South By Southwest is a music, comedy, film, education and culture festival that takes place in Austin, Texas from March 7-15. Entertainment Now has been attending events at SXSW to bring you the best of what’s new in town.
Monday
SXSW Comedy
Clown Boss @ Creek & The Cave
Chad Dalmani is the charismatic compère and host and cites this as a reckoning rather than a show And he is right! This format introduces sets of two stand ups throughout and after roasting them gets them to do things out of their comfort zone often to hilarious effect. I love the pairing of Nick Thune and Megan Gailey (who also happens to be pregnant) but my favourites are Christina Catherine Martínez and James Adomian who take the roof off. Sadly Opey Olagbaju and Mary Deeley fall short of the mark.
All in all, this is a really great show with an experimental and interesting format that could be brought to the Edinburgh Fringe and would also work on TV.
4.5 stars
Stand Up Downtown @ Creek & The Cave
The show starts with a strong set by LA-based Laura Peek who kicks off with personal material on marriage and her colonoscopy. She has some great material on her sex life, as well as jokes involving her dad. She’s hilarious and one to watch (5 stars).
Alex English, who is one of SNL’s staff writers delivers spot on observations on Black Live Matters marches by white supporters (he watches at home while cheering them on… ) He has great twists on gay rights and also deals skilfully with a difficult heckler. Reminiscent of a young Eddie Murphy, he is a star in the making (4.5 stars).
Lace Larrabee is a former Southern beauty queen who grew up in a trailer park with teenage parents. She showcases her dark comedy with twists on bulimia, vulva tape and having to cover up at pageants. She faces a tough crowd but I love her. (4.5 stars).
Drew Dunn has a particularly unfortunate haircut. Aside from that distraction his delivery is better than his material and I the audience doesn’t learn enough about him. He ends with a funny bit on AI that really works .(3 stars).
Greer Barnes kicks off with some decent crowd work relating to SXSW then follows with a funny surreal joke about a black squirrel. He loses the crowd with what seems quite dated material Maybe it’s just not his night. (2.5 stars)
Tuesday
Music
Winnie Ama @ Belfast’s Boat Party
This Irish Ghanaian artist has super sweet vocals and writes gorgeous pop tunes with a mix of disco and soul with electronic elements.
It is feel good music that could be massive with the right breaks. 4.5 stars
Winona Bleach@ Belfast’s Boat Party
This is the second time I’ve seen Winona Bleach perform at SXSW. The Fierce Panda signings seamlessly blend stunning power vocals with catchy riffs and memorable tunes. New song ‘Be Positive’ is an upbeat pop tune which should set the charts alight. The three piece set ends with ‘I Deserve That’ – another strong song. 5 stars
J C Stewart @ Belfast’s Boat Party
J C Stewart has been co-writer for a few major artists including Foy Vance, Louis Capaldi and Tom O’Dell but this Belfast boy is set for stardom in his own right. Beautifully written songs in part reminiscent of Radiohead. This young singer songwriter is the whole package. 5 stars
His His @ Velvetta Room – Low-fi indie pop sweet but underwhelming. 2 stars
Dilettante @ Seven Grand
This quirky female-led band is an interesting proposition, with cutesy two part harmonies. This five piece is fronted by Francesca Pigeon, who not only sings but also plays trumpet and guitar. Sometimes shouty vocals combined with rhymes are reminiscent of the Belle Stars which is a great thing!
Arty alt pop collective of joy 4.5 stars
Gus Englehorn @ Swan Dive
This Canadian two piece husband and wife outfit is a unique combo. She plays drums and sings sweet harmonies. He has talky vocals and sings super quirky lyrics with a grungy vibe. Weird and wonderful 4 stars
MARYZE @ Elysium
Wow what a star! Vocally she sounds like Madonna except with a wider vocal range. This Montreal artist is fantastic at engaging the audience. One note – no covers at a showcase – I wanted to hear her own material – she played two – but what a find!! One of a kind our future cool pop princess 5 stars
Glowin @ Swan Dive
Shouty alt rock band with a vocalist who sounds like Talking Heads frontman David Byrne who blows the roof off the venue!
Sleazy screechy distorted guitars with female punk riock vocals adds to the dynamics. I can see them filling arenas in the future
Future alt rock gods 5 stars
Gen and the Degenerates @ Las Perlas
This Liverpool based alt punk band fronted by Gen is super cool with shouty but with catchy songs that you can’t get out of your head! The tattooed singer has a fantastic stage presence and struts on and off stage with total confidence. She sings uber sexy lyrics – ‘ I love It With Girls’ ! My new favourite band by far!
5 stars
Population II @ Swan Dive
Phenomenal riffs this alt psychedelic punk band totally rocks this showcase with echoing vocals. The Montreal band consists of singer and drummer Pierre-Luc Gratton, guitarist and keyboardist Tristan Lacombe, and bassist Sébastien Provençal who seamlessly come together to make this band soar. They should be headlining festivals across the world and will be soon I’m sure. 5 stars
Pypy @ Swan Dive
Psych-punk from Montreal, Pypy is a supergroup that has members of CPC Gangbangs, Red Mass and Duchess Says. The singer kills it on stage with her distinctive vocals and stellar performance plus I’m in guitar heaven! There isn’t anything not to like! 5 stars
Frail @ Velvetta Room
This super low fi duo are understated to the point of being boring. 1 star
Wednesday
Borderline @ 13th Floor
From the outset I could see that this was a special band. Ben Glanfield is incredible as both a vocalist and a frontman. Hit after hit came… and didn’t stop. This young Kiwi band is destined for huge things. 5 stars
