Like sunlight on a broken column, SXSW is over, more distant and more solemn than a fading star.
Carey
8 p.m. @ Javelina
I met another band from Nashville while finishing the beer I bought right before Carey’s set ended. They were there for moral support. One of them looked exactly like Garth Algar and I regret not being able to remember their band name.
PINS
9 p.m. @ Blackheart
The PINS: The only Mancunians cool enough to make you wish you grew up in Manchester.
Kapitol
10 p.m. @ Blackheart
I’ve never heard of this band and they’re surprisingly ungoogleable, but it didn’t make sense to leave the venue just to come back for JONES.
I couldn’t find a music video of theirs that didn’t start with some woman on a mattress, so I went with this song. I spent most of their show inside the bar (they were playing the outdoor stage) after they tried covering Heroes by David Bowie.
JONES
11 p.m. @ Blackheart
Somebody asked me what JONES’s sound was right before their set started and after a moment, I went with late 80s mixed with late 2000s indie, with a healthy dose of modern blog pop. I have no idea what that means, but she seemed to buy it, so here we are.
The Zolas
12:15 a.m. @ The Sidewinder
Best live show I saw during SXSW. If you ever get a chance, go see The Zolas live.
Dreamers
12:45 a.m. @ The Sidewinder
Somebody who grew up in LA described them (as they were playing) as Social Distortion without the edge and I was inclined to agree, until I realized how different the Dreamers's sound is not-live.
Sofi Tukker
1:15 a.m. @ The Sidewinder
I told the people I was with that this was either going to be the best show ever, or the biggest disappointment. Suffice to say, Joey Bada$$ was playing at the same time and I made a giant mistake. You can’t really hold it against them because of the musical style, but most of their set was pre-recorded and again, Joey Bada$$.
