, The D has risen again and the world is a better place for it. The unashamedly comedic pair, unaccompanied on this guitar-only show (there was a recorder and a saxaboom too, but more on that later), returned with a new studio album, ‘Rize Of The Fenix’ in May last year, rekindling their 22-year alliance for at least one last hot-sauce-infused, egg and cheese sandwich of a rock-and-roll-rollercoaster ride.

The laughs are there in abundance, epitomised by Black’s irrepressible vocalisation of musical instruments and his mock-cruel taunts aimed towards his supremely talented partner in crime “Rage Cage”, However, make no mistake, this is no mere stand-up show with guitars in tow, it is verse offered in tribute to the heavy metal gods of yester-year.

After ‘Phoenix’ rocked the house and kicked some ass by assuring long-term fans they could ‘get a new Tenacious D tattoo’ (after being forced to laser them off in the aftermath of the movie misstep) the pair move on to the new album’s ‘hit’ song, Low Hangin’ Fruit, which is, unsurprisingly, a musical visualisation of the band’s desire to make whoopee with the less desirable ladies. “Targets or goals which are easily achievable and which do not require a lot of effort,” as that noble translator of common speech, UrbanDictionary.com puts it.

Part of the joy of seeing this band in the flesh is the way unrelated tracks are welded into a charming story. Following ‘Senorita’, an ode to a “Mamacita” who broke their hearts, Black sees fit to deride his constant companion for a perceived lack of on-stage effort. Kyle storms off, prompting JB into a heartfelt rendition of ‘Dude, I Totally Miss You.’ The inevitable emotional reunion, leads to ‘Last Week Kyle Quit The Band (Now We’re Back Together)’, before the trilogy is completed with an ode to ‘Friendship’. The crowd in Miami, more commonly associated with the “wicky-wicky” (make the sound…go on) of terrible DJs, lap it up.

The rest of the set interchanges the band’s finest moments, from all three studio albums, albeit with a preference for those acoustically flavoured tracks. ‘Kielbasa’, ‘History Of Tenacious D’ and the awesome ‘Kickapoo’ from the ‘Pick Of Destiny’ (minus the cameos from Meatloaf and the dearly departed Ronnie James Dio) follows, before Black rocked an epic solo on a plastic saxophone called the saxaboom.

The band’s ode to their roadie’s tireless efforts to “get that sh*t up on that f***in’ stage” precedes a quite awesome rendition of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Rock And Roll’, demonstrating beautifully the has-to-be-heard-to-be-believed beauty of Black’s voice. Damn, this dude has a range that leaves most frontmen coughing up dust along with an everyman quality that makes you forget his A-List status. Talented sonofabi**h. We’d resent him if he wasn’t so ‘effing lovable.

‘The Ballad of Hollywood Jack And The Rage Cage,’ which charts Black’s rise to becoming a red carpet deity, while Gass goes insane with jealousy, is another tremendous highlight. We’ve never seen anyone rock out so hard to a recorder solo before, but the dude standing next to us deserves some kind of medal for that display. Come to think of it, we’ve never seen a recorder solo before, so the precedent has been set.

The D completed the set with its signature track ‘Tribute’, a massive fan favourite, and ‘Double Team’, a song which quite marvellously conjures the image of the pair working over a lady they met in a jacuzzi following a hard day’s rockin’!

But so schooled are the pair in the annals of rock and roll history that an encore is sure to follow, highlighted by Black’s self-congratulatory, five-minute self-introduction and concluded by that family sing-a-long classic ‘Fu** Her Gently’. Because sometimes you got to make some love and fu**in’ give ‘em some smooches too; a life-lesson worth remembering from a very memorable evening.

Image: Jason Koerner Photography

So, there’s this band called ME and they’re a pretty big deal in their native Australia, and we’ll tell you what, they’re going to be massive here…one day, trust us.

Cast your mind back to a time when great stadium-beating bands like Muse and GreenDay were play venues like The Adelphi in Hull in the late nineties, and Kasabian and Bullet For My Valentine were hitting up Fibbers in York at the beginning of the noughties. Of course, these venues are iconic in their own right, but are considered (often) as stepping stones to bigger things for many bands. The Duchess is another such venue; it creates opportunities for bands to step-up, and it hosts major touring bands as well. In short, we believe ME are going to be a really big deal in one-to-three years over here, tonight though, they play and electric show to a few dedicated people. We’re witnessing something special for sure, and York, you’re missing out.

Before we go further into this, we’ve got to mention Hungry Ghosts – their collective energy, and James Browne’s crowd-friendly chatter keeps everyone entertained, and it becomes clear that most of the crowd are here to see the local favourites tonight. We tweeted it, but we’ll say it again; they’re one of the absolute best indie bands we have in Yorkshire, let alone in York. Give them your attention. G’wan.

ME headline this night, and like we said, they’re insanely good – progressive-alternative rock at its finest. Think Muse meets the Killers via Queen and you might be somewhere close. Their music is charming and precise – tracks including ‘Like A Fox’ hits like a potential arena-filler, meanwhile ‘Naked’ is a much more rocky and anthemic track that will no doubt become a festival (and summer) favourite for any new fans. To summarise, ME are immense live, but their sound is built for bigger venues, and we’ve no doubt that the next time they come back to York (if we get lucky) a lot more people will be paying them their due attention.

Binary are one of those bands for us, they tick all of our boxes. Catching them live and in living colour in one of our favourite North West haunts in The Mad Ferret in Preston, our enthusiasm for their fuzzed-up, distorted rock sound grows.

We like Preston. Not many other people in the music scene up north (yep, there is one…) seem to dig it, but there are plenty of great bands and artists here just crying out for some exposure. All these local bands are heavily influenced by Preston’s somewhat bleak industrial landscape; they try and bring some beauty, peace and where possible some good ol’ fashioned rock to the disenchanted (heavily student) population who feel like “there’s nout goin’ on unless we go to Manchvegas (sorry Manchester…)”. Tonight is no exception. The Antics team at Mad Ferret have put on a belter with some touching indie sounds from two standout acts; Blossomer, and The Escobars as well, introducing the event.

Indeed, it’s all very chilled and comfortable at the back of Mad Ferret until Binary take to the stage with their angst-ridden walls of Jesus And Mary Chain-infected tunes. If it weren’t for the fact that the one-time god of f*ck Marilyn Manson hand-picked the band for his last solo UK tour, we’d be at a lost to see the connection (for all accounts though, Binary actually blew Manson off the stage, performance-wise). Binary’s music appeals to the indie kids, it appeals to the goths and even a few metalheads too; it’s dark, dingy and a little bit wonderful. Heavier tracks like ‘You Need The Blue Key’ smash into the ears and give an indication of the heavier direction the lads have been moving in (see ‘Modern Man’ below for another fine example). Meanwhile, tracks like ‘Prisoner’ soothe, and evoke more accessible indie-led influences (see Editors and Some Velvet Morning). Nice work. We’re excited to hear the new material played out on this night put down on record. We’ve put them in our pick of the year and track of the year lists when they were just emerging, and now Binary have stood up, a couple of fingers raised and then moved forward to their own headline slots and rave reviews, we expect huge things from this lot. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

This was truly baffling to me as, earlier that year, they’d kicked an ungodly amount of ass on a sold-out UK headlining tour. Was the ska-punk era forgotten in the US? Or were American kids too busy swishing their straightened fringes at emo shows? Maybe a bit of both.

Anyway, even many years later, with the band’s heyday even further from sight, it’s reassuring to know that when the fun-loving, horn-aided quintet from up the road in ‘Gainsville Rock City’ comes home to Florida; Florida fu**ing shows up.

Co-headlining at the intimate Revolution venue with Sublime tribute act Badfish, LTJ kicks off its set with the lesser-known ‘Does The Lion City Still Roar’, before easing into the mellow-yet-bouncy ‘Ghosts Of You And Me’, and then seriously picking up the pace with ‘Hello Rockview’s ‘Scott Farcas Takes It On The Chin’ – which had the audience joyously bada-bubu-baba-ing through the horn sections, assisted on stage tonight by Mighty Mighty Bosstones Trombonist Chris Rhodes.

The tight set rolls on with the outstanding sing-a-long track from 2002′s underrated (yet relatively horn-less) ‘Anthem’ LP, ‘Look What Happened’ (you know it…“And I swear it’s the last time and I swear it’s my last try…”) before giving the collective larynx of its home state crowd a well-earned break with a newer track ‘The New Auld Lang Syne’ and the rarely-played, ‘Motown Never Sounded So Good’, also from ‘Anthem’.

The band channelled their frenetic mid-90s glory days mid-set with raw-yet-tight renditions of ‘Dopeman’, ‘Sugar In Your Gas Tank’ and ‘Automatic’ from the breakthrough album ‘Losing Streak’, concocted beautifully with three of the band’s best known tracks; ‘History Of A Boring Town’, ‘All My Best Friends Are Metalheads’ and ‘Last One Out of Liberty City’, highlighted by Roger Manganelli crunching through baselines as he alternates vocal parts with frontman/guitarist Chris DeMakes, who has obviously run out of fu**s to give at this stage of his career and is enjoying every second of it.

To serve up an example of that vibe, a giant shirtless fellow who could very well have been a body double for WWE wrestling behemoth Prince Albert (or Lord Tensai if you’re a n00b) was then summoned on stage to bench-press a skinny Justin Bieber lookalike. Don’t see that every day.

LTJ moves onto a newer track ‘Goodbye, Mr Personality’, which we were assured is good because it was written when the group was writing its good shit in 1998 and was kept in storage for a rainy day. It’s a really great throwback song.“Everyone knows a band’s old sh** is their best shit and any band who doesn’t play their old sh** is a bunch of dicks,”proclaims DeMakes. I guess he was only half joking.

Late on in the show, as the band blasted out ‘Help Save The Youth The Youth of America From Exploding’ and the crowd-pleasing ‘Johnny Quest Thinks We’re Sellouts’, the audience are treated to an on-stage marriage proposal (She said yes, thankfully!), before that portion of the evening is rounded off with the multi-layered and fast-paced ‘Plastic Cup Politics’ giving the band’s sweat-soaked and eclectically-aged fanbase one last chance to skank their sweaty asses around the venue’s lowered circular pit.

Despite being inexplicably billed second to a covers band (albeit a very well supported covers band) on this show, it warms the cockles to say that Less Than Jake are alive and well in their homeland. No wonder they come back to the Sunshine State so often. See you in a few months, guys!