Loren Heat @ BME
The British Music Embassy has long been essentially our second home at SXSW. For 2026, we spent at least a little bit of time there every day and on Sunday, March 15, Gary pretty much camped out there for the afternoon, taking in sets from Knats, Hector Gannet, Jenna Cole, and Loren Heat. Here’s his take.
Knats
After taking in a bit of the Paste Party at High Noon and stopping off for some much needed lunch, I only managed to see the tail end of Knats’ set. Still, their flowy jazz sound shows a lot of promise and I will follow up with a proper listen to their album when I get the chance.
Hector Gannet
Hector Gannet may have been playing the Northern Sound showcase at the British Music Embassy, but their sound is pure Americana. When the main vocalist breaks out the harmonica for one number, it is hard to describe it otherwise. The songwriting was quite sound, with “No Money No Something” standing out in particular, though the extended “The Jetty’s End” is pretty good too. “Hector” (real name Aaron Duff) complained a few times that he would rather have the Northern British rain and fog over this heat – he might have gotten his wish just 7 hours later when the winds howled at 25mph and temperature dropped to “jumper weather.”
Jenna Cole
Newcastle-based R&B/Afrobeats artist Jenna Cole makes dance music that almost sounds like JLO with some Carribean influence. Or maybe I just don’t know my dance music …
Loren Heat
In the 35°C heat – no pun intended – Loren Heat wasn’t paying attention and singed her knee on the uber-hot stage floor. Ouch.
Heat’s deeper singing voice, attitude, and volume all resembled Florence Welch, but with much less goth. However, three songs into her set, the tones began to diversify, and the melodies became more reminiscent of 2000s-era pop. Quite good, in fact.
