Jessie Ward - September Girl guitarist and host of Love Action’s Friday Fix here on RadioNowhere is keeping us up to date on her adventures at SXSW 2014!
Day 4 Friday
September Girls had two gigs booked for Friday, so we headed off early enough to El Sapo, a newish cantina with a gret atmosphere, fantastic Mexican style burgers and a full bar with jam jar cocktails and craft beers. The MFL (Music For Listeners) party was booked here over three days, and it seemed the lineup and location attracted a decent crowd despite being a ways away from downtown. September Girls set went well, the setup was great and the sound much better than the previous night. PINS, who were scheduled to play right after us were there as well, enjoying the jam jar cocktails and sunny weather. Unfortunately we couldn't stick around for PINS as we had to leg it back downtown to BD Riley's where the Full Irish Breakfast showcase was in full swing. There was another decent sized crowd and although we had to cut one song due to time restrictions, we were happy with how it all went. We stuck around to watch WOUNDS and Kid Karate again, who also wowed the crowd with their energy and antics.
After a day of doubled up gigs, it's was a while before we felt ready to head back into see any other bands until the evening. Tipped off by PINS we were headed to see Foxboro HotTubs, a pseudonym for Green Day. Having experienced many a queue at this stage, and without much time before the gig was due to start, we instead ducked into The Chevy Courtyard where The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Dum Dum Girls and Julian Casablancas were due to play. The venue was a long outdoor courtyard with indoor bars on either side and the crowd was large, but not uncomfortably so. Unfortunately, unless you were willing to squeeze your way to the front, the stage was impossible to see. You could catch an occasional glimpse of the side of the stage when waiting for the toilet, but overall it was more a listening gig as opposed to a viewing gig.
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart filled the small stage with their lovely jangle pop. If it wasn't for the southwestern-y location and the cans of Lone Star beer, you could easily think you were in the midst of Indietracks.
Dum Dum Girls set was tight as usual, again playing a good mix of most of the singles from their three albums. True professionals, the Girls didn't show any strain despite a busy schedule of around 12 shows over the week.
Julian Casablancas hit the stage around 11:30pm and I have to admit I was pretty excited to see the former Strokes frontman for the first time. Unfortunately with the lack of visibility, it was very difficult to get into the gig although the sound was decent. I snuck a few side glances via the toilet queue, and could see most of Dum Dum Girls enjoying his set from the stairs beside the stage. We decided that we should try to make our way to the miserably overcrowded Night Owl bus before the rest of the crowd did.
Nite nite!
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