You know you’re made it when everyone knows your name. The official title for this annual musical jamboree may be the South By Southwest music festival, but anyone who likes music knows it by its initials at this stage.
SXSW has become a byword for music discovery. It’s why acts, big and small, come to Austin, Texas, to find an audience, remind people of their existence, or earn a good payday from a brand or corporation. While there are plenty of takers for the big acts - Drake, The Roots, Erykah Badu, Santigold, Iggy Pop and Cypress Hill - the attraction for many others are the bands that have yet to make it into the mainstream. The lesser-known bands you see in Austin in March may well be your favourite new band of 2017 or a festival headliner by 2018.
Here are the 20 acts who impressed us the most at the best little showcase in Texas.
0 of 4
Anderson .Paak
The dude who won SXSW 2016 by a country mile. The rapper with the brilliant new album Malibu seemed to be playing shows morning, noon and night. The hard work played off, with all who saw him raving about his funky showmanship, great band and hooky tunes. He also rocked a great Bart Simpson varsity jacket for bonus fashion points.
All Dogs
From Columbus, Ohio, All Dogs gave it socks with a bunch of scrappy, punky, warm-hearted, fuzzy DIY tunes that always seemed on the verge of falling asunder before taking off for the stars again. There's a melancholic touch to Maryn Jones' voice, which makes tunes such as That Kind Of Girl glisten with more than just euphoria.
Julia Jacklin
It's easy to see why so many were tipping Australian newcomer Julia Jacklin last week in Austin. The Sydney singer-songwriter, who gave up social work for music, has a voice with a lovely, gentle lilt, a set of songs that are a cut above the pack and a band who know how to leave an impression. Pool Party is her current calling card, but there's much more where that came from.
Mothers
What began as a solo joint for Kristine Leschper while studying printmaking in Athens, Georgia, has become a band plying a powerful emotional indie music. Leschper wires songs from the band's When You Walk A Long Distance, You Are Tired album with poignant, tender, honest lyrical insights. An act with much more to give.
Gallant
As soon as Christopher Gallant starts to sing, you're smitten. Maryland-born and Los Angeles- based, Gallant's tender and endearing falsetto is perfect for some fine electro-soul and R&B deep dives. There's an album called Ology coming soon and, going on songs such as Bourbon and Weight In Gold, it's going to be one to savour.
The Heirs
Siblings Brandon and Savannah Hudson had a spell in the weird world of reality TV show America's Got Talent as teens. Now, they front The Heirs, a five-piece band out of Los Angeles with a knack for brilliant alt-pop songs and ear-worms such as Alright Goodnight. Live, the band zing with all kinds of energy and spirit. They won't be playing stages like The Tiniest Bar In Texas for much longer.
Beach Slang
There's always room for loud punk rock bands at SXSW and Beach Slang are the pick of this year's bunch. One of many great current bands out of Philadelphia, Beach Slang write tunes full of massive guitar lines and 1990s' alt-rock vibes, but which also sound remarkably fresh.
Whitney
Featuring various ex-members of the Smith Westerns, Whitney roll into town and beguile all who come across them. On paper, it's standard indie pop, all melancholy and introspection, but the Chicago band borrow from the soul and gospel playbook when it comes to shaping and sculpting those songs. Trumpet player Will Miller is the secret weapon, his instrumental embellishments elevating their set into something really special.
Deantoni Parks
Here comes the funky drummer. Parks worked with Flying Lotus, The Mars Volta and Sade before releasing his Technoself album, yet its delights come second to his thrilling, exciting, attention-catching live show. Playing the drumkit with his left hand and feet and triggering a keyboard with his right hand, Parks' show is a sublime blend of man and machine creating unique, highly infectious electronic music.
The Parrots
From Madrid, The Parrots are three dudes playing no-nonsense, gleeful garage rock. While this can often mean an act sticking rigidly to a retro template, The Parrots have the raw power, ferocious energy and ability to pen a savage tune to make what they're doing more than just a pastiche. A good year for Spain at SXSW with Juventud Juché and Agoraphobia also standing tall.
Jimi Tents
SXSW 2016's rap events were dominated by terrible whey-hop pushed by rappers bulked up on steroids and indignation. From Brooklyn's SleeperCamp crew, Jimi Tents stood out in the wash with his thoughtful rhymes, dexterous flow and soulful pitch. Landslide in particular sounded really swell to us, a post-Kendrick mark of quality.
Talisco
Here's another sort of French touch. Fronted by Parisian singer-songwriter Jérôme Amandi, Talisco are an outfit powered by superbly finessed tracks that are anthemic without ever becoming too big for their boots. The Keys is a standout, with its infectious hooks and smart harmonies, but the whole set is a great display of alternative pop potential.
Noura Mint Seymali
There was only one act from the Islamic Republic of Mauritania at SXSW, but what an act. While Austin dodged a tornado on Friday night, griot Noura Mint Seymali blew up a storm on Sixth Street, telling tales over a blistering blast of fuzzy, hypnotic psych-blues laid down by her band, including her husband and brilliant guitarist Jeiche Ould Chighaly.
Ry X
Another Australian winner at SXSW 2016, Ry Cuming's performance at St David's Historic Sanctuary was a fortuitous coming together of artist and venue. The hushed setting was perfect for Cuming's mesmerising, haunted songs and Justin Vernon-esque voice.
Ciaran Lavery
A sizeable rump of Irish acts such as Saint Sister, Rusangano Family and Rosie Carney were in Austin this year. Ciaran Lavery's shows demonstrated why so many people are betting on the Aghagallon man to make a serious breakthrough in the coming year. His songs are robust, the voice is distinctive and the performance is likeable without ever becoming over-bearing. Watch out for his new album Let Bad In in May.
CallmeKat
There's much to dig in the intriguing one-woman-show from Danish singer Katrine Ottosen. Reminiscent at times of Camille or Julianna Barwick, Ottosen used a loop station to conjure up evocative patterns of sound that blend folky harmonies, pop ideas and melancholic, streamlined, off-kilter electronic textures to great effect.
Tor Miller
It's Tor Miller's time to shine. The 20-year-old New Yorker is already penning baroque, moody piano ballads that are full of drama, poise and texture. Check the width of Midnight for his well-honed Springsteen-esque turn of phrase or Carter & Cash with its 1970s rub of gospel rock and pop informing his brilliant soulful vocals.
Tigertown
The Sydney band have been creating exciting earworms such as Papernote and Bullet From the Gun for some time. In Austin, the Neon Gold favourites with the deep family ties (husband, wife and husband's brother and sister in the line-up) played as if their lives depended on it, energising and firing up those songs with great aplomb.
Fast Romantics
Preparing for SXSW means doing your homework on the acts who're playing, but there's always room for a chance encounter by walking into a venue at random. Enter Fast Romantics, a six-strong Toronto-based band with a few releases already under their belt. Live, their likeable big-room indie music packs a serious high-octane punch with Julia and Animal displaying great, sharp-as-a-tack hooks.
Methyl Ethel
Australia has given the world a rake of high-calibre psych-rock bands of late such as Tame Impala and Pond, so there should be space in the room for Methyl Ethel. The Perth trio produced space-age pop with superb guitar lines and Jake Webb's high-pitched vocals colouring and stitching texture in the songs.
