“This is a weekend I’ll never forget!”
So said Bria Keely, aka better joy, during her Saturday night set at the British Music Embassy, and I must admit, I appreciated her enthusiasm. It’s easy for old heads like me to get jaded about SXSW and how it’s not quite what it once was, but for younger performers making their way to Austin for the first time, it’s definitely an experience.
With their guitar-driven indie pop sound, better joy put on a solid performance, starting off the Saturday night showcase at the British Music Embassy on a high note. As she ran through catchy tunes like “steamroller” and set highlight “this part of town,” Keely proved herself to be a compelling frontwoman – she’s got a lot of charisma onstage … or, as the kids these days say, rizz.
Speaking of rizz, As I was talking along East 6th a little earlier in the day, I happened to pass by a group of folks and overheard one young woman ask a guy, “What’s your rizz like?” His reply: “My rizz is just me.” I’m not really sure what this means exactly, but I suppose it’s as good a descriptor of better joy as anything else – her rizz is just her,
Next up at BME was Bristol four-piece Grandmas House, who impressed with their heavy post-punk sound. And if I wasn’t already looking forward to their set, the glowing introduction they received from BBC host Steve Lamacq would have sealed the deal.
Waxing poetic about the city of Bristol and placing Grandmas House in the long lineage of bands from their hometown, Lamacq noted that, alongside acts like Idles and Massive Attack, Grandmas House have a certain something about them. He highlighted the “anger, emotion, and empathy” he hears in their sound – qualities also present in those other acts.
Once they took to the stage, Grandma’s House proved that Lamacq’s hype was entirely justified. “I’m charming and I’m confident,” deadpanned singer/guitarist Yasmin Berndt – and yeah, the band carries themselves with plenty of confidence, delivering an energetic performance for what, if their Instagram posts are to be believed, was their last of four shows at SXSW this year. In fact, they’re so confident they don’t even bother with the apostrophe in “Grandmas.” Now that’s some rizz.
