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BRITS UP
Whether at its self-styled home during SXSW at the British Music Embassy, or scattered across the festival’s many, many showcases, this year’s British invasion is a strong one. Take Slaves, Sundara Karma, The Big Moon and Blaenavon as pretty-massive-back-home shining examples - plus those even newer aiming to steal Austin’s show; Dream Wife, IDLES and Catholic
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Action among them. If it’s possible to find a good cup of tea in Austin, grab one and read on…
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The dive-bars and sweaty intimacy of Austin’s venues will be a world away from their recent touring across the Atlantic: their last UK tour included two nights at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire, and before that they’d headlined both the city’s Brixton Academy and Forum venues. “I think it’ll be fun,” Isaac says. “We’ve got to a point in the UK that we never thought we’d get to. You almost start taking it for granted here, so when you go abroad to somewhere you’re less known it feels good. It feels like the old days when we were trying to win people over. It’s good for the soul I
think, winning crowds round.” They come to Austin straight from their first US headline tour - having previously supported Wolf Alice across the States last year. Isaac says their emphatically British sound can be received both ways. “Some of the time it’s almost like a novelty,” he explains. “When you’re in the States people are like ‘oh my god you’re British’, and lap it up. But it can also work the other way around, the British don’t necessarily have a good name for themeselves. “Our music is quite angry and anti-establishment, I guess, so maybe some of the lefties in the US will relate to it.” M@slaves @slaves Slaves play the BBC Radio 1 x PRS x PPL showcase at the British Music Embassy on Tuesday 14th March.
London-based trio Dream Wife (that’s vocalist Rakel Mjöll, guitarist Alice Go, and bassist Bella Podpadec) find themselves in Austin off the back of DIY’s own Hello 2017 tour, which kicked off with an explosive headline date at famed boozer The Old Blue Last in mid-Jan, before hitting up similarly buzzy venues across the UK, taking along local support bands to boot. Their riotous post-punk-pop veers from the more subdued ‘Kids’, to in-yourface smash ‘F.U.U.’ via certified earworm ‘Hey Heartbreaker’.
During our recent DIY Hello 2017 tour we had so many incredible support bands from across the UK, however Liverpool duo Her’s really stuck in our minds and ears. Their music is really cute and danceable, we can’t wait to catch them in Texas! How important do you think it is for UK bands to play SXSW?
To have the chance to go over to Texas and play to a new kind of crowd at such a large showcase festival is not only an incredible experience for any band but also important to the growth and development of a group. While at present the thought of going to America given recent events is quite different to what it would have been six months ago, it is still an invaluable experience and opportunity for bands to expand their experience and outreach. What are you looking forward to most while in Austin?
We’re going to get kitted out with cowboy boots and hats! We wanna get some serious looks together to soak in the Texas vibes. Also, we’re
Since 2006, the PRS Foundation have supported over 500 artists and bands to showcase internationally with The International Showcase Fund. A partnership between PRS Foundation, Department for International Trade, British Underground, Arts Council England, the Musicians’ Union, PPL, Creative Scotland, Wales Arts International and in association with PledgeMusic, you can discover which artists have been funded for this year’s SXSW by looking out for the PRS Foundation logo.
Kent pair Slaves have been going non-stop since breakthrough single ‘Hey’ back in November 2014 saw them catapulted to festival main stages and telly appearances - past as many moshpits as you can throw a Mantaray at. They’ve got two Top 10 albums; their Mercury Prize-nominated debut ‘Are You Satisfied?’ was released in June 2015, with the Mike D-produced ‘Take Control’ following in September last year.
e played three years ago and haven’t been back since,” says drumming frontman Isaac Holman of SXSW. “It’s gonna be wicked.”
There are a lot of great UK bands heading to SXSW, are any already faves of yours?
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really hoping to see some desert! In the UK there isn’t a whole lot of open space, so we’re excited to see vast dramatic landscapes! Lots of well-known people have been spotted at SXSW before. Who’d be your dream gig attendee?
Leonardo DiCaprio, we all love him SO much, he’s a total heartthrob dream gig attendee. Alice has always had a crush on Kristen Stewart, her performance of Joan Jett in The Runaways is so on point, so she might enjoy the Dream Wife vibes. Who knows maybe Will Smith can come too, make it a party, Will could rap with us for a rendition of F.U.U. like no other. What can the SXSW crowds expect from a Dream Wife show?
A wild ride, full of fresh material and a lotta fun! M@DreamWifeMusic
@dreamwifetheband Dream Wife play the DIY Presents SXSW showcase at Maggie Mae’s on Friday 17th March. DIY have teamed up with PRS’ M Magazine and PRS Foundation to document Dream Wife's #RoadtoSXSW. Keep up to date at diymag.com.
DREAM WIFE
As the countdown to SXSW edges ever closer, an excitable The Big Moon are finalising their plans over a pizza. Besides debating where to stay, their main priority is crystal clear – meat acquisition.
“Y
ou should have a barbecue!” exclaims a wildly gesticulating Fern Ford, the band’s resident drummer and culinary expert. “And potato salad! They do proper brisket there, slow cooked.” Guitarist Soph Nathan, on the other hand, has West Coast fast food institutions on the brain instead, and leans in with another word of advice: “go to In N’ Out!”
“Soph, you just burnt your
“Austin is fucking lovely,” proclaims Fern, steering conversation back en route. “It’s the best bit of it. Dallas and Houston are a bit, ‘well, hey there, ma’am!’” she laughs, adopting an uncanny cowboy impersonation. “Austin’s cool.” “All I know about Austin and Texas,” adds Celia, “comes from the film Whip It. I’ve always really wanted to go. When she goes to do roller derby that’s in Austin.” Roller derby, and meats, then. What a place it sounds. M@commoonicate
@commoonicate The Big Moon play the BBC 6Music x AIM showcase at the British Music Embassy on Thursday 16th March.
S u n dar a You’ve been playing some pretty big gigs recently, how have they gone?
M@templesofficial @templesofficial Temples play Radio Day Stage on Wednesday 15th March.
How do you think that’ll compare to sweaty bars in Austin?
It’ll be a different kind of terror. We’re gonna love it to be honest. We’ve wanted to play SXSW for ages but haven’t been able to afford it so we’re just excited by the opportunity to be out there, among the finest.
What are you most looking forward to experiencing in Texas?
IDLES
If you’re in Austin when you read this, then noisy Bristolians IDLES will have just released incendiary debut album ‘Brutalism’ - which is every bit as visceral and austere as its title suggests. What’s more, they’ve been hand-picked to support UK indie behemoths The Maccabees at their summer farewell gigs. M@idlesband
IDLES play the BBC Introducing x PRS Foundation showcase at the British Music Embassy and BD Riley’s on Friday 17th March.
Heated bar crawls! Our tour manager has booked us into a nuts Airbnb overlooking a lake so I doubt we’ll ever return.
We’ve heard the Austin barbecues are legendary. What’s your item of choice?
We’re all vegetarians so a roasted pepper or something. Anything posh and feta-stuffed will do.
What can the SXSW masses expect from a Sundara Karma set?
A general morale boost perhaps, it’ll depend what mood we’re in. I think it’s gonna be super special!
M@sundarakarma @sundarakarma Sundara Karma play the BBC Music x DIT showcase at the British Music Embassy on Saturday 18th March.
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Swirling into view back in 2013 in a haze of hair, glitter and 70s-style psych, Kettering boys Temples’ debut ‘Sun Structures’ saw them pegged as superstar revivalists, while brand new follow-up ‘Volcano’ shows them batting higher, less aping the past, more forging their own way forward.
Reading quartet Sundara Karma have not long finished a massive UK tour - their notoriously fervent fan base seeing them headline Shepherd’s Bush Empire along the way - following the release of Top 20 debut album, ‘Youth Is Only Ever Fun In Retrospect’. It’s anthem indie a-go-go from the boys, led by vocalist Oscar Pollock, with guitarist Ally Baty, bassist Dom Cordell and drummer Haydn Evans in tow.
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Very well thanks. It’s nice seeing more and more people turn up to our shows alongside all the young indie moshers. We’ve been playing some big venues with Two Door Cinema Club which have definitely pushed us out our comfort zone, but we’re gaining a certain kind of confidence which can only be harnessed through sheer terror.
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the big moon “When I was in America,” starts a slightly harrowed frontwoman Jules Jackson, “I had that proper slow cooked beef thing... and it was disgusting, it tasted like eating cigarettes. I don’t know how anyone could like it.” Almost as if on cue, Soph leans in with another piece of advice, and inadvertently catches her sleeve on a candle. Slight pandemonium ensues.
sleeve!” yelps a rightly concerned Celia Archer.” Is that what the beef tasted like?” she asks Jules. “Yeah.” Maybe avoid the slow-cooked beef, then.
Hampshire trio Blaenavon may only just be out of their teens, but having formed over half a decade ago, they’re no newbies to the scene. Last year marked their SXSW debut – a trip formed of highs (eight shows in five days, including a particularly riotous gig at a college pool party) and if not lows, then certainly some bemusing asides (accidentally staging a photoshoot in the middle of a police scene). But this year, with debut album ‘That’s Your Lot’ finally set for release in April, the band are returning to Austin ready to amp things up, bust out some surprises and stay away from the long arm of the law (hopefully).
“I
’m very excited about coming back,” enthuses singer Ben Gregory. “We’re playing the DIY stage of course, and I’m also excited about the Transgressive Records showcase at The Black Heart. Marika Hackman’s just put out a new song and it is vvvvibrant. We’re gonna try and sort some kind of collab out between us; keep your eyes peeled...” As well as impromptu team-ups, Ben’s also got some celebrating to do as he’ll be finally turning 21 at the end of the week. Not that that stopped the band last year... “Last time my manager bought me a cake with ‘20’ on it and all the bar staff were like, ‘what do you mean you’re 20? You need to leave immediately’,” he recalls with a laugh. “So we had to pretend it was some kind of strange British joke and that I was actually turning 22.” Note to any US bar staff out there: this is definitely not a British tradition. But while Blaenavon may be slightly ropey when it comes to legal matters, their eloquent, brooding indie bangers are exciting enough to win over even the toughest of judges. “People say start slowly and don’t go too hard when you’re at a festival for a week, but I think you can go hard as long as you keep going hard,” Ben notes. Expect Blaenavon to be charging full pelt ahead to glory for the foreseeable future.
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@blaeners Blaenavon play the DIY x Ticketweb SXSW showcase at the British Music Embassy on Monday 13th March. Visit diymag.com/sxsw for more information.
“I think yo u c a n go hard a s lo n g a s yo u keep going h a r d.” -
B e n G reg o ry
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M@blaeners
HER’S
SPLASHH
It took a partial relocation to the Big Apple for fuzzy adopted Londoners Splashh to record the follow-up to 2013 debut ‘Comfort’, amping up from the slacker rock vibes of that record in the process, while enlisting Nicolas Vernhes to produce. The suitably-named ‘Waiting A Lifetime’ is released next month, following live dates on both the East and West coasts. M@splashhband
Liverpool duo Her’s (with that all-important apostrophe) wowed The Old Blue Last back in January as part of our Hello 2017 series of gigs at the London venue, and have since gone on to support fellow North West residents, Dutch Uncles. They release ‘Songs of Her’s’ in May, an eight-track compilation of everything they’ve put to tape so far. M@ThatBandOfHers Her’s play Tap Room at The Market on Wednesday 15th March.
@splashhband
Splashh play the DIY Presents SXSW showcase at Maggie Mae’s on Friday 17th March. Visit diymag.com/sxsw for more information.
FLAMINGODS
Bringing their self-styled “exotic psychedelia” to Austin, the London-based five-piece formed originally in Bahrain in 2009, then formally following an extended jam session in a chalet at cult UK festival All Tomorrow’s Parties the following year. Latest album, ‘Majesty’, a concept work, no less, was released in 2016. M@flamingods
@flamingodsmusic
Flamingods play Hotel Vegas Annexe on Thursday 16th March.
Doe’s music is more than slightly indebted to America. From the crunch of Weezer to Sleater-Kinney’s slippery melodies, the London trio - vocalist Nicola Leel, guitarist Dean Smitten and drummer Jake Popyura - take a heavy slice of influence from the fuzzy rock of the States in the ‘90s, and now make their way over to Austin with debut album ‘Some Things Last Longer Than You’ in their back pockets. Lyrically, the record is vicious and cutting, with this anger hidden under walls of distorted guitars and sugary choruses. Your album is out on Old Flame in the US - how has the reaction been?
Nicola: We, somehow, ended up at number six (six!) on ABC News’ albums of the year. THE ABC news! Dean: Beyoncé was 37th place. Nicola: At least it’s officially out there now that we’re 31 times better than Béyonce.
There’s also a tech and film festival on at the same time, what else are you hoping to catch?
Jake: We’re all really into films, so we’re gonna schedule in some downtime to catch some of that stuff. Nicola: I’m going for the tech! Dean: I’ll be out trying to snag as much vegan junk food as I can and start a food blog. Next year, I’ll launch it at the tech event and have my own app. I’ve got it all thought out. Loads of famous people are floating around at SXSW - if any one of them could show up to your set, who would you want it to be?
Jake: Any of the cast of the new Ghostbusters. I don’t mind which one really. Dean: I was thinking about this earlier. Do you think Carrie Brownstein would be there? Carrie Brownstein or Donald Glover. Nicola: I’m gonna go for Paul Rudd. Dean: Oh my god you fancy Paul Rudd! Doe play the DIY x Ticketweb SXSW showcase at the British Music Embassy on Monday 13th March. DIY
have teamed up with PRS’ M Magazine and PRS Foundation to document Doe's #RoadtoSXSW. Keep up to date at diymag.com.
doe
Texas is the second biggest state in America. What’s the second biggest state you’ve ever been in, Marika?
The last day of my GCSEs, our last exam was Physics at 9am, and then obviously we went to get pissed straight afterwards. I drank a whole bottle of wine in some woods somewhere, smoked a bit of a joint, and I was genuinely seeing four of everyone, and the ground was coming up to meet me every time I tried to walk. By the afternoon I was throwing up in my English teacher’s garden.
Are you a fan of the band Texas?
You know what, I remember quite liking Texas, but I don’t remember their songs. I just remember the frontwoman had a leather jacket with some rhinestones on the back, and she went on Top of the Pops. At the time, I was probably into it as a 12-year-old. I wouldn’t even know where to start, or end!
Um. No.
Are you absolutely sure about that? You definitely hesitated there.
No, probably not. Depends if I get in any more states.
M@MarikaHackman
@marikahackman
Marika Hackman plays the BBC Radio 2 x PRS x PPL showcase at the British Music Embassy on Wednesday 15th March.
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Will you get a Sharleen Spiteriinspired jacket for SXSW, then?
Marika Hac kman
Amped up with the raucous gusto of new single ‘Boyfriend’ – and with her no-doubt ace second album ‘I’m Not Your Man’ out in June – Marika Hackman’s in Austin, for a chaotic whirlwind of shows. Expect new material, drunken states, and admirable levels of burger-intake. Just don’t hold out for any bedazzled jackets...
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Muncie Girls What do you know about Austin and are you excited to do anything in particular out there?
There’s also a film conference at SXSW - which film would you choose to play behind you whilst playing your set?
Are there any bands you’re particularly looking forward to seeing?
If there was one famous person who you would want to come and see your set above all others, who would it be?
Lande: I actually know nothing about Austin! I once heard that it was cool so that’s enough to make me excited about visiting. I think we’re just gonna yolo it and see what’s good. You can’t plan a good time. Actually you can, and you probably should! But we aren’t going to.
There are loads of new bands playing that I haven’t heard of because I’m not very in-theknow, but I’m going to watch a bunch of them and find out who’s good. Doe, Gurr, Diet Cig, LVL UP, Girlpool, and the Spook School are all playing which is very good news! Also Elaine from Seinfeld is speaking which is VERY good news.
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After releasing debut album ‘From Caplan To Belsize’ at the start of last year, Exeter-via-London trio Muncie Girls hit the festival circuit hard. From The Great Escape in Brighton to Reading & Leeds, the punks are finally hitting the States. With tours alongside Taking Back Sunday and Beach Slang behind them, it looks like 2017 could be their year. With infectious, gritty singles that also tackle toxic subjects such as lad and rape culture, the band - vocalist/bassist Lande Hekt, guitarist Dean McMullen and drummer Luke Ellis - are putting a new face onto punk.
Well, the obvious choice would be ‘The Hudsucker Proxy’ because “Muncie girl” is a quote from it, but given free reign I’d opt for something a little edgier. Probably ‘Brassed Off’. It would be good to have a town hall brass band playing behind an amateur rock band.
Proud supporters of
After lots and lots of thought and careful consideration, I have decided it would have to be Ross Gellar. M@munciegirls
@munciegirls
Muncie Girls play the DIY x Ticketweb SXSW showcase at the British Music Embassy on Monday 13th March. Visit diymag.com/sxsw for more information.
www.ticketweb.co.uk
www.ticketweb.com
www.ticketweb.ca
www.ticketweb.ie
“ I ' m g o i n g to wa l k a r o u n d h o l d i n g m y b e lt a l l t h e t i m e , a n d c a r ry s o m e t u m b l e w eed.”
“My band mate was really drunk, and he walked into this club and didn't realise there was a swimming pool directly in front of the entrance,” Amber remembers, laughing. “He fell straight in. He immediately got thrown out. I got in a mood with him because he was all soggy, and the night ended with me waiting for an Uber, and him appearing with a full size cardboard cutout of a basketball player. It was me in a mood, him, and this cardboard cut out in the back of an Uber.” As you do.
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Given her blurry memories of the city, Amber's got few specific tips for any visitors to Austin, bar one. “I heard this really cool band is playing...” she tips off. “They're called The Japanese House. You should go and see them. It's the classic thing to do when you're in Texas.” The Japanese House is planning on linking up with a fair few pals while she's at SXSW – notably The Big Moon and Marika Hackman (who feature elsewhere in this very paper!) “I'm really good friends with The Big Moon and I'm verrrrrrrry good friends with Marika,” Amber quips, cackling. “I might explode with happiness. A lot of babes in music at the moment. Potential squad babes, imagine! We could call ourselves The John Waynes. I'm going to walk around holding my belt all the time, and carry some tumbleweed. Every time someone says something boring, I'm going to throw it at their face. ” Before whizzing off to resume work on her debut album, The Japanese House issues a quick disclaimer. “All the people from Texas who read this are gonna be like, for god's sake,” she adds in apology for her repeated cowboy references. “I'll be there, like. 'Howdy, guys!' and they'll be like “we don't just do that, jeez!” M@japanesehouse @thejapanesehouse The Japanese House plays the BBC Introducing x PRS Foundation showcase at the British Music Embassy on Friday 17th March.
The J a pa n e s e House
As she explains, this isn’t the first time The Japanese House has had an eventful trip to America's super-sized state. On tour last summer with best pals The 1975, Amber Bain and her bandmates went out to digest the nightlife of Austin while heavily intoxicated, and made quite the splash.
C at h o l i c Acti o n Glasgow four-piece Catholic Action have already drawn the attention of one pop superstar after their track ‘Rita Ora’ wowed the singer herself, but with a full-length debut in the can, and extensive UK tour under their collective belt, their angular glam-art-rock will, er, never let you down (sorry). Fronted by Chris McCrory, they’re completed by guitarist Andrew Macpherson, bassist Jamie Dubber and drummer Ryan Clark. Have you been to SXSW before?
Andrew: I went a couple of years ago, in a different band, but I’m excited to be back. Ryan: I’ve never been to America, I’m very excited. They’ve got McDonalds. That’s something to look forward to. What are you most excited about?
Andrew: Sunshine! We live in Glasgow. Ryan: You know, when we were told about it I was a bit annoyed, because I wanted it to be Florida, so we could go on The Hulk! Chris: I’m mostly looking forward to seeing The Lemon Twigs every time they play. It’s great being able to see so many bands you like in one place. Jamie: I imagine Thee Oh Sees will play a show at some point, they tend to do that every year. Ryan: Even though we can see these bands any time, there are a lot of folk coming from Glasgow, so we can just see all our pals’ bands play. Chris: Yeah, there’s a big contingent of
JA M I E I S A AC
Croydon singer-songwriter Jamie is a childhood pal of King Krule - having studied together at the BRIT School. But where his sometime collaborator veers towards a stream-of-consciousness style of songwriting, Jamie’s more ‘free jazz’ with his thinking, taking influence from the likes of Bill Evans and Teddy Wilson on last year’s debut ‘Couch Baby’. M@JIsaacOfficial
@jme__isc
Jamie Isaac plays the DIY x Ticketweb SXSW showcase at the British Music Embassy on Monday 13th March. Visit diymag.com/sxsw for more information.
SUPERGLU
With a frontman who achieved local infamy for putting on gigs in 15-capacity toilets, a drummer who lives on a boat, plus a childhood disco-dance competition winner as bassist, SuperGlu, based in the small Essex town of Manningtree, have been causing chaos since their 2014 formation. M@SuperGlu_band
@supergluband
SuperGlu play the DIY x Ticketweb SXSW showcase at the British Music Embassy on Monday 13th March. Visit diymag.com/sxsw for more information.
PAW S
Getting blink-182’s Mark Hoppus to produce your album is a pretty huge seal of approval for a punk band, and for Glasgow’s PAWS, he also happened to be at the helm of their best record yet. ‘No Grace’ is a remorseless blast through pop and punk, with the band’s live show just as thunderous. M@wehavepaws PAWS play Sidewinder Outside on Thursday 16th March.
CHAIN OF FLOWER S
Cardiff rabble Chain of Flowers provided a blackened burst of hell-bound post-punk with their 2015 self-titled debut album, and with tours alongside NOTHING and Ceremony behind them, and a new 7” in the works, the fivepiece are set to hit harder than ever in 2017. M@flowersinchains
@flowersinchains
K AT E N A S H
From her mid-00s breakthrough as pop singersongwriter, to her on - and offline - social activism, via a foray into lo-fi grunge (and a fledgling acting career to boot - she stars in upcoming Netflix Original series ‘G.L.O.W’), Harrow-born Kate Nash has pretty much done it all. She’s currently taking her self-styled Girl Gang on the road, with new material to follow later this year. M@katenash @katenash Kate Nash plays the BBC Radio 2 x PRS x PPL showcase at the British Music Embassy on Wednesday 15th March.
Glasgow bands who are all friends with each other, so it’s going to be mental. What can Austin expect from you?
Chris: Catholic Action songs, including lots of new ones, and four young men who are very excited to be there. On to the ‘celebrity’ question. Who’d be the ideal person to find watching your set?
Ryan: Henrik Larsson. I don’t know if you’re familiar with him [legendary Sweden and Celtic footballer, hell yes we are!], but it’d be really good if he was there. I’d be like ‘mind that free kick, mate?’. Chris: Jonathan Rado from Foxygen, or Angel Olsen, because I think the records they’ve made recently are fantastic and I want them to produce our second album. M@CatholicAction @catholicaction Catholic Action play the BBC Introducing x PRS Foundation showcase at the British Music Embassy on Friday 17th March.
ANNA MEREDITH
Composer Anna Meredith has her roots in classical music, but her foray into electronic sounds with album ‘Varmints’ was her most intriguing move to date. She also provides a full-on, blisteringly loud live set, which has electrified festivals across the world. MAnnaHMeredith @annahmeredith Anna Meredith plays the BBC Music x DIT showcase at the British Music Embassy on Saturday 18th March. Anna Meredith plays the BBC Music x DIT showcase at the British Music Embassy on Saturday 18th March.
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