The Line Of Best Fit Guide to SXSW 2011

For those who have had the pleasure of experiencing the madness that is SXSW will know that it is pretty much impossible to sum up in a single juicy sound-bite. It isn’t merely a festival, it isn’t even a street-party; it is a week of pure baffling highs. It seems as though Austin was designed for this seven-day, sun-drenched blur of alcohol, food and most importantly, music.

Let’s try and paint a picture; it’s mid-afternoon, you’re walking down the infamous 6th Street with your sunglasses on, clutching a free beer and a cone of bacon someone has just thrust in your hand. You’re ambling along within a calm swarm of people all heading for the hundreds of venues that endlessly line the streets. From spit-and-sawdust bars to the bustling roof-top of Maggie Mae’s, in every window there is a band playing. Not even the thickly bound program you excitedly thumb can convey exactly how many are actually gigging this week; half of them aren’t even playing officially, and a good selection are happy enough serenading the thousands of passers-by on the street. Pretty much every venue is sandwiched between a tattoo parlour or a street-pizza vendor (head to Death Metal Pizza – my personal fave). Curbs are littered with hell’s angels, punks, tourists, musicians, film crews, journos, photographers, elderly and bikinied locals – all ranging from the ages from about 15 to 70, it seems the diversity of the punters are as diverse as the range of bands. When the sun goes down, the vibe heightens as the party-atmosphere gets a little more intoxicating. You decide where to head to next, British Music Embassy at Latitude 30 is always a good bet. On your way, you hear whispers of a secret gig happening at Stubb’s – Metallica? Muse? PJ Harvey? Ah you’ll never get in anyway, have a few tequila shots and watch Moshi Moshi’s finest instead.

Well, I didn’t paint you a picture, just a stick-drawing really. It’s vital to bear in mind that no two SXSW experiences are the same, and whether you meticulously plan ahead or merely stumble into the first bar you find, you’ll probably have a good time either way. But if you dig deep enough you can find secret venues, hotspots and back-yard parties – it’s those finds that make SXSW unique. As much of a mecca that 6th Street is, don’t confine yourself to it. I remember one strenuous hike, up-hill through the Austin streets and under a highway that led me to a very large-backyard. There were 50 or 60 people lazing on the grass, sipping their lite-beers bought from the man guarding a fridge in the corner. Wandering into the tent, I found Dum Dum Girls playing, followed by The xx – their first SXSW performance. It may have been a little cramped and sticky, but watching the sun go down behind The xx and over the city of Austin was worth a thousand hill-hikes. If you’re heading there this year, this little oasis was called The French Legation Museum, a good place to go and get away from the afternoon hustle-and-bustle as there’s always a good party on there. Another place to head to for some surprisingly intimate sets is the East Tent opposite the Hilton Hotel. Set back and slightly hidden, you can wander in and for example, find around 30 people sat in front of the likes of Graham Coxon and his acoustic guitar.

SXSW 2011 is already being predicted as a golden year; the line-up is pretty-much amazing, and to top it, it’s the 25th Anniversary. If it’s your first time, one tip is to find good parties; with a decent line-up you can get comfy, stick around all day and take advantage of the free food and drink.

Here’s a run-down of some of the best parties taking place this year…

We’ve highlighted in bold our personal favourites for each day, just in case you’re still having difficulty deciding.

Tuesday March 15
Pitchfork Party:
Jamie Woon + Mount Kimbie +Gold Panda + Picture Plane + more
9pm @ Emo’s Jr

Pitchfork Party:
No Joy + Weekend + Beach Fossils + P.S I Love You + Surfer Blood + more
9pm @ Emo’s Main Room

Wednesday March 16
Canadian Blast BBQ:
Buck 65 feat/Jenn Grant + Karkwa + P.S I Love You + Diamond Rings + More Or Les + Imaginary Cities
3pm @ East Tent, Brush Square Park

Yours Truly & Bella Union present:
Marques Toliver + Still Corners + Alessi’s Ark + Thousands + Vetiver
1pm @ French Legation Museum

The Windish Agency, Laneway Festival, Eat Your Own Ears and Austinist present:
Mount Kimbie + Twin Shadow + more
Noon @ Mohawk

Moshi Moshi presents:
Beat Connection + Idiot Glee + Veronica Falls + Casio Kids + James Yuill + more
8pm @ Beauty Bar

NME and PRS present:
Wolf Gang + Grouplove + more
7pm @ Latitude 30

Paradigm and Coda Agencies present:
Erland & The Carnival + Yuck + White Denim + The Vaccines
8pm @ Club de Ville

KCRW presents:
Chapel Club + The Naked & Famous + Tristen + The Belle Brigade + more
8pm @ The Phoenix

Transgressive and Rockfeedback present:
Marques Toliver + Summer Camp + Pete and the Pirates + more
8pm @ Red Eyed Fly

Time Out North America presents:
James Blake + Yuck + Smith Westerns + Duran Duran + more
8pm @ Stubb’s

Thursday March 17
Insound SXSW Party:
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart + Owen Pallett + Weekend + more
Noon @ Club de Ville

Pitchfork presents #Offline:
Dum Dum Girls + Smith Westerns + Hooray for Earth + EMA + more
Noon @ East Side Drive In

Other Music and Dig for Fire present:
Twin Shadow + Edwyn Collins + Sharon Van Etten + more
1pm @ French Legation Museum

RCRD LBL presents:
White Denim + Neon Hitch + Blagstarr
3pm @ the Dot Com Day Stage Austin Convention Centre

SESAC Presents:
Sunglasses + Sweaters + Chapel Club + Oberhofer + Lord Huron + more
7pm @ The Bat Bar

Pitchfork presents:
Cults + Glasser + tUnE-yArDs + Twin Shadow + James Blake + Julianna Barwick
8pm @ Central Presbyterian Church

Domino Publishing presents:
Castanets + She Keeps Bees + The Greenhornes + more
8pm @ Emo’s Jr

Domino Recording Co. presents:
The Kills + Cass McCombs + Owen Pallet + Austra + King Creosote + more
8pm @ Emo’s Main Room

Friendly Fires Presents:
Wise Blood + Jamie Woon + Mount Kimbie + Friendly Fires + Big Freedia
8pm @ The Windish Agency House @ ND

Friday March 18
Luv Luv Luv Records present:
Babeshadow + Nicole Atkins + Sean Rowe + more
Noon @ Clive Bar

8 Bit Showcase:
Unicorn Kid + Rainbowdragoneyes + I Cactus + more
Noon @ Friends Of Sounds Records

Wichita, Moshi Moshi and Mixtape present:
James Yuill + Clock Opera + Frankie & The Heartstrings + Veronica Falls
Noon @ Valhalla

The Local presents:
David Thomas Broughton + Josh T Pearson + Oh Ruin + This is The Kit + Alex Highton + Ben Weaver
7.30pm @ 18th Floor Hilton Garden Inn

NXNE Presents:
1,2,3 + Still Corners + P.S I Love You + Gram Rabbits + Men Without Hats + Candy Golde
8pm @ Club de Ville

Mexican Summer and Gorilla vs Bear presents:
Lower Dens + No Joy + Toro y Moi + Nite Jewel + Games + more
8pm @ Klub Krucial

Green Label Sound presents:
MNDR + Mac Miller + The Cool Kids + Chromeo
8pm @ La Zona Rosa

Huw Stephens, PPL and The Guardian present:
Gallops + Esben & The Witch + Bombay Bicycle Club + more
8pm @ Latitude 30

Saturday March 19
Filter Magazine’s Culture Collide:
Little Dragon + The Naked and Famous + Datarock
11am @ Cedar Street

The Aussie BBQ:
Cloud Control + The Jezabels + Art vs Science + Wolf & Cub + more
Noon @ Maggie Mae’s

Clash Music presents:
Edwyn Collins + Pete and The Pirates + more
Noon @ the Dot Com Day Stage Austin Convention Centre

Sailor Jerry presents:
Pulled Apart By Horses + Turf War + Mickey + Creepoid + Greenhornes
Noon @ Shangri La

Young Turks presents:
Jamie xx + SBTRKT + Mount Kimbie + Van Rivers + Creep + Sampha
8pm @ Barcelona

Polyvinyl Presents:
Casiokids + Asobi Seksu + Yip Deciever + Joan of Arc + more
8pm @ The Parish

Wichita Recordings and AIM Presents:
Dam Mantle + Young Legionnaire + Her Space Holiday + Veronica Falls + more
8pm @ Latitude 30