POD was back in Austin this past week once again covering the iconic festival SXSW and it’s pretty safe to say that we had the best one yet.
With having been down in ATX for pretty much the entire duration of the fest, we were able to take in shows in every possible extent in all sorts of venues. While many of these acts are bands and artists we’ve seen several times before back home like Chance The Rapper and Twin Peaks, we also took in shows from artists that we’ve only covered regarding studio releases, plus some surprises.
We also had our photographer Ruben Bustillo around and he captured some great shots of what went down in ATX like Snoop’s keynote as seen above; check those out after the list.
Big Sean
https://youtu.be/zkg_DuD8WgI
Big Sean was a late addition to The Fader Fort’s lineup and we weren’t going to miss out. Thankfully, the good folks over at Fader provided us with some press passes and we didn’t have to deal with the crazy lines. Sean put on a great show by mainly focusing on the new project Dark Sky Paradise and performing verses of some hit singles he has been a part of like “All Me,” “Mercy,” “Clique” and others.
Chance The Rapper
https://youtu.be/AthxC2_ftP0
There’s no much left to say about Chance and how we feel about his music. When he announced a showcase late in the week, we instantly RSVP’d and patiently awaited for the week to wind down so we could attend this show. Chano’s show just keeps getting bigger and better every time, and we can’t find a reason to stop checking these out.
ILoveMakonnen
https://youtu.be/Dw1WjJ3nRJU
ILoveMakonnen was one of the most buzzing acts throughout SXSW and had a very limited amount of shows. We skipped out on a few other shows just to check out his set as well as Raury’s at Hype Hotel. Dude’s set at Hype Hotel delivered on expectations and brought down the house with all the hits from his latest project. #LIT!
James Bay
https://youtu.be/B4vQ2CNaMts
We saw Bay performing at the Republic Records party, celebrating the impending release of his debut album via this record label. The party was great, but it was finally Bay’s live show that delivered the chills you want music to give you and it helped remind us exactly why we started covering his music last year.
J Cole
https://youtu.be/2ohw1mYId3I
Without a doubt, this was the hottest ticket of the fest with the ridiculous lines and all the people trying to talk their way into the Moody Theater for a chance to see NC’s biggest star. Cole delivered the hits and proved once more why he’s a true POD favorite.
Shout-out Nusiki!
Mike Golden & Friends
https://youtu.be/PH_o6pEvtVo
In a week where Chicago ruled Texas, Mike Golden’s sole set at SX was yet another show packed with big riffs and headbangers that got a packed house jamming. It’s also worth noting that the Chicago ties didn’t end with Golden and ourselves, but Chance and the whole SoX crew were in attendance enjoying the show just like the rest of us.
Raury
https://youtu.be/pU0GZLwfKMA
This was the biggest surprise for us all week. Raury was performing at Hype Hotel and he was absolutely awesome. His set showed off the 18-year old’s impeccable talent as a rapper, singer, and just overall performer. The live band only made things better, and we can definitely assure you we’re fans from now on.
Twin Peaks
[vine id=”OY5AY1I1hU2″]
Saw these guys at at DIY show way outside of the SXSW district, and it couldn’t have been better. Moshing with a bunch of fellow fans in a small “venue,” couldn’t be better than this (kinda).
Vic Mensa
Vic only had one show all week so it was a real can’t-miss. We’d just seen him do his thing at Chop Shop just a week prior, but there’s something particularly great about seeing your hometown stars kill it elsewhere.
Wiz Khalifa
The other showcase put together with help of the fine folks over at Nusiki was headlined by Mr. Wiz Khalifa. The lineup was dope and Wiz helped shine a light on a lot of cool up-and-comers.
Yelawolf
https://youtu.be/bmpdd-CFyB8
This one came as a surprise to us as we were walking down 6th to head to the Bat Bar show, and before we knew it, we stumbled upon Yelawolf. We caught only a glimpse of the whole show, but that was enough of a Yela fix to leave us pumped.
6th Street
Once more, it was 6th St that had just about everything we could have wanted. Tons of free day parties, music of every kind of genre we could have wanted, and all the other inexplicable things that make downtown Austin the place to be.
See our gallery below.
