With two days down and two to go, SXSW 2005 has been quite an experience so far. From upcoming buzz bands like The Cribs to indie icon Lou Barlow, it is nearly impossible to write about every great moment from the past two days.
Thursday kicked off at the Levis/FADER Trading Post, getting a liquid lunch of Red Stripe to help get the day rolling along. First on the itinerary happened to be the WOXY party, which featured a performance from Giant Drag. Led by the very cute Annie Hardy, the California duo performed several tracks off their Lemona EP including “This Isn’t It” and “YFLMD”.
Up next we went over to the listening party for the brand new Gorillaz album, which included an appearance by Britpop legend Damon Albarn. To keep the Blur momentum going, the Tripwire entourage ran back to the Levis/FADER Trading Post for an acoustic set from Gtaham Coxon. The guys from Bloc Party rolled in, standing front and center during his set. They stuck around for Ash as well, singing along with every song including the classic “Girl From Mars”.
Speaking of Bloc Party, there is no question that they are THE buzz band of SXSW. I happened to catch their first performance of the festival last night at The Ritz. They proved without a doubt that they are the real fucking deal. After rocking through songs such as “Banquet” and “Like Eating Glass”, they had the entire crowd dancing and singing along. A band that great doesn’t come along very often, so I will be checking them out again before the week is over.
Today will include performances by Inara George, Aqualung, Dogs Die In Hot Cars and Saul Williams. Check back on Monday for a complete wrap-up on the rest of the festivities from Austin. Time for some more Red Stripe…
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