The Panic Manual

SXSW 2026 Recap: Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

Posted on

26 Mar 2026

Paul

Mên An Tol at British Music Embassy on March 14, 2026

SXSW was a year for change. A new regime in charge, a slightly shortened timeline, and the decentralization of the festival with the loss of the Convention Center all meant that things would be different this year. On the other hand, some things haven’t changed – BME is still our go-to spot for new and emerging British music, Hotel Vegas is still the coolest venue in Austin, and that one dude is still taking people’s burger orders at Casino El Camino.

And Panic Manual was still there, still trying to take in as much music as possible, even if the new Thursday-to-Wednesday format meant that we weren’t able to be there for the entire fest this year. Still, we made the most of it, and here’s what stood out for us this year.

Best Act

Gary: Grandmas House

Paul: Geordie Greep + Knats put on a pretty fantastic show, and Toronto bands Kali Horse and Hot Garbage gave me a little bit of that hometown pride, but I’ve got to give it to Adult DVD for heating up a chilly Sunday night with some killer dance-punk.

Best New Discovery

Paul: Zastava. While I try to do a little research and have some sort of game plan going in to SXSW each year, there’s always room for random discovery and this year, Zastava was the standout band who I knew nothing about but who absolutely blew me away. Heavy, impassioned post-punk.

Gary: Knats

Biggest Disappointment

Gary: Chalk. I left early but mostly because I didn’t like the type of music. Screaming, yet mediocre… or medio-core?

Paul: I mean, not getting in to see Alanis Morissette was a bit of a letdown, though not surprising. Otherwise, no major disappointments, other than the fact that I would have liked to have caught more than a couple of songs from Australia’s Radium Dolls. Stiil, what I did see sounded pretty good.

Thoughts on This New Era of SXSW?

Gary: It’s been imbalanced by the loss of ACC as the beating heart, and felt literally dismembered. It’s also much more sanitized. You don’t get nearly the same boost from the street vibe to keep going until 1am. To be fair, sure, I did not attend the last few days, but it did liven up a little … there was a slight improvement in foot traffic by Sunday night.

Paul: As someone who does SXSW mostly for the music, but with an interest in the other strands of the festival, this year’s new “everything everywhere all at once” format was a bit of a letdown. Sure, they sold it to us as “you get an extra day of music!” but in past years, I kind of enjoyed showing up for those first couple of days and taking in all of the parties, installations, panels, and other events before music really ramps up, whereas this year, I felt like I’d be missing out on some bands if I spent too much time doing other stuff. That may be partly on me for being there for only a few days, though I also felt like it all seemed to be winding down even earlier this year. Still, when you’re in the thick of it, SXSW can be a lot of fun, and I still saw a bunch of great shows. So, see you again next year, SouthBy …. maybe?

SXSW Film Review: Mickey (Dano García, 2026)

Posted on

26 Mar 2026

Paul

With Mickey, director Dano García, has constructed a compelling look into the life of Mickey Cundapi, a trans woman who García first met when they were both quite young. That personal connection between documentarian and subject makes for a fairly intimate portrait, with Mickey being very open and transparent while on camera, telling personal stories such as the moment she bought her first high heels, a defining moment in her life that led to her feeling more empowered. Also empowering to Mickey? The music of Kesha, apparently.

The first look we get at Mickey on camera, she’s painting her face green, leading to some trippy green screen shenanigans. Stylistically, García makes several more interesting choices throughout the film, making use of various stylized visuals such as computer animation, the aforementioned green screen scenes, and various other camera tricks. It makes for a unique final product, but the real heart of the film comes in the personal connections, with the scenes featuring Mickey’s parents standing out as some of the most memorable moments. And though it looks like Mickey’s father in particular hasn’t always been terribly supportive, the fact that he’s participating in the documentary suggests that he’s come around a bit.

Ultimately, Mickey is a film about identity and being uniquely yourself, despite what others may think.

SXSW Review: Fleshripper, March 17, Hotel Vegas

Posted on

25 Mar 2026

Paul

While SXSW is great for taking in all of the international acts that make the trip to Austin every year (even if their numbers have been dwindling somewhat in recent years), it’s also an excellent time to acquaint yourself with the local scene.

Over the years, I’ve taken in sets from Austin icons like Asleep At The Wheel and Roky Erickson, seen old favourites like …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead play hometown gigs, and discovered a few new favourites like Blushing and Die Spitz. Austin has famously been referred to as the live music capital of the world and one of the best places in the city to check out what the locals are into is Hotel Vegas.

Hotel Vegas has become a favourite of mine when in Austin and it was marking its 15th anniversary this year. To celebrate, the venue was throwing itself a bash that extended both before and after the official run of SXSW with massive daylong shows happening across its three stages over the course of a little over a week. I was there most days during SXSW and on Tuesday, I caught a set from a band that felt distinctly “Austin,” bringing to mind the city’s unofficial motto, “Keep Austin Weird.”

After all, I can’t think of anything weirder* – yet more perfect – than watching a band play a heavy set of old school death metal, complete with lengthy Mortician-style movie sample intros played in full between songs, on the outdoor stage at Hotel Vegas while sipping from a tall can of Lone Star on a bright and sunny afternoon. That band was Fleshripper (featuring members of yet another heavy Austin band, Portrayal of Guilt) and they did indeed rip. It was a short yet sweet set that made a strong impression – the band threw down some chunky, brutal riffs and the lead vocalist (who, as far as I can tell, only goes by the name “A”) has a hell of a death growl too.

Some enterprising soul captured part of Fleshripper’s set on video, so you can check them out in all their glory below.

* OK, to be fair, death metal ain’t all that weird, but compared to, say, Lainey Wilson, who I saw later that same day, it’s at least a little weird. If I’m being honest though, the weirdest thing I saw on Tuesday was a band called, er … Sodomy Cop. That was some wacky stuff.

SXSW Review: Geordie Greep, March 17, Mohawk/Palm Door on Sixth

Posted on

24 Mar 2026

Paul

I didn’t expect to see Geordie Greep twice in one day. I certainly didn’t plan on it. Hell, I wasn’t even all that sure I wanted to even see him at all.

But once I did see him that first time as the headliner at Mohawk’s All Are Welcome day party, I decided I wouldn’t be too upset if I did see him again. And after weighing my other options for the evening, it was an easy enough decision to take in Greep’s second set of the day as part of that evening’s BME showcase at Palm Door on Sixth.

Backed up for his SXSW shows by Newcastle jazz combo Knats, Greep and his bandmates put on an impressive display of musicianship that had me thinking, “Holy shit, Geordie Greep is in his Spinal Tap Mark II jazz odyssey era!” And that, my friends, is a very good thing.

Closing out that show at Mohawk, Greep referenced his late Black Midi bandmate Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin and fondly reminisced about them playing SXSW a few years back around the release of his former band’s debut album Schlagenheim. They then launched into a snippet of that album’s first track “953,” which caused a few Black Midi fanboys who totally weren’t paying attention to his stage banter to freak out and rush closer to the stage.

Later that night, for round two, it was much the same set (minus the free jazz noodling the band engaged in during their soundcheck at Mohawk), but no less impressive, with numbers like “Blues” and “Holy Holy” standing out as the highlights.

Ultimately, Geordie Greep puts on quite the show – not only is he a talented player, he’s also just an interesting guy to watch onstage, coming off a bit like some 1930s troubadour who was somehow pulled forward in time and then fed a steady diet of Primus, King Crimson and Return to Forever. Good stuff.

SXSW Review: MX LONELY, March 17, High Noon

Posted on

23 Mar 2026

Paul

“We’re MX LONELY and we’ll be your exorcists this morning.”

If you want to nitpick, technically it was a little past morning and this was a rock show, not an exorcism. MX LONLEY’s set did, however, have a very heavy, cathartic vibe that could definitely be construed as an exorcism of sorts

Focusing on the tunes off their latest full-length ALL MONSTERS (out now via Julia’s War Recordings), the New York act put on a blistering performance – perhaps a little too blistering for some. With several audience members clearing out just a few songs in, it turns out their set may have been a different kind of exorcism than advertised. No matter though – it just cleared up more space for the rest of us and for me personally, this was exactly the kind of medicine I needed.

With their heavy, grunge/shoegaze-inspired riffage, big cathartic buildups, and emotional lyrics, MX LONELY definitely made a strong impression. At the beginning of their set, I couldn’t help but notice the words “ARE YOU HAVING ANY FUN?” written in all caps across the front of vocalist Rae Haas’ keyboard – and yeah, I’d say I had fun.

Most fun I’ve ever had at an exorcism.

SXSW Review: Los Lobos, March 16, Radio Day Stage

Posted on

23 Mar 2026

Paul

While SXSW at its best is all about discovery, there’s also something to be said for seeing big name acts in relatively smaller venues. And though that’s become rarer in recent years (sure, Alanis played this year, but gone are the days of surprise Kanye sets or the likes of Metallica and Foo Fighters playing Stubb’s … though those Daft Punk at the Capitol building rumours still pop up from time to time), there are still some opportunities to catch established acts in a more intimate setting. On Monday afternoon, I took such an opportunity, catching legendary L.A. band Los Lobos in concert on the Radio Day Stage, located this year in the backyard of the Downright.

In town to promote the world premiere of the documentary Los Lobos Native Sons, the band played a short mini-set of about four songs, whish was preceded by a short interview with the film’s co-directors Doug Blush and Piero F. Giunti. Opening up with “Will The Wolf Survive,” the band admitted that they were kind of winging it and working without a setlist. By the second song, someone was already calling out a request for “La Bamba,” and while that was a bit premature, they wouldn’t have to wait too long for that one.

As they finished up their brief set on with a killer medley of “La Bamba” and The Rascals’ “Good Lovin’,” the crowd was calling out for more. The band’s nonchalant response was to shrug and say,”Sure, we’ll do one more,” before adding, “We don’t know what we’re doing.”

They finally decided on another cover, ending things off with their rendition of “She’s About A Mover,” paying tribute to ’60s Texas rockers The Sir Douglas Quintet. The band also gave a shout-out to Austin in general, specifically old Austin, though guitarist Cesar Rosas mentioned that he gets lost every time he comes back these days.

While this was a pretty loose performance, that might also be exactly what made it such a good show. It’s great to see a group of seasoned pros like Los Lobos just winging it. They’ve got nothing to prove because, after more than 50 years as a band, it’s a given that they know their way around a stage. They may not have had a plan going into this show, but Los Lobos clearly know what they’re doing.