Wednesday SXSW Showcases
By Richard Whittaker, Fri., March 18, 2016
Korea Night I: K-Pop Night Out
7:30pm, BelmontNight one with Seoul's finest. Britpop-inspired electro-rockers Bye Bye Badman evolved beyond their Stone Roses tribute moniker to swing a cool summer groove in winning over fans of the Naked and Famous. Victim Mentality wears its Eighties glam-metal influence proudly on leather and leopard-print sleeves, a headbanging contrast to Love X Stereo's stripped-back Chvrches-style wistfulness. Then make way for K-Pop juggernaut Mamamoo. A Korean chart fixture since 2014 debut, their back-to-back 2016 singles "I Miss You" and "Taller Than You (1cm)" add slow-jam R&B and sly hip-hop to the quartet's TLC-style arsenal. Electronic experimenter Haihm's trip-hop dream creates a subtle tide of glitch-infused minimalist electronica. And if you don't know Dean, this could be your last chance to catch the highly touted producer/vocalist's cutting-edge R&B before he breaks big. Closing, Zion.T promises a jazz-funk-soul fusion to make D'Angelo proud.