By Steven Burgess
This year, I attended SXSW with two other KTRUvians (Gustavo and Keegan) as we experienced the explosive music scene surrounding Austin. Being at SXSW, every direction you look, something is happening: movie screenings, promotional events, and concerts. The variety of venues at SXSW ranged from huge to intimate stages allowing for multiple artists to play wildly different sets.
Mogwai
The first show I got to catch at SXSW was Mogwai. Mogwai, hailing from Scotland, are a post-rock band that have made a name for themselves with seminal records in the genre like Young Team (1997). Seeing Mogwai live could best be described as having your face sonically melted off. Performing at the Austin City Limits venue, Mogwai had the longest set out of the acts I saw with a 90-minute show. What Mogwai does best during their sets is create atmospheres on their songs, whether it be creating beautiful and lush arrangements on “A Place for Parks” or eerie build-ups to songs such as “Like Herod.” These atmospheres build to the eventual gut-punch of sound Mogwai releases through the speakers.
The band ended with their 16-minute epic “Mogwai Fears Satan,” hitting the crowd with a wall of sound. From ear-piercing drums to distorted guitars, the volume and intensity of Mogwai’s musical peaks made my clothes shake. The band would communicate non-verbally on-stage to seamlessly crescendo from quiet and melodic instrumental sections to heavy and monolithic soundscapes. Mogwai delivered one insane show that overpowered the audience with its melodic build-ups and abrasive sonic climaxes.
The Rare Occasions
Next, I headed to Cooper’s BBQ for The Rare Occasions to perform in a fairly intimate setting. The garage rock band hailing from Los Angeles, CA, The Rare Occasions became viral sensations with their song “Notion” blowing up on TikTok. During their set, they played fun and ear-grabbing rock songs which translated well to the small, but responsive crowd. Throughout their 45-minute set what was most apparent about the band was their energy and how much fun they had on-stage and with each other. The Rare Occasions would interact and talk to the crowd, dancing alongside to their carefree tunes. They performed songs like “Origami” to the crowd as if it was a sold-out show. The Rare Occasions gave such a fun performance with a lot of audience engagement and great stage presence!
Friko
The last stop on the SXSW music scene was Friko. Friko, a Chicago-based rock group, has been making waves with their most recent EP, Where we’ve been, where we go from here (2024). Performing at the iconic Waterloo Records, Friko’s songs are loud and pack a punch!
I loved rocking out to songs such as “Crashing Through,” delivered with eccentric and passionate vocals over crunchy bass lines and booming drums. Frontman Niko Kapetan holds so much love for his craft that anytime he picked up the mic, veins would pop out of his neck as he belts vocally over electrifying song after song. “Cardinal” was a highlight for me as it was a musical shift for the band, with a hauntingly beautiful vocal performance over a lovely fingerpicked ballad in the same vein as Jeff Buckley. The seamless shift between energetic rock and stripped back ballads made me a fan of their music. With this performance, Friko proves themselves to be one of the most exciting up-and-comers in the indie rock scene with versatility and energy that is refreshing.