Fan the Fire Magazine issue 20

FAN THE FIRE#20

MA

Y 20

09

M A G A Z I N E

M U S I C S P E C I A L

SXSW2009SXSW2009SXSW2009SXSW2009SXSW2009SXSW2009SXSW2009SXSW2009SXSW2009SXSW2009SXSW2009SXSW2009SXSW2009SXSW2009SXSW2009SXSW2009SXSW2009SXSW2009SXSW2009SXSW2009SXSW2009SXSW2009SXSW2009SXSW2009SXSW2009SXSW2009SXSW2009SXSW2009SXSW2009SXSW2009SXSW2009SXSW2009SXSW2009SXSW2009SXSW2009SXSW2009SXSW2009SXSW2009

FAN THE FIRE MAY 20092

#20SXSW 2009MUSIC SPECIAL

FAN THE FIRE IS...Editor

Sam [email protected]

Features WriterMartin Roberts

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Features WriterMira Fil

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Staff WriterDan Hopchet

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Editorial AssistantEva Alexandra Liu

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Art & DesignSam Bathe

ContributorsMichael Evans, Jonathan Green, Dan Hopchet,

Eva Alexandra Liu, We Barbarians

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WAVVESTHE VON BONDIESHOCKEYTHE WHIPTHE GOLDEN FILTERHEARTSREVOLUTIONVIVIAN GIRLSTHE DEATH SETLATE OF THE PIERJAPANESE MOTORSTHE SPINTO BANDWHITE LIESIGLU & HARTLEYLADYHAWKETHE SHYSDELTA SPIRITWHITE DENIMFANFARLOSHOUT OUT OUT OUTCHAIRLIFTFOL CHENDANANANANAYKROYDTHE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEARTWE HAVE BANDYONI WOLFKAP BAMBINOTHE ETTESAMANDA PALMERBEAR HANDS

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WAVVESThe breakthrough act of this year’s SXSW, alongside live dummer RW Ulsh, Nathan Williams’ Wavves were electrifying in each of their sets across Austin.

From performanes for Gorilla Vs. Bear’s annual party at Peacocks to the renowned a show at Fader Fort, it’s no surprise the two-piece were booked up throughout the four day festival.

Mixing grungy We Are Scientists-esque indie rock with angsty lyr-ics and never-ending guitar riffs, Wavves’ sound is remarkably full for a band without a bass guitar. On record, Williams adds a little too much reverb and distortion, but live, no-one in Austin topped their exuberant live shows.

Third album ‘Wavvves’ is out now on Fat Possum but really, you want to catch them live on their upcoming summer European tour and Ameri-can dates next autumn.

THE VON BONDIESAfter their 2004 breakthrough single ‘C’mon C’mon’, The Von Bondies somewhat missed a beat, and should be far bigger right now but new album ‘Love, Hate And Then There’s You’ has announced them back on the scene stronger than ever. In their stand-out SXSW show, the Detroit band wowed a packed crowd at Vice with their cool again garage rock. Mixing tracks from their back catalogue with a handful of new songs, no doubt enjoying life after ditching major label Sire, who put out their previous LP. This time next year, if The Von Bondies are back at SXSW, don’ be surprised if they’re headlin-ing the Stubb’s main stage.

HOCKEYTouring with Friendly Fires on their upcoming UK shows, Portland-based Hockey’s smooth, beat-based electro has already attracted major labels to sign them world-wide. Single ‘Too Fake’ is their best track by far at the moment, but a well produced album could be just as good as the early hype suggests.

THE WHIPKnowing this might be one of their few chances to catch the British acts making the trip Stateside, Ameri-can fans were lapping up the bands on offer. The em-phatic Manchester band proved a huge hit, if anything their heavy dance-electro went down better than in the UK. At the end of their set, ‘Trash’ brought raptur-ous applause so expect to hear more from them in the American market.

THE GOLDEN FILTERAfter catching their excellent final song of a previous set, when we managed to catch The Golden Filter from the beginning, we had high hopes for what followed. Sadly they proved the disappointment of the festival, and their synth electro struggled to stand out, each song blending into the next, and all thoroughly one dimensional and empty as a whole.

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HEARTSREVOLUTIONDespite shouting at the crowd for a good five minutes, lead singer Lo soon sparked up for Heartsrevolution’s per-formance at Austin’s iconic Beauty Bar venue.

The enigmatic Lo was soon dancing about on the cramped stage, and though almost all of the backing synth tracks were playing at the touch of a button, unlike some electro bands, this was a live show that lacked anything but energy.

After Crystal Castle huge success, Heartsrevolution’s scream-sampled-electro is much easier to digest, and feels like the next step on from the Canadian two-piece. Hearts’ music has a diversity to it that the style would suggest and after Kitsuné took a shine to their new tracks, releasing ‘Ultravio-lence’ on a five track EP plus their lat-est Kitsuné Maison release, the building blocks are in place for this talented, and still somewhat unearthed band.

LATE OF THE PIERBringing with them, a vast ar-ray of instruments from the UK, a festival like SXSW was alwas likely to throw up a few problems. With so many bands playing day and night, sound check carried out between sets, immediately be-fore a band goes on, rather than in advance, so for Late Of The Pier to tune up and sound check in fifteen minutes unsurprisingly threw up a few problems.

Despite a shaky first couple of tracks the Castle Donington band played to a thriving Cedar Street Courtyard audience, with hits off their electro-synth-disco debut ‘Fantasy Black Chan-nel’. Their music can be quite eclectic at time, but always an captivating listen, and after the security guards wrongly cut them off towards the end of their set, Late Of The Pier’s thirty minutes of stage time went down hugely well, with the opportunity even to throw in a couple of new tracks.

THE DEATH SETShowcasing what makes SXSW so amazing, The Death Set took to a makeshift stage in a ballet studio for a midnight show. Despite a slew of technical issues, not aided by the fact the crowd were standing on half the cables and monitors, The Death Set’s punk rock eventu-ally got into action and the crowd were delighted before the PA gave in completely. Still, the three tracks they near managed to complete proved just what The Death Set are all about with fans spilling onto the band, at one point pushing over all of the drums, but Jahphet Landis still found a way to somehow continue.

JAPANESE MOTORSProving why Vice Records were so eager to snap them up, Japanese Motors are very reminiscent of early Strokes, mixed with a less eclectic Vampire Weekend element. Their chirpy pop-rock is quickly building a strong fan base, lapping up their self-titled debut album. Their music might not be as instantly appreciable as other bands at SXSW but in term of lasting appeal, Japanese Motors could go far

VIVIAN GIRLSAt first listen, Vivian Girls’ uncompro-mising grinding rock can be a tough listen, but beneath the effects there are levels of complexities that make their tracks hugely compelling. Their current hype might currently oversell the New York girls slightly, but new tracks debuted at SXSW boasted more catchy riffs and a stronger baseline. Their next album is shaping up nicely, and coupled with the girls’ on stage charisma, they could yet make good on their potential.


LADYHAWKEPlaying the huge outdoor Stubb’s stage, Ladyhawke had a huge opportunity to showcase her excellent de-but album to the American crowd. The New Zealand-er’s spritely electro has made her a big name in the UK but it was a muted performance in Austin.

Singles ‘Paris Is Burning’ and ‘My Delirium’ failed to hit hom although ‘Dusk Til Dawn’ proved powerful, but compared with some of the other breathtaking bands at SXSW, Ladyhawke were a disappointment.

THE SHYSPlaying a late show at Prague after several perfor-mances over the four days, The Shys proved momen-tum is building once again. Mixing material from early rock album ‘Astoria’ and their more recent bluesy offering, Kyle Krone and co. were on form in Austin. With a new EP lined up for the summer, the five-piece debuted a couple of new tracks which represent an amazing new direction. Similar to The Strokes in their ‘Reptilia’ prime, the new songs are likely to bring a fresh audience to The Shys’ music.

IGLU & HARTLEYEnding their set at Vice expectantly half-naked, Iglu & Hartley invited all the women in the crowd on stage after racing through tracks from album ‘And Then Boom’. The Echo Park band’s surf hip-hop pop was hugely ap-preciated from the crowd as they start to make steps into the mainstream.

In what proved to be a rollercoaster SXSW, singer Jarvis Anderson was later arrested for an alleged assault on a hotel security guard, also committed in barely any clothes, Iglu & Hartley know how to create a show and will be around for a long time to come.

THE SPINTO BANDGiven one of the closing sets, The Spinto Band faced an uphill task to get a weary SXSW crowd on their toes. Their inherently upbeat tracks, however, had just the right effect and throwing in show stealer ‘Oh Mandy’, The Spinto Band drew a huge cheer after the four festival days had obviously taken their toll on all involved.

WHITE LIESThe breakthrough band in the UK this year, White Lies’ dark, murky glam-rock is far removed from for-mer iteration Fear Of Flying’s sound. The old tracks were more tradition-al, thought there’s no doubt they wouldn’t have had the success to date without rethinking their direc-tion.

At first their sound is very striking, but as on record, sooner rather than later, it will no doubt, start to soun dated. For now though, they put on a good show on stage and appear to hold the inspiration to take their music far.


DELTA SPIRITNow one of the biggest acts at SXSW after smaller performances in recent years, Delta Spirit’s have really emerged in the last year with performances on vari-ous TV shows and features across the print and online media.

Their folk-rock was greeted by rapturous applause at Radio Room on the first night, with people queuing out-side long after their set had started to see the LA-based quintet, but their stand-out show of SXSW 2009, and what will go down as a career defining performance, was at Mohawk.

Taking to the stage in the afternoon, the Mohawk patio was packed, with room for not a single person more, and with time for set closer ‘People, Turn Around’, the Delta boys were greeted with a crowd shouting back every word. It felt like a seminal moment for the no lon-ger up-and-coming band, now to be considered a real contender on the scene. After a tour in support of The Shins, they’ll take some time off to write a new record and really, the sky is the limit for these boys and as the new songs proved, they won’t let us down.

WHITE DENIMOne of Austin’s most successful band of the last couple of years, White Denim returned to SXSW ahead of their second LP ‘Fits’.

Missing out the catchy ‘Let’s Talk About It’ and instead focussing on their more progressive-experi-emental material, the band’s amazing use of pedals and loops made for a breathtaking live experience.

SHOUT OUT OUT OUTWith two drummers and 4 multi-instru-mentalists switching between synths and bass guitars, Shout Out Out Out are a fantastic spectacle live. Their music is hugely dancable, somewhere similar to Chromeo with harsher un-dertones, incorporating voice effects keyboard, sampling machine, various sythns and at one point, 4 bass guitars. The final output might be somewhat niche, but Shout Out Out Out have something very rare, originality.

FANFARLOWith a similarly infectious sound to fellow showcasing act The Spinto Band, after Noah & The Whale made folk cool again, Fanfarlo couldn’t arrive on the scene at a better time. With a calm, melodic back beat to their folk-pop tracks, Fanfarlo are effortlessly listenable live while their debut album was produced by Peter Katis, who more recently has worked with Interpol and The National.


CHAIRLIFTOwing a big chunk of their leap in fame to apple after track ‘Bruises’ was use on a recent iPod advert, Chairlift are making the most of their knee-up.

Sounding like the spitting image of Goldfrapp in her early slow phase, while Chairlift’s self-titled debut al-bum reviewed well, live is where the band come into their own.

Performing on the patio of Red Eyed Fly in gleaming sunlight Chair-lift proved why they are likely to continue onto bigger and better things with music boasting such wide appeal. There’s no word yet on their next album but the new tracks debuted were just as good as their current material, here’s hop-ing it’s not too long before we get some concrete news on a release.

FOL CHENHyped up to the levels of many of this year’s buzz bands, Fol Chen have an air of White Stripes about their music, but dressed in uniformed patterned clothing, they don’t pull off their look. The masked crusader eye paint is forgivable, though still their stye doesn’t really suit it, but the strange shaped pattern on off of their clothes was a very bad move. They show a lot of prom-ise, however, with forever thinking about the uniform, it’s tough to move fully onto the music.

DANANANANAYKROYDWith a name that will never be spelled correctly without copy and past, Dananananaykroyd proved they just want to make great records and couldn’t care much about anything else. Throughout their entire emphatic rock set, they strived to get the crowd moving, at last succeeding as their last track approached. Even if the music is not for you, live, there’s no way not to enjoy them.

THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEARTSimilar to one of SXSW’s previous showcasing artists Eastern Conference Champions, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart offered hearty indie rock, though many of their tracks sounded a little too similar.


THE ETTESAfter such a promising start, we had hoped for great from The Ettes. Despite a support slot with Kings Of Leon on their recent US dates, The Ettes sadly didn’t quite cut it. Some of their lo-fi rock was up to scratch but their songs were all a little too similar and lacked distinction or that one catchy riff that can create a great track. If their album is well produced they could still put things around, but live, they should put on more of a show

BEAR HANDSHanded a tough opening evening slot for their main SXSW perfor-mance, Bear Hands though at-tracting a sizeable crowd. With a heap of charisma, the band inter-acted with the crowd each gap before jumping into the next rack. The American band’s complex pop-rock sounds very diverse, with catchy lyrics you maybe wouldn’t expect from the four guys. They certainly won over a few fans and outshone most other acts that night.

AMANDA PALMERContinuing her development as a solo artist, Amanda Palmer is notice-ably enjoying the time writing an performing on her own. Unsurpris-ingly sounded very similar to other project the Dresden Dolls, the high-light of her Radio Room set came at the end as she closed out with an acoustic ukulele performance of ‘Creep’ by Radiohead. With-out a microphone Palmer asked the crowd to keep quite as she screamed the lyrics for all to hear.

KAP BAMBINOAppearing to an oddly sparse crowd for their only evening set at the Austin festival, French scream-punk-electro outfit Kap Bambino soon filled up Elysium by the end of the first track. Similarly to fellow SXSW perform-ers, Heartsrevolution, Kap Bambino represent the next step on from Crystal Castles. Singer Caroline Martial tore up the stage while Orion Bouvier set up the backing for each track.

With some travelling for hours to catch them play a rare US show, despite a few technical difficulties, Kap Bambino completed a mesmerising set, mak-ing a lasting impression on one and all, no doubt building on an already burgeoning fan-base.

WE HAVE BANDThe lively London electro three-piece have been causing a stir back home with singles ‘Hear It In The Cans’ and ‘Oh!’, and though their musical style doesn’t always translate to the live arena, with a lot of crowd iteration and instrument sharing, We Have Band have their performances nailed on.

Playing a handful of near sold-out shows in New York before the trip to Texas, We Have Band are quickly building an indie following Stateside that bodes very well for sucess in the future.

YONI WOLFLead singer of the band Why?, Yoni Wolf played a solo show, reinter-preting songs from his band’s intrigu-ing back catalogue. With only a keyboard and his fair vocals, Wolf’s versions were a pleasure for any Why? fan, adding extra prominence to their catchy lyrics.

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