SXSW 2023: The best live acts from this year’s festival

SXSW 2023: The best live acts

With another whirlwind edition of SXSW behind us, we’re looking back at some of the best live acts we caught in Austin this March. Some highlights include Manchester electro-pop legends New Order, the alternative K-POP collective Balming Tiger, the headbanging intensity of the UK’s Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, and much more.

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Balming Tiger

One of the most buzzed-about acts at this year’s SXSW, Balming Tiger is a multi-national K-POP collective that effortlessly slides between genres at the drop of a hat. With heavy punk and hip-hop influences, the band was captivating during their late afternoon set at Hotel San Jose. The crowd seemed to double in size song by song, as people couldn’t help but be drawn into the band’s energetic and wildly fun show. Expect huge things from Balming Tiger this year.

Civic

Australia’s Civic played a number of sets throughout SXSW this year, including this raucous late-night set at Valhalla. The perfect venue for the band’s direct punk attack, Civic tore through tracks from their killer new LP, Taken By Force, before a well-lubricated crowd eager for a dose of energetic and hooky RN’R. Don’t be surprised to see Civic shirts giving Idles merch a run for the money soon enough.

Eshu Tune (Hannibal Buress)

Beloved comedian Hannibal Buress brought his Eshu Tune project to SXSW, showing off his rapping skills without eschewing his distinct comic styling. Backed by a band and a hype man, the set showcased Eshu Tune’s catchy hip hop anthems about some truly mundane topics including tooth care (“Veneers”) and his issues importing a car from Hawaii (you know, relatable stuff). Packed with jokes and a band that seemed to be having as great a time as he was, Hannibal’s daytime show was easily one of the most fun sets of the festival.

The Lemon Twigs

Led by Long Island brothers Brian and Michael D’Addario, The Lemon Twigs have embarked on a number of rock styles over the course of their decade-long career and have become a well-oiled live machine along the way. Playing a jam-packed outdoor set at Cheer Up Charlie’s, the Twigs included a trio of new songs from their upcoming Everything Harmony LP that sees the band incorporating deeper ’70s AOR Radio influences into their already-varied sonic stew.

New Order

The electronic pop pioneers headlined an evening sponsored by their hometown of Manchester before a huge crowd at ACL Live. Playing in front of an arena-sized production including a massive LED wall, the band delivered a career-spanning set that had the audience dancing and singing along to classics like “Blue Monday” and “Bizarre Love Triangle” before closing with a series of Joy Division songs, including the stirring set closer “Love Will Tear Us Apart.”

Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs

Channeling Black Sabbath riffs mixed with pure punk attitude, UK stoner metal act Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs melted faces during their outdoor set at Cheer Up Charlie’s. The riffs fell like avalanches while vocalist Matthew Baty unveiled his unexpectedly flexible dance moves, which never took away from the band’s sheer, pulverizing live power. Definitely one of the highlights of this year’s SXSW, here’s hoping the band returns to these shores for a full tour soon.

Poison Ruin

Philadelphia punks Poison Ruin have been one of the most hyped new punk bands in some time, and their stirring live show proved they more than live up to the hype. With a dark punk sound reminiscent of The Wipers and the best Anarcho-punk bands, Poison Ruin turned their midday Empire Garage set into a fist-pumping performance that perfectly set the stage for their upcoming Relapse Records debut in April.

Superchunk

Superchunk’s seemingly late addition to the SXSW lineup was a bit of a curiosity since they aren’t on tour or promoting a new album, but we weren’t looking this gift horse in the mouth. With a revamped lineup (long-time Jon Wurster recently left the group), the North Carolina indie stalwarts delivered an energetic late-night set at The Mohawk that was nicely balanced between more recent albums and era-defining ’90s tracks like “Slack Motherfucker.”

Teenage Joans

Australia’s Teenage Joans hit SXSW hard, playing a number of sets including this daytime set at Lucille. Playing equally to the packed terrace as to the curious passersby on the street, the Adelaide duo delivered their self-proclaimed “Juice-box punk-pop” with the energy and enthusiasm of a band playing a much larger stage. Given how well this set (and their many festival appearances) seemed to go over, those larger stages may come calling much sooner than later.

William Prince

Winnipeg’s Willian Prince sings the sort of country-folk songs that sound so effortless you swear you’ve heard them before. His (very) late-night set at Swan Dive proved to be the perfect night capper, with Prince serenading the sun-blasted crowd with songs like the heartstrings-pulling “Breathless” and new tracks like “When You Miss Someone,” off his upcoming Stand in the Joy LP.