Last week the SXSW Music festival announced a ton of bands for the 2013 event to be held next March in Austin, Texas. Among them are 8 new Scottish bands that will be hoping to be the next big thing of buzz.
Regular readers will know that as in 2010, 2011, and 2012 these names will change over the next few months as bands start thinking about how to pay for the flights, realize that they have to apply for expedited visas from the US Embassy in London, and start to wonder if it’s all worth making the trip.
I for one hope that they do. I’ve been going to SXSW since 1996 and I’ve seen dozens of bands come over here and be invisible. But I’ve also seen bands that take advantage of the opportunity to be seen by more influential people in 4 days than would ever see them in 4 years. Franz Ferdinand took a massive step forward after their appearance here in 2004. Camera Obscura, We Were Promised Jetpacks and Frightened Rabbit are a few of the other bands that have used SXSW as a stepping stone to great effect.
The annual “Scottish Invasion” is also an important showcase for Scotland and Scottish talent. I don’t know of any other examples where dozens of creative Scots are given the opportunity to travel to another country to perform together to a worldwide audience. It’s basically the Olympics of music so here are the bands that will be trying to bring home the gold at SXSW 2013:
Tango in the Attic (pictured above at SXSW 2012)
Looking ahead at their recently announced 2013 US tour, I think it is safe to assume that Frightened Rabbit may also make an appearance. The Scotland on Tour page indicates that their is a large gap on their schedule between March 13 and March 18, and no gigs announced in Austin.
Full list at sxsw.com.
I will update the site when I have more information. In the meantime here are Paws putting on a nice little session for Matthew’s neighbours.
PAWS Toad Session
httpv://youtu.be/y9joT5aaeoc
Photo Credit – Tango in the Attic at SXSW 2012