Our intrepid reporter, Carrie Davenport, reports from day 2 of SXSW 2013. Somebody has to do it...
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So it's 3am and it's definitely good to be getting home (well, hotel) and what a day it has been here at South by Southwest Festival 2013! The long walk home (yes walk because getting a taxi in Austin during SXSW is about as easy as finding snow in July) was the perfect chance to reflect on a day full of surprises.
To start the day off, it was down to The Austin Convention Centre for a conversation with
Nick Cave, a panel which featured the ebony haired legend chatting about his family, his slight over-fondness for illicit substances and everything from his family to his poetry (but alas nothing about his music). After this it was back to SXSW HQ (the bungalow) to recharge batteries and plan out the rest of the day ahead which soon saw us stalking
Rob Zombie to get his autograph because it's ok to be a fan girl every once in a while.
It's not just the music at SXSW which makes this place so entertaining. Again, the sheer warmth and friendly nature of everybody here is just mind blowing. You can't walk half a block without making a new pal. There were, of course, free hugs - and this man was a good hugger, I think he could charge top dollar for those hugs even in this tight economy!
To top it off after the hug, there were free popsicles - I mean, what's not to love about that?! Another favourite new friend was street artist
Lakey whose grandma forces him to wear a suit to work. Nearby, folk are napping in beds in the middle of the street - surely a nightmare many of us have woken up from! Bands with giant cut out heads roam the streets which are alive with the sound of music streaming out of every window and door.
With the music enticing us in we decided to head back to Latitude 30 to catch the hauntingly gorgeous voice of
Lucy Rose who played a gorgeous set to an already packed venue. After this the hidden hipster in me decided to go see some indie bands. Ok that's a lie! There is no hidden hipster in me, I'm a rock chick through and through but I thought I'd try something different for a change. Alas those who fear change are sometimes right - after queueing for over half an hour to get into a show we were still about 150 people away from the front of the line at the already at capacity venue. So then the bright idea was had to go try Viceland because that's where all the cool kids go!
Unfortunately every single one of the cool kids, their not so cool mate and their extended family appear to have had the same idea so an hour is wasted trapped in the queue where we got a brief glimpse of
Waaves playing to a crowd whose sheer enjoyment of the whole affair only added to our misery at being trapped outside. Having begged a street vendor to lend me a chair to stand on I managed to catch a sneaky peak over the fence along with a sea of people all trying to find a high enough viewpoint to actually see what was going on. All I can tell you is the gig was packed and one of the band has huge hair!
There is always a silver lining and it was back to Latitude 30, stopping off at Flamingo Cantina on the way to again not be allowed in. Not having much luck are we! It's the only drawback so far to a glorious festival but it's incredibly frustrating - lesson learned with 20,000 people and no way to guarantee entry (and believe me I tried) I'm going to be very early to any shows tomorrow!
It turns out that not getting into Viceland was actually a blessing in disguise.
The 1975 are just onstage as I arrive at Latitude 30 and sound absolutely great! The venue is packed but thankfully the doormen are surprisingly accommodating (unlike the last 3 venues we didn't get into) so more music at last!! Tonight's showcase is presented by
Huw Stephens and features more acts serving as ambassadors for British Music.
I love nothing more than finding a new band at a festival - someone who is a total surprise who I've never seen before and whose music I instantly fall in love with! And tonight it has happened again, rather surprisingly with Willy Moon. He attacks the stage with a punk rock swagger that gets everyone jumping about and I'm smitten! His tunes are punchy, he thrashes about on stage like a man possessed and the frustration of time spent queueing disappears. A tough act to follow, Bastille are on stage next. Currently number 1 in the UK, word has clearly spread as everyone around me is there to catch their debut US performance. It’s a flawless show though, for me, they were definitely upstaged by Willy Moon. Bonus points will be awarded for their amazing t-shirts featuring giant cats and a woman who looks a bit like Deirdre Barlow’s unfortunate sister.
So there you have it - day 2 down and I think it's about time for me to hit the sack ready to start all over again tomorrow.
Carrie
