While it’s always good to have a plan when going into these kinds of events, one of the great things about SXSW is the element of surprise and the joy of pure discovery that comes along with randomly walking into a show cold and coming away pleasantly surprised. Sure, it’s a bit of a crapshoot, but if the SouthBy gods are smiling upon you, that roll of the dice just might pay off. And on the Friday afternoon, it did indeed pay off, with sets from Perennial, Snacktime, jasmine.4.t and the legendary Peelander-Z standing out as the highlights
Perennial @ High Noon
In their bio posted on the SXSW site, Perennial are described thusly: “Perennial is an art project: Mod pop, post-hardcore, 60s soul, ambient electronic music, midcentury design, abstract expressionism, French New Wave cinema; it’s all collage material for Perennial.”
That’s a fair description of the band’s sound but most importantly, the Hartford-based band delivered a well-needed blast of energy that got me going in the early afternoon. And what’s more, they also delivered an important message to the audience, with singer/guitarist Chad Jewett speaking of the importance of looking out for and taking care of each other, particularly those who might be most vulnerable in these strange times. He also told us to tip our bartenders well if we were drinking, or even if we weren’t drinking.
Snacktime @ Yeti Flagship
Philadelphia’s Snacktime put on one of the most fun and engaging sets of the whole week and were perhaps the most purely random discovery of the day as we only walked in because we were nearby after having a massive lunch of brisket and ribs. As full as we were though, we made room for Snacktime and the seven-piece funk band delivered, putting on a fantastic show.
When you walk into the venue and the band setting up is all wearing matching basketball jerseys with their name emblazoned across the front, that’s a good sign. When said band noticeably has a lot of horns and a couple of synths as part of their setup, that’s also a good sign. When they then go on to play a song devoted to the pleasures of smokin’, drinkin’ and talkin’ shit? Hell yeah, that’s a good sign. And when the venue is air conditioned on a hot Austin afternoon? To quote the late great Carl Weathers, baby, you got a stew going!
jasmine.4.t @ Radio Day Stage
OK, this one’s a bit of a cheat as, having read up a bit on her and listened to a few tracks before heading to SouthBy, jasmine.4.t was not entirely a new discovery, but that element of surprise was certainly still there during her set, most notably in the surprise appearance of Julien Baker during her set. Baker (who played a set earlier in the week alongside Torres in advance of their upcoming collaborative album) joined jasmine4.t and band during their set, joining the band for “Skin On Skin” and, perhaps most surprisingly, an absolutely kickass cover of System of a Down’s “Toxicity.” Musically, the rest of her set was decidedly mellower in tone, though no less engaging.
Peelander-Z @ Zilker Brewing
Peelander-Z was not at all a new discovery, but as we walked past Zilker Brewing on our way back to the hotel with a couple of water ices from Jim-Jim’s in hand, it was definitely a nice surprise to see Peelander Yellow and co. were just about to take the stage. The band has been a mainstay at SouthBy for many years now, with their chaotic children’s-show-meets-punk-rock vibe always making for a fun show. I first caught the band back in 2012 and was happy to see that, while they’ve continued to add to their repertoire over the years, they’ve retained a lot of their old shtick. As usual, good times.
