Robert Ellis, Red 7, Austin, Thursday March 13 2014, SXSW 2014

Robert Ellis and Johnny Fritz, the two country acts playing at Red 7 in this show, were so professsional that they sound checked in a shorter time than allowed.  Robert even soundchecked with a rocking full band rendition of "Rich Girl' by Hall and Oates (later in the set they filled in with an entertaining jam when a guitar amplifier blew a fuse).

After the soundcheck, in true showbusiness style, he left the stage for five mins. The band, minus Robert, returned to the stage with an instrumental jam during which Johnny Fritz introduced Robert.  The band then opened with a song about infidelity which started with a twin guitar acid jazz freak out before settling into a brooding country foot tapper.

Every now and then the other songs later in the set would bleed into Wilco-esque experimentalism and acid-country jazz, creating crazy experimental sounds before going into songs about growing up in the Bible Belt. The sensation was quite mind blowing to our non-country ears. This was the band's fourth show of the day, and the first was at 8am. Robert said he hadn't done any drugs, but that being on the go so long had left him feeling as if he'd taken cocaine.

Other SXSW 2014 reviews from Broken Biscuit Records:
Damon Albarn
Gruff Rhys
Woman’s Hour
Wolf Alice
Jeremy Messersmith