Jeremy Messersmith, Radio Day Stage , SXSW, Radio Day Stage, Friday 14 March

Jeremy opened with a more rocky sound than that on the material we're familiar with from his first two albums. He seemed to have grown into a rock'n'roll singer after the baroque-esque 60s pop of his earlier material.

The new sound was reflected in the lyrics and themes. The second song took a close and thoughtful look at infidelity, with the subject protesting 'it's only dancing'.

After that tune, the band launched into one of their early, Beatlesy numbers, which they seemed to really enjoy playing, and followed that with another of their lovely 60s-esque tunes. They then played another song from his new album, which Jeremy said was mainly a set of love songs.

He then played a lovely song about a man asking his wife to be his one-night stand, leaving the children and wedding rings at home and going to cheap motel. This was followed by a song about wanting "a hitman for my heart", which had a lovely arrangement. As Jeremy strummed his guitar, the guitarist played a few ringing notes, then the whole band crashed in.

The set closed with a lovely foot-tapping country tune, with beautiful quiet verses and then a train-beat driving towards the song towards the choruses.

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

Phantogram, Radio Day Stage , SXSW, Radio Day Stage, Friday 14 March

Phantogram made haunting electronic sounds, with pounding industrial beats and interesting synth textures. They had an atmospheric "super sad" song named for Bill Murray about his character in Rushmore when he's sitting at the bottom of the pool.

They closed with a beautiful and rousing song that had been written originally with the idea of having a rapper collaborate. In the end they had adapted it and turned it into one of their own songs, which was a win for the band and the audience.

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

The Hold Steady, Radio Day Stage, SXSW, Austin, Friday 14 March 2014

The Hold Steady came on to the biggest crowd rushing to the front of the Radio Stage, together with an army of photographers.

The band opened with a restrained song which was like a deep-breath meditation on playing shows with nice backing harmonies from the guitarists. They then burst into a full- hearted rocker from their new album, and the third song was more punky and brought cheers of recognition from the crowd.  'The Ambassador' from their new album was quieter with a country-tinged beat driving it. It sounded more like REM than the punky rock of the songs earlier in the set.

 The singer said the band were having a great time and really looked like it too. The audience certainly were. They loved the off-mic interaction.

The band created a total wall of rock guitar sound, like a multiple-tracked studio creation, rather than five guys rocking out and bopping along in front of us, and had the greatest-sounding rock guitars we've heard at SXSW this year.

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

Lucius, Radio Day Stage, Austin Tx, Friday March 14, SXSW

Lucius played stylish synth pop with great harmonies. Unusually the drums, whilst not a full kit , were stage front with guitar behind the synths. Identically dressed twin keyboard players led the vocals, but the whole band sang throughout.

There was a near-country tinge to the vocals, and the band made a very rounded sound that filled the cavernous room. They played a fun uptempo song  from their new album, which featured some enjoyable hand clapping. The whole set was high quality and fun, and got the audience dancing in their seats.

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

Damon Albarn, Radio Day Stage , SXSW, Radio Day Stage, Friday 14 March

Damon opened on guitar, accompanied by two acoustic guitars, percussion, piano, three violins, a cello, and the click of dozens of press cameras, in a room full of those taking refuge from the Lady Gaga keynote.

He played a set of entirely new songs from his upcoming album. He started with a lovely song with the refrain "When I'm lonely I press play", drawn from similar landscape to Blur's Out of Time. The tunes were understated, melodic and beautiful. They focussed on the disconnection from life brought about by contemporary attachment to technology. "Everyday robots getting old, looking like standing stones out there on our own," he sang. The effect was like bringing "End of a Century" up to date for the concerns of an older musician and a different age, or a more pastoral OK Computer for the current decade.

After a few songs on guitar, Damon moved to the piano, and sang a song about moving to Land's End and reflecting on memory and photography in the digital age.

When he moved back to guitar, he sang a lovely song with a great swelling string part, after which there was a big cheer. He was then joined by six local Austin gospel singers, bringing the total number of people on stage to 15.

Accompanied by ukulele he sang a song he'd written for an injured orphaned baby elephant called Mr Tembo who he met in Tamzania two years previously. The song was up-tempo and had a joyful, gospel sound. He closed with a spine tingling solo version of the duet he performs with Brian Eno on Everyday Robots. The whole performance was very intimate and created a wonderful atmosphere. It was  great way to experience these new songs for the first time.

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

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