SXSW 2019: The 20 best acts we saw at this year’s festival

With hundreds of bands performing from all corners of the world, the SXSW music festival is an overwhelming offering of established artists and new acts just bubbling to the surface. Every 30 minutes at SXSW you are presented with dozens of options, which can be a thrilling, and occasionally daunting, proposition.

Below are the 20 best acts we caught at this year’s festival, from a victory lap from Lizzo, to the fiery post-punk of Ireland’s Fontaines D.C. (the only band we caught twice at SXSW this year).

Be sure to head to our Instagram for more photos and videos from the festival. You can check out our coverage of the film component of SXSW here, including reviews from the world premieres of Good Boys and Pet Sematary.

SXSW returns to Austin March 13-22, 2019. Early bird passes are on-sale now.

Big Phony 

Korean singer-songwriter Big Phony balances his heartbreaking acoustic indie rock with layers of self-deprecation, from his band name to his between song banter. “This one is about following your dreams,” he told the crowd at one point. “It’s called ‘It’s Never Going to Happen.'” That humour may be a sort of defence mechanism given how open his songs are, which channel the melody and pathos of artists like Elliot Smith. Catching this set in a convention centre probably wasn’t the ideal setting, but this would be a transfixing set in more intimate room.

The Chills

New Zealand’s The Chills must have had one of the craziest schedules of any act at SXSW. Apart from the number of shows they managed to squeeze in, they were also on hand for the world premiere of the documentary The Chills: The Triumph & Tragedy of Martin Phillipps, which chronicles the history of the band back to the 80’s, and follows Phillipps’ long battle with drug and alcohol abuse. We caught them at the large outdoor stage at Hotel Vegas, where the band pumped out anthem after anthem of their lifting power-pop, including the irresistibly poppy “Heavenly Pop Hit,” from 1990’s Submarine Bells LP.

Dumb

Everyone is trying to get noticed at SXSW, from the hordes of acts playing official showcases to the hustlers on 6th street trying to sell you a copy of their CD-R demo. Vancouver’s Dumb caught our attention the old-fashioned way — they simply set up on the outside patio at Beerland and drew a sizeable crowd based solely on the quality of their music, which channeled angular rock influences like Television and Montreal’s own Ought in their own frenzied manner. They also smartly mentioned their band name after every song, something which most acts seem too bothered to do at SXSW, at one point actually spelling it out for some curious passersby. Catching Dumb (by total fluke) was one of the best surprises of the entire week.

Fontaines D.C. 

The only band we caught twice at SXSW (though one was an abbreviated 10-minute set for some reason), Dublin’s Fontaines D.C. play a fiery brand of post-punk that leans heavily on the aggression and rage of the latter. Singer Grian Chatten paced the stage with a coiled intensity throughout, biting his nails and looking like he was either going to flee the stage entirely or dive head-first into the crowd at any moment. Post-punk bands are a dime a dozen, but few can match the power and well-crafted hooks of Fontaines D.C. “My childhood was small / But I’m gonna be big,” Chatten announces on “Big,” which just might well be a self-fulfilling prophecy after the band’s run of shows at SXSW this year.

Fragile Rock

What if The Muppets’ Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem grew up on punk rock instead of classic rock? That’s the basic premise behind Fragile Rock, a mashup of a live punk band that performs behind a crew of puppeteering band members. The illusion totally works, and it’s hard not to feel like you’re on a “very special” episode of Sesame Street where the regular guests just happen to stumble upon a show at CBGB’s. With witty and catchy songs and some great set pieces (see: getting pelted by gym socks while the band hoists a “Socks Are Murder” sign), Fragile Rock is the perfect festival act, a refreshing palate cleanser before whatever you decide to catch next.

Hubert Lenoir

Quebec’s Hubert Lenoir made a great impression during his first-ever US show. Singing mostly in French with some English, it took a while for the crowd at Mohawk to warm up to the band’s off-kilter glam sound, but by the time Lenoir was crowd-surfing and thrashing over their heads, you could feel the entire audience immediately being converted. With band members making out throughout the set, Lenoir and the band are definitely putting on a show, a hyper-sexual and theatrical blend of punk and soul that felt like an updated take on The Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack for a new generation.

Illuminati Hotties

The best-named act at SXSW, this LA band creates perfect little anthems of millennial disquiet, buzzsaw punk songs that never skimp on melody or hooks. There were a number of bands at SXSW that sounded exactly like carbon copies of your favourite 90’s alt-rock bands, but Illuminati Hotties take that sonic template and make something new and exciting, which translated into a boisterously fun live show.

Joan Jett and the Heartbreakers

Four decades into a career that shows no signs of stopping, living rock legend Joan Jett took over the large stage at Stubb’s and immediately made the huge venue feel like a sweaty club. Drawing back to Runaways classics like “Cherry Bomb,” and her own smash singles like “Bad Reputation,” Jett showed the diverse crowd what decades of touring can due to bolster your performance, delivering a true lesson in RN’R simplicity. With the likes of Motörhead and the Ramones gone, Joan Jett is truly keeping the spirit of 70’s punk and pure rock n’ roll alive.

Laura Jane Grace & the Devouring Mothers 

Performing a bit off the beaten SXSW path at dive bar The Continental, Laura Jane Grace and her country-tinged side-band The Devouring Mothers played a passionate set of tracks off their debut LP to a packed room. On record, the tracks on Bought To Rot sound more akin to something like Tom Petty, but in a live setting the aggression on tracks like “I Hate Chicago,” and “Amsterdam Hotel Room,” really cut through. Noting that it was their first show in months, Grace still delivered an exhilarating set that eclipsed nearly everything else that day.

Krimewatch

New York’s Krimewatch barreled out classic breakneck NYHC fury during their early afternoon set, with singer Rhylli Ogiura flying across the stage while the band ripped like they were playing a 1982 matinee at CBGB’s. Singing in both English and Japanese, Ogiura is a dynamic presence on-stage, and the band inject so much energy and passion into their old-school sound that it felt like a true rediscovery of the unbridled power of no-frills hardcore.

Leikeli47

With her hard-sitting sound and masked image, it would be easy to assume that Leikeli47 would have a gruff stage presence, but as it turns out, Leikeli47 is all about the positivity. As the packed crowd at the Cheer Up Charlies outdoor stage went absolutely bonkers to her set, which featured a number of wildly skillful background dancers, Leikeli47 took the time to explain how much her recent success has meant for someone who came up from so little, an empowering message of determination and perseverance that seemed to resonate loudly with the crowd who minutes earlier had been losing their minds to tracks like “Money.”

Lizzo 

Lizzo has had a breakout year, and her headlining slot at Stubb’s felt like a well-earned victory lap for the irresistible singer. Decked out in her best frilly Texas attire, Lizzo hit the stage with a DJ and two background dancers for energetic run-throughs of tracks like “Fitness,” and “Phone,” while previewing her upcoming album Cuz I Love You with a show-stopping performance of the title track that really showcased her incredibly powerful voice. She closed out her set with her inspiring hit “Good As Hell,” which also served as an apt description for the show itself.

The Marked Men

The Texas garage wonders seemed out-of-place on the large outdoor stage at the AdHoc party, but still treated this show like any other, running through hit after hit in non-stop Ramones fashion. Although they haven’t released a new album in a solid decade (and apparently have no plans to), their timelessly melodic buzzsaw punk tracks like “Fix My Brain” and “On the Outside” got the daytime drinking crowd to bop their heads and sing along appreciatively. It may not have had the chaos of one of their headlining club shows, but there’s something to say about being able to enjoy a great band The Marked Men in the afternoon sun, without worrying about a stage-diver falling on your head.

Rico Nasty

People love rapper Rico Nasty so much that she literally doesn’t even have to try. At one of a string of shows she performed at SXSW, she sat out nearly a full song while her backing tracks played to simply smoke a joint on-stage, and the crowd still fired up a massive mosh pit. Rico Nasty has energy and charisma to spare, and when she went all-in it was one of the most irresistible sets of the week. Expect big things from her in the coming year.

Say Sue Me 

South Korea’s Say Sue Me was one of our best discoveries out of SXSW this year. A perfect mixture of 80s fuzz-rock with elements of shoegaze and even power pop, the band’s soaring melodies and hummable guitar lines were so irresistible that it made struggling to catch even a glimpse of the band in the jam-packed indoor stage at Cheer Up Charlies worth every bit of effort. Just try not to fall head over heels for this song:

Sick Thoughts

The New Orleans punk band delivered a brilliantly chaotic set at Beerland as part of the Goner Records showcase. With their well-lubricated singer ripping his pants mid-set before proceeding to destroy them entirely, the set could have gone off the rails at any moment, but the band managed to knock out a quick set of catchy, blown-out anthems that was over before you knew what had just hit you (they played for a brief 11 minutes of their slotted 40-minute time).

Sneaks

Armed with just a laptop and oodles of charisma (and a bass guitar at one point), Sneaks took the stage at the Vans / Thrasher Death Match show and put on a set that encompassed a range of influences and sounds, from straight-up hip hop to moody bedroom indie rock. Setting up her own beats and then running and dancing across the stage, she was a whirlwind of activity, and seemed sincerely grateful to be performing at SXSW for a third year in a row. “Long live Sneaks,” indeed.

Steve Earle & The Dukes 

Despite some technical issues that plagued the first half of this set, seeing Texas native Steve Earle in a fairly intimate venue like the Mohawk was a total treat. With the stage filled to capacity with his backing band The Dukes, Earle ran through a couple of tracks off his upcoming Guy Clark tribute album, Guy, before closing out his set with the one-two punch of “Guitar Town” and “Copperhead Road.” A man who’s lived harder than most in his time, Earle even had some choice words for the loud drunken crowd, muttering “I remember my first beer too,” which got a good laugh from those sober enough to notice the sarcasm.

Viagra Boys 

Viagra Boys put on one of the best sets of the entire fest, melding brooding post-punk with a party-ready sound that includes wailing saxophone and copious amounts of bongo playing. Like watching Joy Division spontaneously set up shop in a frat house, Viagra Boys traffic in a sort of detached irony best exemplified in their track “Sports,” a riff on hyper-masculinity (sample lyric: “Wiener dog / Skiing / Down on the beach / Sports”) that had the packed crowd pogoing like their lives depended on it.

Youth of Today 

Headlining the first night of the Vans x Thrasher Death Match shows in East Austin, NYHC legends and straight edge torchbearers Youth of Today were the perfect antidote after days of dealing with the excessively drunk partiers on 6th street. With the classic lineup of Ray Cappo on vocals, John Porcell on guitar, Sammy Siegler on drums, and Walter Schreifels on bass (taking a breather from Quicksand), the band is still somehow operating on an intensity level that puts most current hardcore bands to shame. Maybe there’s something to say for embracing yoga and vegetarianism early on, but the band were in incredible form, bolting across the stage to songs like “Expectations” and “No More” while dodging a steady stream of stage-divers. It was one of the most thrilling sets of the week, made all the more impactful for how resonant “Break Down The Walls” feels in 2019.