sxsw Day 3 – Vol 2
One of the highlights of Friday was TINY MASTERS OF TODAY. Picture it: two twelve-year-olds on guitar, bass and vocals, Russell Simmins from the Blues Explosion on drums (he also produces) and a nine-year-old girl dancing mid-stage like some kind of playground Bez. The songs are simple, Ramones-esque pop punk, but are enjoyable regardless of the band’s novelty value. The dancing girl’s moves were something to be envied and the effortless cool of the other two was both charming and amusing.
We managed to pop in to see some of PERRY FARRELL’S SATELLITE PARTY, who were just as LA-sleazy as you would imagine – and did not have nearly the appeal that Jane’s Addiction have, or even Porno for Pyros. It almost seems that Satellite Party are nothing more that a vehicle for Farrell when he has no other way to exercise his strutting arrogance and no other excuse to wear silver trousers.
We nipped down to the Flamingo Cantina for the APES – Washington, DC’s quirky synth-punks who were sadly distinctively un-quirky tonight. The last time ROTR saw the Apes was back in 2003, when they were caped, balaclava-ed, boiler-suited mentalists thrusting sweaty socks in our face and crawling around the floor. Now they have a new singer, who whilst a great frontman in his own right, lacks the unpredictability of his predecessor.
We caught Leeds’ the PIGEON DETECTIVES next, who, despite some reservations on our part, were really rather good. They may look like every other British indie band of the moment but their charisma and personality sets them apart from their lesser peers.
By the time 1am came round, we had only one thing on our minds – catching the b again, this time at the Blender Bar. Two MS shows in as many days is pretty good going, and even thought they whipped out all the same lines and all the same tricks, it didn’t make it any less rock and freakin’ roll.