SXSW live review: Austin acts welcome festival goers with amazing performances

The first weekend of South By Southwest 2024 showed some of Austin’s finest local talent, warmly welcoming out-of-town visitors, local music fans, and touring bands alike. Austin is still a global music hub in 2024, and SXSW amplifies that fact for a couple weeks each March to show that music is still a hot commodity in the city, no matter what time of year it is. With opening, all-day showcases such as Hotel Vegas’ Anniversary Party, SX Soundcheck, Do512 Smokeout, and others, there’s plenty to keep music attendees busy before official music week begins today (March 11). Here’s what stood out to us in the opening days of SXSW, most of which will perform again before the festival concludes.

A Giant Dog at Hotel Vegas 13th Anniversary Party – March 7

Each Thursday before SXSW begins, East Austin live music staple Hotel Vegas throws an all-day event to celebrate another consecutive year of being one of Austin’s best one-stop rock and roll shops that features some of the city’s most creative and talented acts. Austin mainstays A Giant Dog usually takes the headlining reins, a long-running Austin band whose members are, for lack of a better phrase, Austin royalty. Singer Sabrina Ellis owns every stage they grace, complete with crowd control skills that only a seasoned bandleader can possess. The other acts at the anniversary party included eccentric punks Lord Friday The 13th, psych-punk overlords Gus Baldwin & The Sketch, sludge metal trio The Well, and more that makeup what is an undeniable array of eclectic forces that help make up the Austin scene. A Giant Dog will perform at Monday’s edition of Hotel Vegas Spring Break Boogie and then again on March 15 at 11 p.m. at Shangri-La.

Sexpop & The Cuckoos South By Northeast Unofficial Showcase at 21st Street Co-Op – March 8

On the eve of two performances from masked crusaders, Grandmaster, two of the band’s respective projects, greased the wheels at the long-running University of Texas campus living institution, 21st St Co-Op. Grandmaster member, Blaise Eldred’s project, Sexpop, has grown to be a full-time act, which spawned a month-long residency at Red River Cultural District late-night spot, Swan Dive. Frontman and guitarist Eldred recorded most of Sexpop’s first record on his smartphone, and if you ask us, it’s a masterclass in what DIY recording can be. Each Sexpop performance features Eldred, guitarist Nick Leon, drummer Connor Mizell, bassist John Kuzmick, and synth player Kenneth Frost, who also fronts The Cuckoos. Sexpop’s sound verges on pop tunes with a hook; the result feels like a late-night party with funky guitars and an ethereal vocal delivery that showcases Eldred’s wide vocal range. The 21st Street Commons light show felt like Sexpop in their element, showing the late-night auras that make the band an entrancing, immersive experience. Sexpop will perform again for SXSW at 2109 S. Congress at 10 pm for the Ausindie Music and Electric Church showcase. 

The Cuckoos have an impeccable groove that’s knitted together with astronomical musicianship. The Austin act employs a fusion of genres, including funk, new wave, psych rock, and soul. The astounding result is a band that does it all, complete with a ripping rhythm section woven together by kick-ass guitar leads from local player Phoenix Knight. The Cuckoos had the 21st Street Commons stage dancing with Friday-night-fever intensity, giving the student living community a dance-club-like atmosphere that paired well with The Cuckoos’ funky and undeniably energetic vibe. 

Annabelle Chairlegs at SX Soundcheck Showcase at Hotel Vegas – March 9

Frontwoman Lindsey Mackin has kept busy by leading indie, psych-rock trio Annabelle Chairlegs, and her Austin music career has only kept growing. Bassist Derek Strahan, drummer Nick Cornetti, and Mackin all also play in popular Austin neo-psych act Daiistar, who are fresh off the release of their debut LP Good Time. When the threesome takes the stage as Annabelle Chairlegs, any local Austin venue transforms into a jittery indie rock party. The spunky vocal delivery from Mackin bodes well for the frantic, loud guitar attack from the local Austin musician, accompanied by the in-the-pocket rhythm section from Strahan and Cornetti, keeping it together with their rhythmic, in-sync expertise. The band has a record on the way in 2024, recently recorded in California, with details yet to be revealed.

Grandmaster at Hotel Vegas SX Soundcheck & Glaze Fest at Cheer Up Charlie’s – March 9

Local progressive funk nonet Grandmaster ended their nearly three-month gig dry spell with two performances on the first Saturday of SXSW. The 9-piece Austin band has influences of 70s funk, but their conceptual musical compositions go much deeper than that. Band founders Nick Leon, Connor Mizell, and Blaise Eldred have had their respective projects prior to Grandmaster and recruited a massive league of seasoned musicians since relocating to Austin, after meeting in college in the northeast. Grandmaster played two sets on Saturday, one at Hotel Vegas in broad daylight, followed by a late-night appearance at Cheer Up Charlies’ Glaze Fest party. Both sets featured a theatrical presentation of the band’s lore, featuring matching outfits, identical eye-concealing headwear, and red bucket hats that bring uniformity, encouraging an inclusive community. The Austin ensemble is about to release their debut LP, due out May 3, followed by a release show at State Theatre (next to Paramount) on May 4. Local indie act Nolan Potter’s Nightmare Band and power trio Dodo will open the show. Catch Grandmaster next at Far Out Lounge & Stage on March 17 at the Two Stager Rager Event. 

Lauren Lakis at Hotel Vegas’ Springbreak Boogie at Volstead – March 10

Los Angeles-Austin shoegaze sorceress Lauren Lakis delivered an intimate set at Volstead Lounge with a set that verged on wall-of-sound guitar pedal mania while also showing the artist’s singer/songwriter virtuosity. Having planned a number of performances for this year’s SXSW, Lakis’ solo act will continue to perform throughout the week, along with her newly joined project, Prehuman, who is scheduled to perform at Hotel Vegas for the local venue’s Spring Break Boogie showcases. Lakis will perform several more times at SXSW, including The Cosmic Clash and Play To The Plants’ Psychedelic Plants Clash at The 13th Floor tomorrow (March 12).

Club X SXSW Showcase at The 13th Floor – March 10

Austin promoters Club X presented their SXSW kickoff with a world-spanning lineup of handpicked artists who go hand-in-hand with the Austin music scene mission. Buzzed Lightbeer, Annie Taylor, and Pink Breath of Heaven appeared at the SX kickoff party, helping to bring a wide span of talent to begin a week full of diverse showcases at 13th Floor which is co-owned by Jake Garcia of The Black Angels. Austin bands Shooks and Daiistar also appeared on the evening’s bill, acting as tour guides for the multinational group of artists on the first Sunday of SXSW. Local psych-gaze act Daiistar delivered a high-octane set, as is usual for the band that’s been touring like hell and making a name for themselves in the realm of neo-psychedelia and indie rock alike. The 13th Floor was filled with new and regular faces, allowing a locally renowned venue to showcase talent from places like San Francisco, Switzerland, and Los Angeles. Club X will also host another unofficial showcase on March 16 at Drinks Backyard in South Austin. The day showcase will also feature acts from all over, including Spain’s Airu, Brazil’s Glue Trip, and New York City’s Dead Leaf Echo. Austin acts Holy Wire and Marry Cherry will also round out the final Saturday showcase.

Check our day party page for upcoming SXSW shows recommended by The Cosmic Clash

Featured photo: The Well All photos by Case Cockrell except where noted