Saturday review (page 2)

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Back on an indoor stage, the Gallows were ripping apart the EMO’s party with a commotional set, that ended up with all members of the band standing in different areas of the venue, all seemingly playing their instruments furiously with no regard for one another.

Gallows frontman Frank Carter (what an English name) is even cheekier than The Holloways, and despite the bad tattoos and the fact they have a less marketable punky edge than most of the British bands that have made their way over to SXSW, they are still quite easily one of the best. Their style is a slight throwback from the vintage punk scene, mixed in with some 90’s grunge and post hardcore. Youthful energy and drive is a clear facet of Gallow’s performance, and when Carter leaps down into the audience to grab The Automatic’s Alex Pennie and start their own circle pit, it becomes clear just how fantastically intimate this gig is.


Unlike most of the ‘showcase’ gigs at SXSW (the TV ones in particular) this managed to avoid the media frenzy of hundreds of cameras, journalists and industry pundits scrambling for a chance to get those important shots. The cameras were still there, yet Gallows weren’t performing for the media, they were performing for a crowd who were rather taken back by the group’s boisterous attitude. More great stuff.

Finally I headed back over to the Convention Center for what was going to be my last band at SXSW, Bowling For Soup. The TV glitter and passive audience wasn’t nearly a touch on the last few gigs down at Emo’s, and it just made me realise that there are two very different festivals going on at SXSW. Sure, Bowling For Soup put on a good enough performance, and the fact they don’t take themselves too seriously does well to rid them of the tag as just a poor man’s Blink 182, but it just isn’t the same as those grimy little intimate gigs that you’re going to find in SXSW’s backstreet indie bars.


As the festival draws to a close I’m aware that the whole thing as an experience has been incredible. There is no way that this event could be staged in the UK. For starters I can’t think of any city that could actually handle it. It’s a novel idea, and SXSW is a unique concept in many ways. The opportunity to see so many bands, from so many different cultures, with such a diverse range of people is a rare one, and it’s a popular misconception that the festival is a media-only party.

If you are thinking of going to SXSW either next year, or sometime in the future, then I strongly recommend doing it. It’s one thing to read about, but to actually experience the festival first hand is something else. Make sure you plan where you’re going to go, and what you’re going to do before you leave though, as there’s so much going on that you could end up missing some great bands playing at some tiny venues, just because you didn’t know about it.

Finally, you can have the greatest line-up of band’s in the world but if it’s filled with obnoxious twats then the whole general atmosphere is going to suffer. Thankfully the people in Austin are brilliant, and I’d like to thank Everest the Shakespeare quoting taxi driver, Johnny and his wife for their indispensable knowledge on where to go, and Melissa for actually showing me those places. Without them I’d probably still be sitting in the airport. And anyone whose flown over to SXSW for the first time will know just how many of these brilliant people there are.

I’m already saving up the pennies for next year.

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