Machinehead, In Flames, Lacuna Coil and Unearth took over MTELUS on April 27th, 2025. Machinehead is a groove thrash metal band hailing from Oakland, California. Formed in 1991 by vocalist Rob Flynn, they’ve been growing in popularity ever since, quickly taking over the thrash metal scene after their debut album Burn My Eyes hit commercial and critical success straight out of the gate. Their sound has evolved over the years, with each album being different from the last, and even a 1999 foray into nu-metal. They’re a band that’s never strayed away from politics, with anti-war lyrics, public condemnation of the racism in metal, and even what appears to be a Keffiyeh in their official band photo.
Even before the show started at six, a crowd was lining up to get inside MTelus. I was cutting it close, and was anxious to be inside before the first band. Even at this hour, there was a line for In Flames merch. They’re a band that’s hugely popular in Quebec, a province known for being a fan of the melodeath genre of metal. Even more people were waiting on the floor, minutes away from the beginning of Unearth’s set. There was a buzz and energy to the crowd, many older fans in their thirties and forties, as well as some newer fans, and even a few kids. You don’t always have large crowds for the opening band, so it was nice to see the numbers early on.
Metalcore band Unearth, from Boston, Massachusetts, was up first. Unearth opened with “My Will Be Done” off of their 2008 album, The March. Their set was loud, fast, with mosh pits and fans chanting the lyrics. Their brand of metalcore involves rapid-fire riffs with metallic guitar sweeps and chunky breakdowns. They played mostly older songs, with a Black Sabbath riff inserted into “This Lying World”, from their second album, The Oncoming Storm. They also played some more recent ones, and the title track from their new album, The Wretched; The Ruinous. The set was bouncy, high energy, and ended on a great note, with “The Great Dividers” as the closing track, a personal favourite.
Next up was Lacuna Coil. They’re a band with strong aesthetics, wearing corpse paint and elaborate, gothic costumes. It was a lot of fun to dance along to, and the band members seemed to be having fun as well, with lead vocalists Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro singing along to each other’s parts. There was an obvious playfulness and chemistry that resonated through the whole group. The crowd was into it as well, moshing harder than the music called for, with many fans singing the lyrics.
For myself and many other attendees, In Flames were the reason they were there. With the merch line wrapping around the staircase since opening and more In Flames t-shirts than any other type, their popularity in Montreal can’t be overstated. The crowd was dense and energetic, with a group of us waiting on the floor after Lacuna Coil to secure good spots. Today’s In Flames has a solid lineup, with superstar Chris Broderick from Megadeth on guitar, Tanner Wayne on Drums, Dillinger Escape Plan’s Liam Wilson on Bass, and OG members Bjorn Gelotte on guitar and frontman Anders Friden. They were all looking in good spirits and interacting with the crowd, and the lighting was imposing. The set itself was incredible, with thirteen tracks, including many that they rarely play live, some from older tracks, as well as newer songs, and ending with the iconic closing track “My Sweet Shadow”. Their sound was bright, cyber and metallic, and Anders’ voice was the best it has sounded in years. Anders also seemed in a great mood the whole time, joking around with the crowd; it’s clear he’s at ease as a performer. He also took a moment to talk about how crazy the world was, though saying he didn’t want to get political, but that we all need to love and respect each other. An important message in times like these. I just hope In Flames comes back as a headliner soon.
Headlining the night was Machinehead. They’re a four-piece band, with frontman Rob Flynn acting both as vocalist and guitarist. They had a designed visual setup, with spotlights and visuals, different ones for each of the albums. They played one track from almost all of the albums, as well as three from their 2025 release, UNATØNED. The newer tracks feature a different vocal style, with fast–spoken lyrics rather than singing, and shorter track lengths. Their sound is crystal clear, and all the members have a real mastery of their instruments. It was popular with the crowd, which was moshing and singing along nonstop, with the floor remaining packed until the end of the encore song, “Halo”. Frontman Rob Flynn brought hype to the floor, throwing full beers into the crowd (that people actually managed to catch) and telling us that we were the wild ones drinking on a Monday night (it was actually a Sunday, but hey). In all regards, besides knowing the day, Machine Head 100% delivered.
Barcelona’s Prison Affair are one of the leading names in the internet-oriented microgenre called egg-punk. Both they and the bands that get grouped in with them are known for short, rapid, abrasive and immediately catchy lo-fi music, often with unintelligibly crunched vocals and cheap keyboard hooks. Their musical identity is then tied near exclusively to the recorded format, as it is impossible to achieve the budget-analog sound in the live setting. After a last-minute Facebook marketplace scramble to grab tickets, I was excited to see what kind of energy they’d bring to the stage.
The three-band event marked the first sold-out show at Le Ritz I’d been to in years. Le Ritz is one of my favourite venues in the city as it lends itself well to three kinds of shows. Touring bands who have not made it big yet, touring bands who used to be famous and have dwindling careers, and bands whose music is too wild to ever sell enough tickets to fill a larger room. A sold-out Ritz show warps these conceptions, but I believe Prison Affair are a solid third type.
I stepped into the show just before the first opener, local band Faze, stepped out onstage. A trombone, glistening in the room's purple and red overhead lighting, suggested something dire to come. Faze are a hardcore four-piece who use wildly delayed vocal shouting over their cacophonous riffing to seep the listener in hot auditory quicksand. The frontman swings his arms around the stage while beaming looks of total panic into the audience. The experience created is one of sinking in a silo. A man kneels overhead, screaming down at you that the freak accident causing you to fall will historically be known as your fault, and that there’s nothing you can do about this. His voice echoing down through the thin steel walls are your last thought before your lungs fill with grain. The tightly packed crowd at first had little movement, which was likely an energy conservation strategy, preparing for two later sets from more established acts. Faze deserved a pit, however, and one was created amidst the frontman finally picking up that trombone and blasting dissonant frequencies into the delayed microphone. The solo evoked witnessing a tragedy while too intoxicated to have any idea how to react. The people were flailing.
Our local Puffer, another name in the egg-punk world, had the shortest set of the night. Their particular brand of screaming and thrashing was more tightly contained. The kind of subdued energy that exploded out of the frontman in short hip thrusts to the sky during his wholly unintelligible screaming pelted the audience with instances of pure rage. The band’s egg-punk ethos transforms onstage into just a hyper-energetic thrash-fest of stupid catchy riffing that makes people bounce as much as mosh. The pit really got going during this time, and despite the packed room, the pit was respected and given ample space to move around. It was around this time that a typical mosh criminal appeared. A bearded man decided to play the role of the knuckle-pusher. The knuckle-pusher will superman you across the pit with the full force of his fist. It’s less than a punch in damage, but it will leave you breathless as you fly to the other side, trying to make sure your balance is kept. There were many victims. As Puffer ended their 15-minute set with their song “Suffering”, I was starting to get fed up with the bearded criminal.
When the trio of Spanish finally had their turn, everybody was ready to unleash the energy they’d been saving for the headliners. The band began dramatically tuning their instruments while bestial gurgling poured from their mouths. The sound of the bass alone could have cut me in half, and I would grow to regret my decision not to bring earplugs. The band didn’t take any breaks for most of their set. An uninterrupted onslaught of short banger after shorter banger persisted. The band’s setlist material ceased to matter at a certain point, as the vocals turned into growling mush and the riffs changed up so often it was nauseating. They followed Puffer’s suit and delivered the shortest headlining act I’ve ever seen, which was exactly what was needed after two other high-velocity performances in the furnace that was quickly becoming of Le Ritz. I was thrown, tossed, punched and spun in the sea of exploding limbs. Balloons were blasted in upward spirals by rapid forehead-butting. One balloon met a muted end as it was launched directly into the disco ball. It felt profound. Somebody, maybe the band themselves, threw a prop jail cell into the pit. The bars were trashed by the mob, bashing into random, unseen hands like a scared sparrow in a glass maze. Every bar was removed from the cell, and whoever brought the prop certainly had no reason to take it home. Eventually, everyone in the room forgot it was Monday. The knuckle-pusher got me with an elbow to the hip, which temporarily dropped me to my knees. The crowd’s protective barrier saved my life and many others that night, stopping the pit once just to allow somebody to tie their shoes. On the subject of shoes, the knuckle-pusher found somebody’s lost left one on the ground during the band’s only pause, and held it up high to return it to its owner. I was briefly sympathetic to this character, and it is not for me to say if this good deed balances out a night of lung-busting strangers. My opinions on him may have finally been sorted, however, when I found myself part of his human shield as he landed back-to-the-floor in the final moments of the band’s final track played. Maybe it was important to have a criminal at a Prison Affair concert.
With a night of unfiltered energy, Remi Wolf brought electrifying chaos and heart to Mtelus on Wednesday, April 23rd. Having loved Remi since before the release of her latest album, Big Ideas, I had been counting down the days until her Montreal stop on the spring leg of her tour.
Although I sadly missed openers Dana and Alden, the energy they left behind was contagious— the crowd was buzzing with anticipation - a little too much of this excitement in some cases. Just minutes before Remi’s set, someone threw up in the pit, a couple of feet from where I stood. A grim start to the evening, and while it was cleaned up, the smell lingered. Still, it was long forgotten when Remi finally took to the stage. Opening with “Cherries & Cream” “Cinderella” and “Pitiful” all from her album Big Ideas, bringing the crowd, me included, into a fever dream.
She welcomed us to the party and asked us to bring our energy, as she would be bouncing off of us, and we would bounce off of her. “And together we’re gonna create this cycle of magic, energetic, magnetic beauty, and we’re all going to elevate to the sky in euphoria; together, tonight.” She even led us through warmups like “stretch your arms, your hips, and your groins!” (her words, not mine) to prepare for the wild ride ahead.
What really sets Remi apart from other performers is her fearless approach to genre-bending. It wasn’t just listening to the live versions of music from my Spotify playlist. No, It was watching Remi Wolf perform her artistry. While her music has a distinct electronic, alternative-pop sound, she took her music and transformed it. Songs like “Alone in Miami” unexpectedly became a rock-metal breakdown; “Sexy Villain” was reimagined into a sultrier jazz ballad. Each track felt new and unpredictable. Having been so used to her distinct and unique sound, transforming into synth-punk, indie rock, jazz, and beyond, wasn’t as disorientating as I would’ve expected. As much as I love her original tracks, it was nice to listen to her music in a different light, especially as it is a twist that only us in the room will ever fully experience.
Overall, the night was a peek into the wonderfully chaotic brain of Remi Wolf. From a wild improv segment where she sang using an audience-suggested phrase on the spot. Transitioning into a hilariously wholesome, animal-themed Macarena intro for “TORO” performed by her band as Remi went crazy on the drums. She even tossed drumsticks into the crowd after the solo. She shared the inspiration behind Big Ideas, explaining how the album was born from journaling her thoughts and feelings as she toured for her album Juno. She urged us to let out our own “big feelings” too. Her vulnerability and authenticity made the show feel less like a polished pop concert and more like an emotional purge, one fueled by laughter, tears, and a lot of weird dancing. After briefly leaving the stage, Remi returned for an encore, closing with a fan favourite “Photo ID”, sending the crowd into one last frenzy.
As a favourite artist of mine, I noticed her vocals were particularly striking live: raw, raspy, even more so with the strain of touring, but her voice was also incredibly powerful. It was especially impressive the way she maintained vocal control while constantly jumping, dancing and high kicking across the stage as though letting the music take control. Executed beautifully as her band matched her dynamic stage presence. You could tell the performance wasn’t overly choreographed, as it wasn’t about giving the audience a good show, but about being present and sharing her art, which made her show a great one.
Remi Wolf’s performance was a cathartic, hilarious, very sweaty, genre-defying experience full of heart, celebrating everything messy and wonderful about being alive.
Micaela is the host of Rhythmic Revolution, on-air Tuesdays 11-12
I spoke with the jazz-fusion Vancouver band, Empanadas Ilegales yesterday. They're releasing a new album called Sancocho Trifasico on June 6th and they'll also be playing at the Montreal Jazz Fest in July.
Camila Lewandowski is the host of La Panamericana Del Rock.
In the final episode of the series, Piper and Sydney talk to the activists they met over the course of the series about the current state of student activism.
This project is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.
Art by James Fay
On Saturday April 12, over 30,000 people from across Canada rallied in front of Ottawa's Parliament Hill, to demand an arms embargo on Israel and an end to Canada's complicity in the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
Protesters marched through downtown Ottawa and made it back to Parliament Hill, where they dispersed.
Photo by Hiyam Barakat
Perfect, just perfect. That’s the only word I can use to describe a Tamino concert experience. Seeing the Belgian-Egyptian singer live at MTelus brought me a moment of solace during a busy and stressful finals period. Tamino performed on April 9, right in the middle of the last week of classes. Although it may not have been ideal, I could never complain about seeing one of my favourite artists live.
This was my second time seeing the 28-year-old artist live. I still remember that concert at Corona Theatre as if it were yesterday. It’s a heartwarming moment seeing one of my favourite artists grow from one venue to a bigger one. Despite it being the second time, it was even more special than the first time. He returned to Montreal after two years for the tour of his new album Every Dawn’s a Mountain, which reflects loss, change, and growth.
Excited to see him, I arrived at 6:30 p.m. right when the doors opened. After a two and a half hour wait, it was finally time to experience Tamino. The moment he entered on stage, it felt like all my problems faded away, and all I could hear was Tamino’s oud – an Arabic lute – serenading us with the first track on EDAM, “My Heroine.”
This time around, he brought a band with him. The addition of the base, drums, and cello to the concert added an extra intensity, which I loved and welcomed.
For those who have never heard Tamino’s music, he blends Middle Eastern and Western influences to create his own indie/alternative rock, but I don’t think a single label can truly describe his style.
Tamino’s lyrics are poetic and moving. His music is quiet, slow, soothing, contemplative, and melancholic. His voice hypnotizes and captivates all who hear it. I believe his newest album perfectly reflects who he is as an artist.
When playing “Sanctuary,” a song he collaborated with Mitski, I was somewhat delusional to the fact that she would make a surprise appearance (a girl can dream).
Then, he unexpectedly said that he was going to play an old song, meaning from his debut album, Amir.
“Persephone!” someone in the audience screamed.
And he abided.
There’s an air of mystery to the artist. Despite the few interactions he had with the audience about poutine and how he loved Montreal, he didn’t say much. He didn’t need to. His songs spoke for him, it was enough to connect him and the audience together for the entirety of his performance.
My best friend (who I went to the last concert with) was convinced that since he moved to a bigger venue, he wouldn’t play a surprise unreleased track. She thought wrong. He told the crowd not to record the next song, to enjoy it, as this would be a moment that we shared with him. It was a moment that I was fully immersed in. Seeing no phones recording in my line of sight felt somewhat surreal (maybe everything is because of those damn phones). It was one of those moments where I felt truly present, a moment I could call “mine.” I had no thoughts, just Tamino and the sound of his voice.
He finished his set with an encore of two of my favourite songs. The penultimate performance was the last song on EDAM, “Amsterdam.” Despite being the least listened to track on the album, it’s my personal favourite. I also think that it’s literally the perfect way to end an album and a performance, as the last line of lyrics are “I know now how it ends / We know now how it ends.” Poetic mastermind.
Obviously, a Tamino concert couldn’t finish without him playing classic and fan favourite “Habibi” for which a fan wished for, very loudly, multiple times.
Tamino is one of those artists that I truly believe is meant to be heard live. There’s something raw and authentic about his performances that can’t be replicated in a recording. Even rewatching the clips I have of the concert doesn’t capture the essence. It’s an unforgettable performance that I think every fan should be able to experience at least once in their lives.
The Amateur (Currently in wide release in English and French in Quebec)
Dir James Hawes
Staring: Rami Malek, Michael Stuhlbarg, Laurence Fishburne, Rachel Brosnahan
When the idea of The Amature was pitched in the trailer, as a person hellbent on revenge after terrorists take the life of someone they loved, it made me think of the Arnold Schwarzenegger film Collateral Damage (2002). My one reservation with the film going in was how they were going to portray Rami Malek’s Charles Heller as an action man bent on revenge in the Schwarzenegger fashion of guns going off and action fist fights. I have never seen Malek as an action star, previous works have included the television thriller series Mr Robot and the Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. After his acclaim with both projects, Malek has not been seen in a lot of roles, besides a villain in the last James Bond entry for Daniel Craig’s No Time to Die, and a detective in The Little Things. So how does Malek pull off the action in this spy thriller when even his boss tells him “You wouldn’t even win in an arm wrestling match against a 90-year-old nun” or his aversion to using a gun in his early training with Laurence Fishburne’s Henderson?
Charles Heller lives the ideal life, with hobbies including rebuilding an airplane and puzzles alongside his wife, Sarah (Rachel Brosnahan). His profession is a decoder and data decrypter for the Central Intelligence Agency. He is currently coming across some critical information that could be damning to the organization. His wife, who leaves for a work trip for a few days, seems routine until his boss calls him down to his office. In the office he reveals that Sarah was taken as a hostage by a terrorist organization as a pawn for the getaway and was killed in the getaway attempt by the group. Heller goes through the grieving process, including the five stages, but seems stuck at anger. After submitting all the evidence to the identities of the terrorists, four of them, his boss and other liaisons seem not to take him seriously to go after the group, so he uses the damning evidence of misconduct as leverage for CIA field training to go after those responsible personally.
For his training, he meets his handler Henderson, who doesn't have a lot of faith in Heller and arrives late, getting in the back of the car instead of the front “I ain’t no Uber driver”. When it comes to his training, Heller fails at the shooting range, unless his target is up close and personal. He has some success in creating devices for explosions, which Henderson remarks that we finally found something you're good at. The real test, as seen in the trailer, is when Henderson gives Charlie a gun and wants Charlie to shoot Henderson, which Charlie panics and doesn't want to pull the trigger “Face it Charlie, you are not a killer”. When the tables turn and the CIA gets the upper hand, Charlie escapes and goes on to face his wife’s killers and their accomplices.
The globe-trotting adventure picks up with Charlie always trying to be one step ahead of the CIA and Henderson, who are hot on his trail. As Charlie tracks down the four key players, he uses every tool in his arsenal of tactics to take out his opponents, which doesn't rely on hand-to-hand combat or gunplay action. More precisely, these are methods that explore the weakness of his adversaries and use the environment to take down his opponents. There are also some great uses of foot chases between Henderson and Charlie, juxtaposing the neon lights at the bars and the clubs while in France. Back at home, the CIA is trying to clean the house of those who are the traitors from within.
The Armateur works not for the Guns or action fights but rather the methodical tools in Charles Heller’s arsenal of knowledge in the execution of his targets, that would make Agent 47 of the hitman series blush. The chase scenes between Heller and Henderson are well executed even before we realise that director James Hawes doesn't have too many action films in his filmography, but possibly the closest would be The 39 Steps (2008). In another way it can be seen as a pro-American, make the CIA great again film, free from scandals. Film composer Volker Bertelmann sets the score for this film. A big reservation comes from the trailer which I feel reveals too much, as trailers these days tend to do, where Charles Heller faces off in his own way against two of his wife’s killers or accomplices. It’s always great to see Maleck in a new film and my reservations are put aside because he holds his own arsenal of the trades in this action film.
⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Remi is the host of At The Movies Along regular Co-Host Danny Aubery every Tuesday morning from 8-9 AM only on CJLO 1690 AM. They cover local film festivals, have interviews with directors and actors, and talk about a new film or the classics. As well the iconic sounds of present and past film scores and soundtracks. Fallow Remi on Letterboxd.
Austin is weird. The city’s growing tech sector has spawned these characterless, glass obelisks everywhere. SXSW has clearly embraced it too. There was so much weird and terrifying tech stuff at the 2025 edition of the fest. But if you avoid all that and focus your time criss-crossing the city going to as many concerts as possible, it is actually really nice.
That’s how I spent my SXSW. If I wasn’t sleeping, eating, or doing a bit of radio about the fest (which you can listen to here, here, and here), I was either on my way to a show or at a show. That’s about 12 hours of live music each day for 4 straight days. Here’s what stood out:
French duo Kap Bambino have this driving, post-punk, electronic sound with some wild, hyper-pop vocals to boot that made for one of the danciest shows of the fest. PAL had Chess Club packed to the gills and moving. They sound like Devo if Devo was from Cleveland, Ohio instead of Akron, Ohio. Self-described Nickelback cover band, the OGBMs were amazing live. They also described themselves as a mosh-type band and didn’t disappoint on that front.
As far as interesting sounds go, YHWH Nailgun and Her New Knife have to both be mentioned. YHWH Nailgun do this experimental rock that seems to push the limits of what it means to be something like a vocalist or a guitarist in a band, while Her New Knife has this interesting combination of a wall of shoegaze noise, but with piercing guitar tones to cut through it.
Texas-based Shallowater was the only band I saw twice and if they ever come to Montreal, I’d go again. They play this alt-country and post-rock adjacent slowcore that makes their live performances very hypnotic and moving.
There’s a lot to look forward to for the Montreal-based music fan too. La Securité are in the process of bringing art-punk to new heights. Truck Violence put on a set with all new songs and they are making their combination of hardcore punk and Alberta back-country twang sing. Alix Fernz’s synth-driven post-punk was a great capstone for an amazing Pop Montreal and M for Montreal showcase. There were also a lot of other great sets from Canadian artists in general. Toronto noise-rockers Gloin were phenomenal and Dusted put on this extremely intimate show with their lofi indie folk.
Outside of the music, my favourite part about Austin was the venues themselves. Swan Dive, Chess Club, the 13th Floor, Cheer Up Charlie’s, Mohawk, Hotel Vegas, and the more improvised concert halls each have distinct personalities. The space that they provide makes it possible for musicians to put shows together on the spot and it gives the whole experience a DIY flair.
Things are changing in Austin though. I saw Sweeping Promises at Hotel Vegas. Near the end of their set, Austin-native Caufield Schnug took over the mic specifically to denounce how much tech has taken over the city. If you look around, it's impossible not to see too. Big money is moving into town, condos are everywhere, and the city is tearing down the biggest glass obelisk of them all (the Austin Convention Center) to make it twice as big. SXSW has also announced big changes to the music portion of the fest in 2026, so it’s unclear what the future holds. This year, at least, the music portion of SXSW was pretty good, and if you ever make it down to Austin, go see a show. You won’t regret it.
Cam McIntyre is CJLO’s program director. He is also the host of Shaking the Habitual, on air Tuesdays at 1 pm.
It has been exactly a month since I, along with the CJLO music team, returned from Austin, Texas for SXSW 2025. In that time, I have been trying to form my takeaways from this year’s festival, in a way that is more substantial than ‘Woo! Fun!’ I assume my job there (other than shaking hands with label reps) is to act as a bit of a trend correspondent. With that, here are some of my music director takeaways from this year’s SXSW.
SXSW 2025 was Montreal’s year. For a while, I was apprehensive about declaring this outright. I mean, I’m pretty biased right? I know all these names, interviewed some, personally know some more, of course I think these local artists have the best albums. But, on the ground in Austin I can safely say Montreal was on everyone’s lips. On several instances I’d be by myself, standing in line for a taco or a branded tote bag, and I’d overhear some American or British exec-types brandishing their music badges talking about how “you just have to see La Securite” or “the best show I’ve seen all week are these kids Truck Violence.” This is no accident, Mothland Records sent a lot of artists and co-hosted multiple packed showcases. When I ran into labelhead JP Bourgeois on Thursday, he showed me his excel sheet of all their artists’ showcases, tallying several dozens. Lots of Redbull and Vitamin C suppliments, I assume.
Truck Violence threw especially memorable shows, stage diving, screaming, playing with Canadian flags, and more. The band’s mix of hardcore and bluegrass instrumentation, inspired by their Alberta lineages, was a big hit with the Texas crowds. Montreal’s punk scene is chugging up towards a real boom, and bands like Truck Violence and Alix Fernz’ showcases at SXSW showed just that.
The best part of SXSW is the ability to jump between shows, all just a few steps from each other. Armed with the SXSW app (even when it would log me out randomly), I would make my itinerary in the morning and try to jam in as many showcases as possible, making sure not to miss any SX artist I planned on seeing. In the span of a bit over an hour, I was able to catch Hiding Places, Golom B, Her New Knife, who all gave great sets. I especially enjoyed Her New Knife, who make really discordent, atonal shoegaze, which is refreshing to see in the over-saturated market of Zoomer gazers, many of the lesser which were also at the festival.
A highlight for me was the Brooklyn Vegan showcase on the Thursday. In the spacious outdoor venue of The Mohawk, bands from New York and beyond played an indie-dominant showcase. The first I caught was Brooklyn-duo fantasy of a broken heart, who were one of my top picks going into the fest. I had seen them a few days prior in the much-too-small Chess Club, but their sound filled the Mohawk outdoor perfectly, showcasing their psychy indie pop. The venue’s layout was perfect. At this point, I had wandered away from fellow CJLOers, and had found myself a nice perch on the railing looking over the side of the stage. It was a balmy 28 degrees, I was in jorts, drinking a lovely beverage, living my Brooklyn Vegan hipster fantasy. Cue “We needed this” gif. Later, joined back by other CJLOers, I saw Mary in the Junkyard whose ambient, slow shoegaze set a great late-night mood.
Later, indoors, I caught local Austin slowcore band Shallowater. They were such a hidden little surprise, playing a very lowkey set. Their album There is a Well has been on repeat for me ever since. It is the sort of melodic slow indie that fans of Horse Jumper of Love or Midwife would love.
SXSW does its planning and logistics right. Short sets in showcases with lots of genre variety, it is impossible to not stumble upon at least a few new bands you love just randomly. With many of these showcases free to the public, the city opens up with industry yuppies (like myself) meshing in with local concert goers to experience some truly unique shows. This model is something our local festivals could take a note from.
While rumours of plans to cut the music festival at SXSW have recently been squashed, the festival has been getting smaller and smaller with each passing year. As an attendee, the experience still felt very full— there will always be way more showcases than any individual could ever attend. However, with SXSW’s dozens of hefty corporate sponsorships and boats of money highlighting every Silicon Valley bro who wants to be the next Elon Musk, why not focus a bit more of those resources back in the fesitval that made their name in the first place? Though SXSW has changed a lot over the years, and seeing a Rivian ad every ten feet does not really inspire confidence, the music festival portion remains an exciting incubator for great new talent.
Aviva Majerczyk is the head music director at CJLO 1690AM. She is also the host of The Alley, a folk-rock show airing Fridays at 11:00 AM.