SXSW 2012 took over the streets of Austin last week and by all accounts, the city of Austin is probably still picking up the mess left behind. Our friend, Carla Ferguson, was kind to recap her week of craziness, taking in acts from Jigga to Trust. All words and photos by Carla Ferguson.
Fresh Cut Collective: Geeks meet rock… and rap. This band was actually super interesting. They
performed a version of 50 Cent’s “In the Club” that was quite unique. Check them out sometime.
Jay-Z: All the hits, one after the other, delivered brilliantly by Jay-Z. No doubt, the highlight of SXSW.
Santigold: So imagine hundreds of people crammed into 1 tent with about 800 people standing in
line. Well worth the wait. Santigold’s energy is wild, fun, and bold. Plus, her backup dancers are the
bomb. I took notes and have been practicing their dance moves ever since.
Fiona Apple: Welcome back Fiona. Her voice is haunting and she delivers such a deep, emotional
show. With an abundance of talent, she even explored some shockingly high-pitched tones to the
style of yes, Mariah Carey. Her delivery of “Criminal” was every bit as mesmerizing as the day it hit
MTV airwaves.
Kimbra: Wild child. Very cool show.
Trust: My new favorite. These rad Canadians mesmerized the audience and made us dance like
crazy (at 2pm). Seriously, 2pm. The 80-pound singer has a deep, emotional voice that collides
perfectly with the drums and electronic music alongside.
Bruce Springsteen: I’m pretty sure they call this guy “The Boss” because of the 600 people that are
on stage with him. Epic show, every song is familiar, even to those of us born in the 80’s. Sorry to
report, I missed the Arcade Fire cameo at the end. I said sorry!
Tycho: Too late in the night for such a mellow show. Cool guys, great vibe and would like to see
them again sometime in a different setting because I really dig their music.
Grimes: Rocked it. One of the most packed, over-sold shows of the week. Despite major sound
issues, Grimes carried her show like a true performer. Wildly cool, funky and interesting. Would see
her again in a heartbeat.
Bomba Estereo: Columbian Royalty all the way. This is one of the stand-out performers of the
year for me, including Austin performances at ACL, and now SXSW. Between the signing, rapping,
electronic music and total command of the audience, it’s a whirlwind of badass. Even the white guys
in the audience were dancing.
Bob Schneider: Austin’s favorite for a reason.
Keane: Big name, great music, solid performance. Not exactly SXSW closing material, but
nonetheless great show.
