SXSW: Saturday's Best

18 March 2012, 19:29 | Written by Lauren Down

(Live)

After yesterday’s hectic schedule today feels a little like slim pickings, although of course that is ridiculous to say because there are still hundreds of band’s playing but as St Patrick’s day and green glad spring-breakers take over sixth street it feels like the festival has had a little of its thunder stolen. Still we managed to see a lot, the best of which you can read more about below.

Peaking Lights

The queue for Urban Outfitters Back Lot Performances strecthed further than we had imagined for somewhere so far from down town, so much so that our experience of New Build was nothing more than muffled noise from the shop floor but we finally managed to get in for Peaking Lights. Their trippy, sun dappled vibes filled the space perfectly with joyous calypso inspired percussion and gently euphoric tropical keys swelling below Indra Dunis’s droning vocals. The Wisconsin duo’s kaleidoscopic 8 minute epic ‘Marshmellow Yellow”s sprawling haze has a hidden depth, it’s expansive but carefully structured as each periphery glitch ties together grooving bass lines and richly layered synths.

Sleigh Bells

All I really want to write here is “Alexis Krauss is amazing” but I think I should probably elucidate. From the second the lights dim in the ACL Moody Theatre to at least half an hour after Sleigh Bells finish their set the atmosphere is electric. Ripping through a set that includes Reign of Terror numbers ‘Born To Lose’ and ‘Comeback Kid’ alongside older classics ‘Infinity Guitars’ and ‘Tell ‘Em’ the Brooklyn duo’s underlying hip hop sensibilities and beats support a densely layered, intense wall of noise courtesy of Derek Miller’s blistering guitar. Intoxicating and just awe inspiring Krauss flails around on stage under the flashing strobe lights, fist pumping the air and constantly diving into the crowd – in fact at one point she hopped on the railing right in front of me and stepped over my head as people behind clamoured to be closer to her. “I want to see you guys loosing your shit – shove each other, jump on top of each other! Come on Texas” she yells before finishing the night crowd surfing with microphone still in hand. Sleigh Bells were amazing tonight.

Haim

Fronted by three sisters, each of them a burgeoning guitar virtuoso, Haim‘s classic Americana sound hit upon the jangly pop of Fleetwood Mac while at times diving into slick 80s grooves or the anti-folk, acapella vocals of Ani DiFranco. Perhaps too divergent on stage, their sound didn’t quite work as well as it seems to on record but still they managed to pack out Lamberts with their infectious energy and playful stage presence. Breathy vocals were matched with blistering guitar lines and at the end of their set an epic, extended drum solo which saw every band member pick up sticks.