Woman's Hour, Latitude 30, Austin, Thursday 13 March, SXSW 2014

Woman's Hour played a great set of sparse, elegant electronica, with some excellent bass. The evocative atmosphere and lyrics brought to mind dark fog-smothered nights by the side of wintery lakes. 

In the middle of that chilly atmosphere they managed to squeeze in a stripped back, dark and moody cover of Spingsteen's "Dancing in the Dark", which was very warmly received.

The last song, "Our Love has No Rhythm" was a great end to the set and a really lovely end to a great evening of music.

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

The Launderettes, BD Reilly's, Austin Tx, Thursday. 13 March

The Launderettes brought us our first theremin experience of SXSW 2014, as well as using a pineapple-shaped shaker in their percussion toolkit. They are an all-girl Norwegian rock'n'roll band on little Steve's label. They started climbing on the furniture in the first song and played fun, punky girl-group garage rock.

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

Felice Brothers, Red 7, Austin, Thursday 13 March 2014, SXSW 2014

Without any introduction, the band launched straight on after their sound check. The keyboard and accordion player brought to the sound check an enormous bag of wires, but they almost all seemed to find a home somewhere among the equipment on stage. During the set, he squeeze-boxed like a man possessed during the second song, and throughout several later in the set.

The band played a really great energetic and entertaining set. Without too much between-song chatter they rattled through a barn-storming rune of fun country-rock tunes.

Their rollicking, bar-room tunes created a sound like late-70s Dylan fronting the Pogues covering a country song, and the audience soaked it all up with fervour and were left with a spring in their steps and a lightness in their hearts.

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

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

Jonny Fritz, Red 7, Austin, Thurs 13 March 2014, SXSW 2014

Johnny was backed by Steelism, and played a nice bit of light-hearted country from Nashville.

The witty songs raised smiles and chuckles from audience, and Johnny shaked himself around on the stage, moving his snake hips and making the most of his crocodile boots.

He also had his name on his fret board.

The band played a song off Johnny's Dad Country record and one that he called a "truckers' lullaby", which he pointed out was "kind of a bad idea" about a driver who has a psychic connection with the road so he'll never fall asleep at the wheel.

Another song about being away on tour and missing doing, summer and fall, which combined humour and real emotional connection. Johnny sang two songs acapella which worked really well, including a cheeky, adult-themes one to close the set.

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

Gruff Rhys, Red 7, Austin, Thursday 17 March, SXSW 2014

Gruff opened with explanation of the man he's made a film and album about. He also held up a picture of him.

He then put on a wolf's head hat to fit in with this theme.

Before the first song, he told us what the first line of it was, and asked us to cheer when he sang it, as the show was being recorded and so he wanted to have cheers of recognition on the recording. The first song had an interesting repeating structure, with each section changing key and including "one.." (then "two.." etc up to eight or nine) "..hundred unread messages, and not a single note from you".

All the key changing and chords meant Gruff got lightly lost part way through and couldn't find the next chord.  He interrupted the song. "Hell of a lot of chords," he said. "That's the most key changes ever committed to one song". It turned out the lost chord was C, which he managed to work out without too long of a delay.

As well as picture of the face of the subject of his film and album, and the hat, he also had a giant sign for the song "American Interior".

Throughout the set he used vocal effects and loops to so that he was accompanied by himself to great effect. He was accompanied on one song by a metronome, which he had sound checked earlier (the only SXSW request to the sound desk for more metronome in a stage monitor).

He also played a song he hadn't played for two years, and had to stop because he forgot the words, but the audience helped him out. He closed with a song in Welsh, whose title and refrain meant "driving, driving, driving". At the end he held up signs saying "Thank you" and "The End", which made everyone laugh and smile and was a really nice touch to a show which made a great connection with the audience.

Matisyahu, Swan Dive, Austin, Thursday 13 March 2014, SXSW 2014

Matisyahu opened with his dub trio to a very excited crowd. He sang with the soulful voice and rapped about being a hassidic reggae star who took his freedom back.

 The band played grooving reggae rhythms, with interesting use of keyboards, creating wonderful mellow vibes in the sunshine.

Papa, Swan Dive, Austin, Thursday 13 March, SXSW 2014

Papa played a high energy, dancey and rocky set.  There were some great dynamics, and their interesting song shapes made for a varied set. The penultimate song had a funky riff and they really rocked out for a blinding last song, which brought to mind The Hold Steady. 

The band have a top notch singing drummer, which is hopefully a sign of good things for this band. He sang mellifluously which worked well over the bands indie uptempo guitar and drum-led tunes. His voice had a great tone to his voice like a lost 70s classic rock singer songwriter, with even more than a slither of Neil Diamond in there.

Sam Roberts Band, Thurs 13 March, Swan Dive, Austin, SXSW 2014

The band opened with a bouncey rock'n'roll song. They then went into a lighter number with a Nile Rodgers style guitar lick and a disco-like beat.

The band played an up-tempo good spirited set that got the audience dancing. They had a full rock'n'roll sound with keyboards and sax and a driving rhythm section.

The instrumentation made some songs sound like they may have taken some lessons from E-Street band good time tunes. This mixed well with the touch of pop punk layered with rock'n'roll to the vocals. This led into a song with a funk sound mixed with a bit of British Invasion or soul. A fun set, which whetted our appetite to hear more from Sam and the band.

Those Darlins, Swan Dive, Austin Tx, Thursday 13 March SXSW

Scuzzy rock'n'poppy angular new wavey fun with enough of a Blondie attitude in the afternoon sun. A welcome tip from our good friend Chuck, who played them six months ago on his Austrian FRO radio show.

 

 The band got the crowd bopping along on the sunny patio with dirty bluesy grooves meets Ramones good time shouts and rhythms. The lead guitarist and singer had borrowed a few moves from Wilko Johnson and was having fun giving the audience wide-eyed stares.

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