Shabazz Palaces, The Moondoggies, Papercuts, Dum Dum Girls, J Mascis and The Head and The Heart, Friday Red 7 and Red 7 Patio, Friday 18th March, Austin, TX (SXSW)

Shabazz Palaces, played Old school rap backed by world-music beats and ghostly samples, which felt slightly nightmare-ish.

The Moondoggies, despite their terrible name, played enjoyable country-tinged bluesy rock with a bit of a Beta Band sound mixed in. There was a fair bit of fiddling around between songs and the singer seemed a bit breathless, so wonder if they played stronger sets elsewhere at SXSW, though this one was pretty good.

They had a really good warm sound, though, and created a good soundscape to colour the songs. The sound got pretty reavy at points, heading for Rage Against the Machine territory, but it never went over-the-top. They were a really tight band and good musicians and the swirling keyboards made it sound pretty psychedelic at some points. Jim Bob joined them for one song (presumably not the Carter USM singer - there was certainly no mention of his co-conspirator Fruit Bat)

Hunx and his Punx were a 60s-style girl group in the mould of [Leader of the Pack band] heading twoards indie punk pop like Kenickie,  but fronted by a very camp band leader. The band were better than the singer or the songs.

Papercuts played psychadelia-tinged west coast pop. They didn't have any songs that stood out massively,  but there was lots of appreciative nodding from the crowd. They made a welcoming and calming change of poace after Hunx.

Dum Dum Girls were a fun pop-punk band, with more than a hint of the Ramones and Go-Gos.

J Mascis was approached for a handshake and quick chat before the show by a man in the crowd. That would have been fairly normal if he hadn't done so just as J was leaving a toilet cubicle and if he wasn't at the front of the queue, leaving him wondering whether to cut off his conversation to go to the toilet and leaving other people wondering if they could jump in. After  that, J did his own soundcheck as seems to be standard for him at SXSW these days.

J's set featured much more conventional guitar sounds than the earlier one. His guitar was much less distorted and his playing more delicate. It was really quite pretty for the first few songs. There was very little pedal use and a clean guitar sound with just a touch of delay on it, 'tastefully' deployed, some might say. Fantastic, soaring soloing and he won over some new converts as well as enthralling the dedicated hardcore fans at the front.

The Head and The Heart played to a packed crowd who were really up for it and into them. They went all out for their last set of SXSW and gave a really joyful performance which felt like a big hug and was really celebratory and uplifting. The set was quite different from the one we saw at the convention centre. It seemed much more easy and relaxed, like a homecoming show, possibly because it was their last show of SXSW.

Winter Song was, again, really good. The band seemed really proficient and just to be enjoying it and ripping through the songs rather than playing them for the sake of it. Though there is nothing incredibly original about the instrumentation they use, they really make it work well without seeming too hokey or tired.

At the end there was a mini stage invasion. It started with one man, who didn't look like he was part of the band's scene, and people in the crowd looked at each other, not quite sure what to do. But he knew all the words and was soon joined by others and the band seemed to enjoy having him on the stage, so maybe they knew him.

On the way out of the back of Red 7, a mariachi-ish New Orleans funeral band ripped through as at the beginning of Live and Let Die, or Black Parade-era MCR, which was weird by exciting and seemed to fit the moment perfectly.

Jesse Malin and the St Mark's Social, Friday 18th March, Aquarium, Austin, TX (SXSW)

Our second Jesse set of the day was a real rip-roarer. He played at least three songs at the end saying each would be the last. He got a shot from the bar and really won over the non-devotees in the audience. A really fun show.

Felice Brothers, J Mascis, Bobby Long and Caitlin Rose, Radio Day Stage, Convention Centre, Friday 18th March, Austin, TX (SXSW)

Alternative folk rock and lively performers, though the sound mix was a bit clattering. The third song morphed into slightly Elton-John-esque driving piano rock. The songs after that were a bit more brooding and melancholic, until they ended with a foot-tapping hoe-down of a tune.

J Mascis mainly played songs from his new album. As is his wont recently, he played an acoustic with a pickup, linked up to pdeals, giving distortion, delay, loops etc.  He played two straight off from the new album, opening with 'Listen to Me'. He was, for him, pretty chatty. He talked about the tapes the band used to play on the tour bus, with Morph having the Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians. He said initially he couldn't stand it, then realised it was OK and eventually began to like it. He then played a cover of Brickell's 'Circle', which was excellent, if much rawer than the original.

Bobby Long wasn't  ground-breaking, but good nonetheless, and the set was enjoyably soothing in the middle of a hectic SXSW day.

Caitlin Rose showed one of hazards of SXSW: 'I just dropped my pick in my beer. And I was so thirsty', which was sweet, and showed she was very personable, even if her chat was hardly extensive. She played alt-ish country, reminiscent of Whiskeytown or AM-era Wilco. She had a lovely voice, backed by sympathetic playing and was really appreciated by the small-ish audience.

Jesse Malin and the St Mark's Social, Friday 18th March, Shots Bar, Austin, TX (SXSW)

Rejecting the round-the-block queue for at the Flamingo, we decided to catch Jesse at the first chance we had at SXSW. We arrived slightly late for a great Jesse set in slightly surreal surroundings.

It was hot, lunchtime, the sun was shining and we were outdoors.

Jesse was on top form blasting through some old favourites and new material, before ending the set by climbing onto the flat roof and nearly strangling the audience with a trailing microphone cord.

Excellent!

Emmylou Harris and Old 97s, Thursday 17th March, Antone's, Austin, TX (SXSW)

Emmylou Harris played songs off her new album with really stripped-back accompaniment. The band was just her, her guitar, a bassist/guitarist and a keyboardist who pounded an electronic bass drum pad, creating an effective backing rhythm. The set was quiet and restrained, but built towards the last couple of songs. She seemed to be playing to the strengths of what she wanted to do, rather than trying to simply entertain a festival audience with hits.

The Old 97s played lively, punky country rock, with irreverant lyrics (sample: 'I've gone through all my good fortune and the other type of fortune too'). Bob Harris would definitely like them. The track they claimed was 'co-written with Bob Dylan' was particularly good.

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Thursday 17th March, Swan Dive, Austin, TX (SXSW)

Bluesy, foot-tapping Southern rock in a Tom Petty mold, which got rockier through the set. Some sings sounded like the perfect soundtratck for a US open-road trip and other tunes brought to mind Creedence Clearwater Revival and John Hiatt.

Sondre Lechre and Darren Hanlon, Thursday 17th March, Maggie Mae's, Austin, TX (SXSW)

Sondre Lechre's set pushed up a gear after the first song which rather drifted by. He played some great guitar solos and has a nice voice, which worked well with the backing from members of Midlake.

He said he was working out how best to perform the new songs and it was nice to see 'behind the scenes' moments, such as him working out the count-in for a song with the keyboardist (who had sheet music - a rarity for SXSW) and when his guitar strap broke and he had to take one off his other guitar. Also nice to see an artist recognising the benefits of things he'd critised when younger (as when he bemoaned his own use of a capo on the fourth song - said he'd always hated people using them, but finally come to it himself).

Darren Hanlnon sounded very Australian and was joined on-stage by one Aussie after another.

He started with a comedy song and finished with a song about waiting for a bus that never comes. His songs were quite different from the one I knew ('Electric Skeleton'), which he didn't play, and we thought he wasn't who we thought he was, but it was enjoyable if a lot more jokey than expected.

Bear Driver, Thursday 17th March 2011, Beauty Bar Palm Door, Austin, TX (SXSW)

The band gave a really fun performance, playing sparkly, angly indie pop, with a splash of grunge, a sprinkling of a Yuck and a hint of Los Campesinos. The whole set was lively and fun. There was good interaction between the band members and they knocked out songs after song, with barely a pause, though there was some friendly chat with the audience (it was the female singer's birthday, so she was sent best wishes).

Raphael Saadiq, Thursday 17 March, Cedar Street Courtyard, Austin, TX

Raphael Saadiq had a stack of classic, classy rhythm and soul tunes and great singing voice (though a really quiet speaking voice) and was backed by a great-sounding and really tight band.
He really got the crowd going with a great block-party-esque performance, enhanced by way the stage were around and above the stage at the Cedar Street Courtyward.
The set had a really summery feel about it. The songs will sound great for a sunny afternoon in a park.
It sounded, and he performed, as if he could fill big venues on his own, making it hard to believe that he was playing all new material in a short set for a festival crowd, many of whom didn't know any of his material.