SXSW does not half-step. The Music portion of Austin’s annual multimedia extravaganza kicked off Tuesday with showcases across hundreds of venues throughout the town, aptly named the Live Music Capital of the World. As the river of musicians, industry players and fans poured into the city for SXSW 2015, the chaos of musical adventure kicked off in full force at Clive bar, where Portugal The Man, Charles Bradley, Future Islands and more delivered an enchanting night at the StubHub hosted show. Of course, Crave is in town for the party, bringing you top-to-bottom coverage and an insane SXSW day show on Saturday 3/21 with Action Bronson, Doomtree and more!
Only a few hundred fans had access to the tiny outdoor venue, though people crammed onto the neighboring balconies at Container across the street made short order of a capacity workaround. Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires caught me entirely by surprise, as I’d barely bothered to check the openers for Portugal. I knew who I was there to see, and that was all that mattered to me – until the pure soul power of Bradley’s legendary passion hit the stage.
A prime candidate for Sex Panther cologne if there ever was one, Bradley’s erotically charged romance jams defied his 66 years. With mic stand acrobatics and gesticulations on high, the man poured his heart and bleeding soul out onto the stage with tremendously effective result. The sardine-packed crowd was bumping and grinding on the dancefloor with celebratory sensuality, and even Shia LeBeouf was feeling the hybrid wonder of Al Green and James Brown on ecstasy.
Audio issues provided a rocky liftoff for Future Islands‘ following performance, but within two songs the Maryland rockers hit their stride. Frontman Samuel T Herring’s t-shirt was drenched with sweat almost immediately, his face dripping as he threw himself around the stage in a display of wild melodrama that often found him staring with feigned madman fascination at his own hand, punching at the air and beating his chest in primate fashion.
Balancing a melodic stride between bassist William Cashion and keyboardist-programmer Gerrit Welmers, Herring’s oddly appealing vocals – which fluctuate between delicate emotives and guttural growls – serve to create a unique sound atmosphere. It’s like listening to a record by The National, where the needle skips off into a cookie-monster metal vocal at random. Somehow, it works.
SXSW Survival Guide: Pro-Tips For Conquering SXSW 2015
Next up: Portugal The Man brings psychedelic charm to Austin
Photos: Johnny Firecloud
