Above - Anteros. Photo: Kristy Smolcic
Last night marked the first official night of music festivities at this year’s edition of SXSW and it was HUGE. The night delivered the goods and set a high standard for what was going to be on offer across the rest of the week.
Willie J Healey – British Music Embassy
Willie J Healey kicked off the fun at the British Music Embassy and it was a massive way to showcase the first night of the space. Pulling a huge crowd, Willie packed out the room, with a growing queue desperate to make their way into the venue to see him in action. His vocals are a force to be reckoned with. His set was a highlight in itself, but some memorable moments included the ever-so-delicate ‘Lovelawn’, ‘Pipedreams’ and ‘My Room’.
The Pateron House of Creativity
After catching Willie J Healey dominate, we wandered down to Pateron’s House of Creativity, however, didn’t end up staying. Though the space was filled with an abundance of sandwiches and antipasto platters, which I’m sure some people enjoyed, the music space for the event was not thought through by whoever planned the venue. The stage was placed deep low into the ground, and the only way you could see anything was if you were in the first couple of rows. They rounded up an impressive line-up that included Angie Mcmahon, Cautious Clay and Geowulf, but decided to make a dash for it back to the British Music Embassy and see the artists in more music-friendly spaces later in the week.
Anteros – British Music Embassy
Anteros set the room alight and it was difficult to spot anyone in the crowd who wasn’t absorbed in everything that they were serving up. The band from London made an industry showcase into something else and we loved every second of what they delivered. They performed both old and new material from their highly anticipated debut album When We Land (which is coming out on March 22!). Some set highlights include their infectious ‘Drunk’, which was just as impressive live. Before launching into ‘Bonnie’, Anteros’ lead vocalist Laura Hayden unleashed an inspiring speech before inviting some females in the crowd to join her for a boogie on-stage. Anteros is an impressive outfit, and someone needs to bring them to Australia ASAP.
Whenyoung – British Music Embassy
Next up was trio Whenyoung who oozed confidence during their showcase. Across their journey, they’ve racked up an array of impressive tunes like their most recent single ‘Never Let Go’ and ‘Given Up’, so it was exciting to finally see them doing what they do best. If you they are ever playing a show near you, be sure to catch them live! You won’t regret it.
ANDY – Cheer Up Charlies
We couldn’t think of a better ending to our night than seeing the ever-so-fab ANDY bring the party to the outside area of Cheer Up Charlies. Local to Austin, they got everyone grooving and you couldn’t help but be drawn into ANDY’s world. ANDY was fun, frantic and utterly enchanting.
Written by Amy Smolcic (@amysmolcic)
Photos by Kristy Smolcic
