After the thunderstorms and grey skies of the last couple of years, 2025’s edition of SXSW in Austin, Texas in March occurred during a heatwave. Under sweltering blue skies, the Music Festival again provided a humongous volume of choice, with multiple clashes and the re-engaging of the brain to celebrate JOMO (Joy Of Missing Out). Here are a few more highlights enjoyed in the sunshine.
Best Band Seeing Live for the First Time
This was a dead heat between Her New Knife and Native Sun.
Her New Knife closed out the Smartpunk Records event at Empire Control Room and Garage. The line-up was impressive but the Philadelphia band stole the show with the most understated and yet the most exhilarating performance. Perhaps best described as “shoegaze but not as we know it” the music ebbed and flowed, as it included moments of thrilling guitars alongside the vocals of Edgar Atencio. Mesmerising.
At the other end of the spectrum was New York’s Native Sun who blasted onstage at Lazarus Brewery, and went full throttle through a set full of punky rock n’ roll. This is a band I was aware of however I didn’t realise the explosive energy and mayhem they create both on and off the stage! Fronted by Colombian-American songwriter Danny Gomez the crowd didn’t know where to look, and by the end of the set everyone collectively seemed to go “WOW”.
Best Bumping into a Band Moment
There are musicians everywhere you look in Austin during SXSW so it’s inevitable you will run into one or two. Which is exactly what happened when I was dashing between venues and found myself almost crashing into Holland’s Personal Trainer. Gracious and chatty with this slightly breathless fan who was already buzzing due to the set I had just seen, they all posed for a photo. To be honest, one of my favourite moments from SXSW 2025.
Best Ferocious Drummer
Another dead heat, this time between Sweet Spine and University. Brannan Crook was giving everything in the Austin heat as part of the trio Sweet Spine. He appeared to have a kindred spirit in Joel Smith of University. The music of the two bands sit in very different worlds with the former band, from South Carolina, producing a more grungy rock inspired sound whereas University, from Crewe in the UK, sit in a more chaotic lane, with twitchy hardcore and unpredictable riffs which are as mind-blowing as they are, I suspect, near impossible to replicate! Both bands were excellent and both drummers looked like they were having the time of their lives.
Best Hardcore
Maybe its due to the state of the world right now but hardcore is sometimes what is required to blast away the craziness. bulletsbetweentongues did just the job. There was something melodic as well as wild about this band, but the vocal was pure hardcore. With the lead singer seeming reticent to look at the crowd it only added to the set and this Texas band absolutely blasted away any thoughts of what is going on in the world, for their 30 minute set at least.
Best Party Starters
I caught Montreal’s La Sécurité three times during this SXSW. This five-piece bring art punks grooves and off kilter guitars, and as a collective it all hangs together in the most vibrant performances, impossible to ignore. Cowbells and tambourines are also invited to the party and to see the crowd having no choice but to dance at every set was utter joy.
Best Pop Punksters
Bakers Eddy from Wellington were the pick of the New Zealand showcase artists at 13th Floor. This is a band who bring a vibe and energy which seems effortless. The performance brims with a genuine camaraderie, which oozes out through the music. Charismatic lead singer Ciarann Babbington was quoted as saying of their debut studio album, Love Boredom Bicycles (25 March 2022): “The whole record is supposed to sound like the life of the party.” This is 100% replicated live and lets hope they are back on this side of the world in the not too distant future.
Best Repaying the Favour Set
This has to go to Big Special who, while in Austin to play SXSW, also did a set for It’s A Vanfest. They wanted to show gratitude to founder David Castro for putting them on for their first ever show in the States. Big Special have of course gone on to do so well particularly as a result of their debut album Postindustrial Hometown Blues released last spring via So Recordings. They now sell out show after show, and are about to support Pixies on a number of their UK dates. To see them in such an intimate space, and to hear ‘Dig’ ring out as the sunset over Austin was a very special moment indeed.
And to finish, a Triple Whammy of M’s
Man/Woman/Chainsaw are whipping up a storm in the UK and to see the band garner similar responses at SXSW was superb. The London five-piece state that they will continue to evolve their sound, which is difficult to put in a box, which of course is a compliment. Having a violinist is unusual in this oft-quoted post punk world but with producer Dan Fox of Gilla Band at the helm for their debut EP Eazy Peazy its obvious this is band not afraid to experiment.
Mary in the Junkyard are an experimental rock trio, composed of guitarist and vocalist Clari Freeman-Taylor, bassist and viola player Saya Barbaglia, and drummer David Addison. They produce a mesmerising sound and the “angry, weepy chaos rock” trio are another band difficult to pigeonhole. Emotive and passionate the London band have already played Green Man, End of the Road, and The Great Escape festivals and with their shows at SXSW their reputation is only going to build.
New York’s Monobloc were another band high on many festival goers ‘Must See’ list. They were borne out of the underground scene in the city. Indeed they only released their debut single ‘Where is my Garden?’ in July 2024 but went on to support LCD Soundsystem at London’s All Points East festival not long afterwards. Monobloc produce music which is atmospheric and captivating, a blend of post punk and pop but with a guitar driven vein running through it. Lead singer Michael ‘Mop’ Silverglade provides the glue and there is no doubt this is a band we’ll be hearing a lot more of in the coming months.
There is a sense that SXSW’s Music Festival is going through a transition period. With the boycotts of 2024 due to controversial sponsors, and the ongoing controversy over payment to artists, the festival is shifting. To be honest this is only my third visit in its 35+ year history but as with anything that becomes hugely successful holding onto its original intentions is challenging. I do know this from the experience of my own home city Edinburgh, United Kingdom and its internationally renowned Arts Festival which began in 1947 and takes over the city in August every year. The parallels with SXSW are striking.
Changes are afoot for SXSW’s 2026 edition with the Music Festival taking place at the same time as Film, Television, and Tech programme, thus adding an extra day. This was initially mis-represented in media reports, the naysayers quick to spin a negative story. The Austin Convention Centre will be closed for refurbishment for the next couple of years at least and as the hub of SXSW it is natural that changes will have to be made. Yes it is horrendously expensive for artists outside of the United States to participate in SXSW in Austin but there are now other established festivals including Eurosonic (Groningen, Holland) The Great Escape (Brighton, United Kingdom), Reeperbahn (Hamburg, Germany) and Left of the Dial (Rotterdam, Holland) that they can attend in its place. And of course SXSW now holds Music Festival in Sydney and London. SXSW will evolve, and if it means providing a showcase opportunity focused more on North American based bands and artists so be it. Austin in March is tremendous, and I for one intend to be back in 2026.
For more information on SXSW please check the website.
