Once again, SXSW was South-by-South-Mess. But beyond the Coldplays and Gagas were a billion new rock and roll bands making a noisy racket far beyond 6th Street. After driving back from Austin earlier this week, we sifted through the rock and rubble to find our new favorite bands that should dominate our summer soundtrack.
Eagulls // United Kingdom // Boston date: June 18 @ Great Scott
There’s a bit of an angry post-punk renaissance going on these days in the UK (see Slaves down below as well), with young bands unleashing tight, mechanical garage rock fury. When Eagulls hit up Great Scott later this year, we’d love to see Young Adults on the bill. Then we’ll be seeing a doctor the next day for our hearing loss.
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PUP // Toronto, Canada // Boston date: They were supposed to play with Solids at Great Scott next Thursday but they are no longer listed, oh well
Following the lead of METZ out of Ontario and into sweaty-ass clubs across the globe, PUP’s fist-in-the-air anthem-punk is a nice balance of aggression and polish. They destroyed it at the Vice and Consequence of Sound parties at SXSW, and their debut LP is out April 8 on SideOneDummy. Expect things.
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Radkey // St. Joseph, Missouri // Boston date: May 13 @ Great Scott
Radkey felt like the true “discovery” band at SXSW, as a few people told us stories of stumbling into venues and seeing them unexpectedly. One person said they heard them from afar, followed the sound, and caught the rest of the show not knowing who they were or where they were from. Well, they’re called Radkey, they are a trio led by Dee Radke (no relation to former Twins pitcher Brad), and they are from Missouri. Radke kinda sounds a bit like Danzig. Killer band.
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Slaves // United Kingdom // No Boston date (but expect one soon)
No doubt our favorite discovery down in Austin, as we illustrated in this live clip from the British Music Embassy showcase. The ink is barely dry on their major-label deal with Virgin/EMI, so expect to hear a lot from this ferocious English garage rock duo over the next year. We already bought tickets to their Boston show, and it hasn’t even been booked yet.
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The Unlikely Candidates // Fort Worth, Texas // Boston date: None upcoming, but hey apparently played WonderBar last month. Yeah we missed it, too.
After a 30-hour drive that got us to Austin Wednesday night around 10 p.m., we checked into our room at the Hilton Garden Inn and decided we needed a drink. We went upstairs to the hotel bar, and these dudes were playing. We thought they sounded like a better, cooler Kings of Leon, and we enjoyed it as much as the older ladies rocking out at the bar next to us. It got SXSW off on the right foot.