My Saturday night started strong and finished monumentally, though in the middle was an unfortunate lowlight in the form of the only showcase I didn’t get into this year due to the length of the line (it was an acoustic Nada Surf performance, but don’t cry for me, Twangville Nation — I’m seeing them at the 9:30 Club in D.C. tonight).
Kicking things off with the first showcase of the last night of South-by proper was the pride of Brighton, U.K., the Indelicates, at the Rio. Looking over my notes, the first thing I wrote during their first song was, “Most promising first minute of the week…this bodes VERY well.†And they only continued to impress from that point. Led by Simon Indelicate on vocals and Rickenbacker guitar and Julia Indelicate on vocals and keyboards, this five-piece offers a tremendously exciting sound that I can only describe as gloriously controlled chaos, combined with a cheeky songwriting ability that’s best evidenced by their as-yet unreleased paean to wasted youth, “Waiting for Pete Doherty to Die.â€
That particular gem hasn’t (yet) been released, but for a taste of the Indelicates, check out their “Julia, We Don’t Live in the ‘60s,†courtesy of SXSW.
[audio:http://audio.sxsw.com/2008/mp3/The_Indelicates-Julia_we_don%27t_live_in_the_60s.mp3]Following sets by the Redwalls (whose sound is comprised of equal parts Stones, Faces, and Beatles, and whose Faces-esque “Game of Love†is particularly well worth seeking out), D.C.’s own Georgie James, Austin’s own Lemurs, and –one of these places is not like the others– Wales’ own Christopher Rees, it was time to end the night with the new band I’d been most looking forward to seeing this year: the Airborne Toxic Event.
If you’ll permit me to stretch a metaphor, I freely admit that I initially judged this book not by its cover, but by its title. I (correctly) assumed that any band calling itself the Airborne Toxic Event had to have done so as an homage to Don Delillo’s brilliant novel, White Noise, which is an all-time favorite of mine. Imagine my happiness then when, upon listening to the SXSW-provided .mp3 of the band’s “Wishing Well,†I discovered that their sound more than lived up to their name.
[audio:http://audio.sxsw.com/2008/mp3/The_Airborne_Toxic_Event-Wishing_Well_-_Final_Mastered.mp3]Well, the band’s live performance upped the ante even further. The Airborne Toxic Event were, quite simply, the finest and most exciting new band I saw at South-by ’08 and they delivered what was very possibly the finest last-set-of-South-by-proper that I’ve ever seen.
The Airborne Toxic Event represent everything that I love about live rock ‘n’ roll: a thoroughly original, thoroughly modern sound that’s both muscular and lithesome; ferociously energetic take-no-prisoners performances from every member of the band; highly literate songwriting that’s as universal as it is deeply personal; and heart, soul, and talent to burn.
With an engine fueled by twin Fender Jaguars and (alternately) keyboards and viola, in addition to bass and drums, the Airborne Toxic Event create rock ‘n’ roll for the 21st century. It’s shows like this one, and exciting new voices like the Airborne Toxic Event, that not only keep me coming back to Austin every year for South-by, but also serve to restore my faith in the majesty of rock ‘n’ roll.
Hail, hail!
Want to become an instant expert on the Airborne Toxic Event (who, by the way, it was announced yesterday, have signed with Majordomo Records)? Then head on over to my pal Erica’s Between Love and Like blog for her definitive interview with the band.
About the author: John Anderson is a SXSW addict, having attended "South-by" every year since 1999. His South-by geekery spilled over into the realm of blogging in 2006, and he is grateful to the Twangville audience for having indulged his South-by ravings since 2008.