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The SXSW 2007 Recap: Day Four

Saturday

Saturday started off on a sour note, or rather, a whole bunch of them. The Good, the Bad & the Queen at the Fader Fort were rather, erm, bad. Granted, Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz) has proven himself a restless creative, working on a variety of projects at any given moment, but this time, his pretentiousness shines through. The 45-minute set was droney and relatively lifeless. The only highlight of the show was when bassist Paul Simonon pulled out a joint and smoked it in plain site. Damn, I thought, that guy was totally in the Clash.

I then headed over to the impressive lineup at the NY2LON's sponsored afternoon, where nouveau-Motown artist Amy Winehouse was scheduled to perform. I got there in time to see Montreal's latest buzz band Malajube, who sing lyrics in French and display guitar chops that are understood in any language. At first, they jokingly introduced themselves at "the French Nirvana," but their concentrated live energy proved that the description wasn't entirely inaccurate.

Afterwards, Brooklyn's Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, standing 12 members strong, took over the stage with their full sound, and turned the Habana Calle backyard into a free-beer-infused dance party. The band premiered songs from Security, its first album for the Anti- label. Sadly, the overextended Winehouse cancelled her appearance at the last minute, so I left to squeeze in another nap.

A couple of days previous, I had introduced myself to a musician in the elevator. He told me that he was playing bass in a new band called Art in Manila, featuring Orenda Fink of Azure Ray and Adrienne Verhoeven formerly of the Anniversary. I said I would check them out, and so I did.

Slated early in a buzzworthy showcase at Beauty Bar Patio that included yet another performance by ye olde Pipettes, Tokyo Police Club, and Cursive, the unsigned Art in Manila had to fight hard for the attention of a restless and impatient crowd. But those who were wise enough to pay attention to their set discovered a lithe collective that makes a delicate brand of feminine folk.

Around the corner, New York label JDub and Heeb magazine (more disclosures: I also write for the latter) hosted the Habana Calle Annex for a show featuring the earnest indie rock of Detroit's Silent Years, the klezmer-punk of New York's Golem (pictured above), and the New Wave-influenced rock of Chicago's the Changes. While all three bands delivered stellar performances, I'm confident in saying that Golem—who sang songs alternately in Hebrew, Yiddish, and English—was the only SXSW band to inspire a horrah dance circle. Up until this point, I had not yet seen a crowd so responsive and enthusiastic. Golem is made of consummate entertainers.

I returned to Beauty Bar Patio to catch Tokyo Police Club, an praiseworthy indie-rock band that combines the retro garage rock of the Strokes with the syncopated chops of the Hives. Nothing I haven't heard before, but that didn't make it any less fun. We'll have to wait until their full-length is released later this year to determine whether the band's potential lives up to hype.

The night, and the festival, ended with the hippie stoner jams of VietNam at the Kemado house party located in some random backyard. The former Austinites created a fitting campfire vibe under the starry night—it was a perfect ending to an otherwise hectic four days.

- Arye Dworken
03.21.07

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