South By Southwest, typically abbreviated to SXSW, is an annual festival which showcases the world’s leading innovators in the fields of art, film, music and more. Taking place in the many extraordinary venues Austin has to offer, an invitation to participate in the ten-day festival often heralds the moment an act has truly ‘made it’ and also offers some of the biggest names a chance to return to an intimate setting to once again show everyone what made them great.
Sadly, not all of us can quite afford the flight fare to go party in Texas but; fear not! Gigantic has a roundup of some of the amazing names you can see later in the year on a stage near you.
Slaves
Slaves quickly grew from the hilarious two-piece support band everyone was talking about to a Bonafide international success story, almost overnight. Kent lads Isaac Holman (drums, vocals) and Laurie Vincent (guitar, vocals) unite their razor-sharp wit with a no-nonsense stripped down rock approach to create massive punk anthems.
Click HERE for your Slaves tickets.
Grandaddy
Californian LoFi masters Grandaddy have made their most welcome unexpected return with the release of their new record Last Place, their first studio album in over a decade. Tying together postmodern lullabies with a sense of futuristic nostalgia, their songs convey agonising beauty through bursts of guitar and elegant key work.
Click HERE for your Grandaddy tickets.
Temples
Temples are purveyors of perfect psychedelic tinged pop. Amalgamating synths with perfect hooks and taking lessons from Phil Spectre along the way, they create left of centre songs that are just at home in Warhol’s Factory as on primetime TV. There is little doubt their newly released second album Volcanos will feature in many ‘Best Of 2017’ lists.
Click HERE for your Temples tickets.
The Big Moon
One of the biggest bands set to explode this year are The Big Moon. They became a formidable festival act throughout the summer of 2016 with their enormous stage presence and well-crafted indie rock. It was followed by a headline tour to promote upcoming debut album Love In The 4th Dimension proved that they definitely have what it takes to be the main event.
Click HERE for your The Big Moon tickets.
Idles
Cramming together raged political polemics and off the wall art rantings into a concise distortion heavy pneumatic punch, Idles are sure to thrill those that like rampant wild gigs. Bristol’s hardest hitting post punks are starting to rise in profile having benefitted from prominent airplay on BBC 6 Music and release their debut album Brutalism this week.
Click HERE for your Idles tickets.
Mt. Wolf
Ambient folk trio Mt. Wolf unites the talents of Sebastian “Bassi” Fox (singer, producer), Stevie McMinn (guitar) and Alex Mitchell (drums). The band brings together the traditional congregational sound with modern electronica to create a transcendent feel that almost spills into post rock. Their debut album is released in May.
Click HERE for your Mt. Wolf tickets.
Cherry Glazerr
Indie rock has found new champions in the form of Cherry Glazer. Endearingly eclectic, Clementine Creevy (guitar, vocals), Hannah Uribe (drums) and Sean Redman (bass) employ a stripped-down approach to creating some truly infectious tunes. Their debut album Apocalipstick was released at the beginning of the year.
Click HERE for your Cherry Glazerr tickets.
Life
Hull City punks Life display a remarkable level of articulate anger in their amphetamine fuelled fast riff rages. The lads were handpicked by Slaves to join them on tour exposing them to even greater audiences. Having been tipped for big things by the likes of NME, DIY Magazine, The Line Of Best Fit and Steve Lamacq – BBC 6 Music, you can expect to hear a lot from the firebrands in the near future.
Click HERE for your Life tickets.
Meilyr Jones
The work of Meilyr Jones effortlessly skips from ballads to art house pop exhibiting his boundless talent. He implements a baritone vocal style has a unique charm matching his chamber pop style perfectly, marking him as a musician like no other. Critics agree, and his album 2013 saw him take home the Welsh Music Prize last year.
Click HERE for your Meilyr Jones tickets.
The Parrots
Madrid garage rockers The Parrots have forge their own path. Larry Balboa (drums), Diego García (guitar, vocals) and Alex de Lucas (bass) lunge from furious fast guitar work to laid back stoner tracks. Signed to Heavenly Records, they have found the perfect roost to harness their massive creative potential to follow up their debut album Los Niños Sin Miedo.
Click HERE for your The Parrots tickets.