https://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/music/2015-03-21/sxsw-live-shot-broncho/

SXSW Live Shot: Broncho

By Doug Freeman, March 21, 2015, 9:57am, Earache!

Broncho found its groove on last fall’s sophomore LP, Just Enough Hip To Be Woman, transforming from basement beer pit punk to power pop prowess. Not that they’ve polished the edges too much. On Friday, the Norman, Okla., trio exuded a slacker ethos – and articulation remains a last priority.

On tour, the core trio smartly adds female counterparts Mandii Larsen and Penny Hill of Tulsa’s Low Litas. Together, they match frontman Ryan Lindsey’s unhinged guitar thrash. The band tore through a 12-song set in just over 30 minutes, but as openers for the evening, they expertly left the packed, back porch crowd of Bar 96 in a frenzy.

Leading off with “Kurt” and “It’s On,” the set clung tightly to newer material as Lindsey slurred through lyrics and jittered in front of the mic with his own electrocuted rhythm. The dirty riffs of “What” and throbbing percussion of “Stay Loose” accented the pop flourishes and hazy swarm of new single “NC-17.” A mid-set dive into debut disc Can’t Get Past the Lips finally sent the pit into a frenzy with “Try Me Out Sometime” and “Psychiatrist.”

“Taj Mahal” dropped into slower, darker tones under a scar of feedback and Lindsey glaring through his veil of greasy hair. Closers “Deena” and “Class Historian” popped the pace back up through scattershot vocal punches, the latter best capturing the band’s new bouncing energy. Broncho plays to its slop-pop reputation, but they’ve hit upon a sharp balance of tightly controlled chaos.

Complete SXSW Music coverage at austinchronicle.com/sxsw/music