Hump day at South by Southwest 2025 heated up in more ways than one.
Wednesday afternoon peaked around 88 degrees, while the festival reached its own high with performances by Aughts-era indie rockers Band of Horses and Featured Session conversations with Tom Morello, John Fogerty, and Andrew McMahon of Jack’s Mannequin. Here’s our recap of SXSW Music night three.
Band of Horses Keep Old Favorites Fresh
Despite returning for their sixth SXSW showcase since 2006, Band of Horses was anything but stale. Lost in the presence of sound and swaying to the rhythm of looping guitar riffs, lead singer Benjamin Bridwell brought a refreshing and energetic stage presence that contrasted perfectly with the crisp evening air. The band covered favorites such as “The Great Salt Lake” and “Weed Party” early on at Stubb’s. Lead guitarist Brett Nash thrashed his head while playing a flashy red guitar, infusing enthusiasm into tracks like “Laredo.” The Seattle-launched indie rockers performed as if they were still a scrappy young band vying for record label backing, with nothing to lose and everything to prove. The delivery of chiming guitar and punchy drums broke through occasional lulls in the show as they commanded the stage with the confidence and bravado expected of a seasoned act. The band felt right at home beneath the sprawling trees as they expressed their love and gratitude for the people and the city of Austin. Revealing to fans that Band of Horses was soon heading into the studio, Bridwell led the quartet in debuting a song they had never played live before, an upbeat and stimulating track with the working title “Freeway.” In a riveting finale, the band closed with fan favorite “The Funeral,” complete with a multi-colored array of flashing lights, bringing the night to an end eight minutes before midnight. – Angelina Liu
Fleshwater’s Midday Mosh Pit
Though Marshall downsized considerably from last year’s three-day, Dinosaur Jr.-headlined Funhouse at Parish, this year’s one-day showcase maintained its activation feel with holdover vendors like Bad Larry’s Burger Club and Feels So Good – and, more importantly, still provided plenty of sonic heft. Before opening for Deftones at the Moody Center Wednesday evening, Boston quintet Fleshwater unleashed an afternoon Mohawk mosh pit. Obviously musically influenced by that seminal nü metal and shoegaze-blending act, cuts from beloved 2022 debut We’re Not Here to Be Loved doled out post-hardcore breakdowns and pop-punk vocal melodies in equal measure. Singer Marisa Shirar intoned more delicately than founding guitarist Anthony DiDio, also of heavier outfit Vein.fm, who commanded those in the circle pit, Xs on hands galore, to spin harder, run faster. Still, the co-vocalist led a growling rendition of Björk’s “Enjoy” with his own Chino Moreno sigh, floating atop a three-guitar assault that mimicked the track’s churning bass synth before devolving into an original Fleshwater riff. “We love the sound of Marshall amps,” DiDio said, Twin Peaks tee pairing nicely with bassist Jeremy Martin’s Polvo shirt. Sponsored or nay, the rumbles did reverberate. – Carys Anderson
Dutch Interior Spin Complex Melodies
A pair of brothers surrounded by longtime friends, Dutch Interior’s comfort with each other is evident on stage. Their set at Cheer Up Charlies’ Friendship is Beautiful showcase felt like a backyard show. The band opened with “Fourth Street,” a single off their forthcoming album Moneyball, signaling room for a louder sound in their first Fat Possum release. While the L.A. group leaned into rock riffs and a grungier guitar tone, their raspy harmonies and cheeky, localized lyrics cohered their multifaceted influences. The complexity of their folksier songs, like “I’ll Be Damned,” took center stage thanks to layered guitars and playful set changes. Four of the six members took turns on lead vocals, reflecting their individual-yet-collaborative songwriting style, and each brought their own lilt to the melodies. Jack Nugent rotated on guitar, percussion, and handheld keyboard, while conscripted keyboardist Shane Barton picked up an acoustic guitar to deliver a reflective performance of “It’s Smokey Outside and I’m Afraid.” As a sucker for a slow-fast movement, it was “Cannibal Song” that first hooked me on Dutch Interior. Live, the contrast between these elements was crisply interwoven and leaned into a playful, beach tune-meets-psych rock affectation. Closing the set with the unreleased “Sweet Time,” a harmonized guitar solo outro left me looking forward to the rest of their SX stay and Moneyball’s release on March 21. – Caroline Drew
I wear your chain’s Alt-Pop Tweemo Invigorates
I knew I was going to love this local indie-pop-rock quartet, but my infatuation went to the stratosphere when the group covered a deep cut from one of my favorite bands: “Long Island” by that dog. The cover fit perfectly within the band’s fuzzy-grungy-twee sound, and proves my long-belabored point that musicians should always include a cover as a way to show personality, engage the audience, and have a little fun, dammit! Another highlight of the set was seeing the band enjoy themselves – lead vocalist Maya Halabi couldn’t hold back a smile while singing. The band’s own song “Summer Bummer” was a standout, with fuzzy strums, a melodic flow, and a recurring “bum bum” that brought the Breeders to mind. The quartet has only been playing together for three months, but the live show is definitely one to catch. They veer from straight pop rock to noise rock, Sonic Youth-esque jams beautifully, and incorporate my favorite live show trick: everyone trading instruments. In fact, everyone but the drummer got a turn on the bass. You’re definitely going to want to keep tabs on these locals this year. – Kyra Bruce
John Fogerty and Tom Morello Ain’t No Fortunate Ones
At first glance, the two musicians on the Ballroom D stage looked incongruous next to each other: John Fogerty, the classic rock icon whose CCR catalog continues to be a radio staple 55 years after it was recorded, and Tom Morello, the innovative guitarist for rap-metal pioneers Rage Against the Machine. The only thing they seem to have in common is membership in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. But the pair have shared stages several times over the past couple of decades, and they share something even more fundamental: a belief in the power of music to change the world. Following an overview of Fogerty’s long and storied career, Morello asked his pal about the endurance of “Fortunate Son” as an anti-establishment anthem. Fogerty recounted writing the song while serving in the Army Reserve. “Rage came out of me,” he said, aimed at “superpatriots” who bragged about getting their sons deferment from the draft. “Did you know,” he later noted, “that ‘Fortunate Son’ is the favorite song of the greatest example of a fortunate son?” Despite raising the specter of 47 and his confounding performance of the song at a rally, Fogerty ultimately embraced hope. “Music should bring people together,” he declared. “It would be nice to help people do that.” – Michael Toland
Maruja’s Tense Post-Punk
When Fontaines D.C. broke out of SXSW 2019 and Yard Act followed at SXSW 2022, first responders fell back in the face of contemporary post-punks powered by frontmen intoning intense free verse, over the top like Fifties Beat poets reanimated from the Cold War into our modern class siege a-comin’. Maruja imported just such a projectile from Manchester hump night at the British Music Embassy. Front yobbo Harry Wilkinson rhymed too adeptly to devolve into unhinged stream-of-consciousness, but alto saxophonist Joe Carroll’s attempts to incite a circle pit never abated. As if wielding a lariat, the horny Englishman kept circling his index finger in the air as he leaned over the full inside room, finally jumping down offstage to blow hot atmospheric brass into the audience personally. And at the climax of the 31-minute performance, the laminate set actually put away their pocket PCs, began bouncing hard, and finally broke out into a brief, awkward mosh. That proved a hard-fought victory for the four Mancunians, who never quite uncorked full catharsis from their tensile rhythms, a jazz-like propulsion of freight-train locomotion driving a shirtless Wilkinson to bulge every neck muscle, tendon, and vein. “We have a simple message,” he announced early on: “A message of peace [amongst] world oppression.” Received loud and proud, lads. – Raoul Hernandez
Her New Knife’s Shoegaze Lulls
“We are Her New Knife, we are from Philadelphia, and we have merch,” was the only stage banter offered from this true-to-form shoegaze band – outside of the “Sorry if I sing very quietly” that frontperson Edgar Atencio delivered from behind a curtain of hair. I saw this band open for julie at Mohawk on Halloween last year, and I remember walking away loving them. This time, in the more intimate space and on a smaller stage at Chess Club, the steady wall of sound was in danger of lulling me to sleep. The out of key, cutting guitar plucks and repetitive fuzzy power chords ended up sounding too similar after a few songs, and a slow build to a big jam only works for me maybe twice in one set. Drummer Elijah Ford was an absolute machine, holding it down and offering the most interesting parts of an otherwise stale performance. Still, the crowd was very engaged and receptive, trying their best to mosh to the slow burn finale. Hardcore shoegaze fans will love this band, but Her New Knife is not reinventing the wheel. – Kyra Bruce
The Thing Gets Back to Rock & Roll Basics
NOT to be confused with the 25-year-old Stockholm jazz trio whose bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten used to live here, The Thing from New York destroyed Elysium on Wednesday night. Four dudes in white T-shirts and a mustache or two won’t inspire much interest in our current mainstream landscape (cough, Chappell Roan), and when an early set piece began veering toward garage rock, warning lights started flashing. Then The Thing kicked in, like Oasis at Liberty Lunch. Not that fronting bassist Zane Acord, guitarists Jack Bradley and Michael Carter, and drummer Lucas Ebeling lean toward Brit rock. More so, they bottle the lightning excitement of that moment – bristling guitars, howling frontmen, Keith Moon drums. Indeed, Acord sported a Who tee and Ebeling all but dismantled his modest kit when one song ended but he didn’t and the ensuing drum solo erupted. The quartet did exactly that for 30 breathtaking minutes. Sets such as these burn like fever in any rockist paradigm, and ultimately The Thing kicked out the jams like no less than the MC5. If it’s sonic ecstasy you seek, find this, this … Thing this week. –Raoul Hernandez
Andrew McMahon Puts Fans Over Fees
Concert tickets are more expensive than ever. When buying a ticket to a major show, even seats in the nosebleeds can be a major blow to the bank account. At a featured session dubbed Fans Over Fees: Touring in the Age of Secondary Market Greed, Something Corporate and Jack’s Mannequin singer-songwriter Andrew McMahon, alongside members of his management and booking team, spoke with Billboard Editor-in-Chief Hannah Karp about their methods for making concerts accessible.
A major reason for the significant rise in ticket prices is ticket scalping, which is easy to get away with through the monopolistic Ticketmaster, and secondary markets like StubHub, that allow fans to resell tickets. Although the sites allegedly try to protect users from scams, people can use software, like “ticket bots,” to scoop up tickets faster than the average human and inflate the prices on resale.
McMahon said he first attempts to thwart scalpers by selling tickets exclusively to members of his fan club. This helps narrow down the number of sales that could be bots, which are typically identified by a certain IP address. The artist’s team will even go so far as to cancel ticket sales they deem fake, which has led them to create a Google Form where real fans can reach out if their tickets accidentally got canceled.
“I remember going to shows, paying $12 or $15 to see my favorite bands, and I do what I do now because I got to see them,” McMahon said. “[If people] don’t get to see the bands they love, how [do] we even create a new culture of great live musicians?” – Mattea Gallaway
Jazz Re:freshed Lives Up to Its Name
Though never in the buzz bin, Jazz Re:freshed’s annual showcase has become a beloved SXSW tradition. This year, singer-songwriter Sofia Grant performed first, with a virtuoso backing band and a Flora Purim-like trill. Her earthy songs invoke humanity’s fragile relationship with nature, enhanced by COLECTIVA bassist Alley Lloyd using her instrument to harmonize Grant’s vocals. London quartet oreglo followed with a flurry of power chords, immediately establishing themselves as the loudest band Jazz Re:freshed has brought over. To the crowd’s delight, the young guitar/keys/drums/tuba quartet mashed up jazz, psych, prog, funk, and reggae in defiance of easy categorization. Singer/songwriter/keyboardist Madeleine explored similar themes as Grant, but in a completely different way: ethereal, funky, with a strong R&B feel. Mercury Prize-nominated Scottish act corto.alto split the difference between riff-driven jazz and atmospheric electronica, letting synth-doubled sax, trombone, bass, and drums keep the Afrobeat flowing and the audience dancing. Singer/rapper/toaster Summer Pearl almost immediately overwhelmed her modest backing band as soon as she took the mic, but that worked – her raspy voice would command attention fronting Return to Forever. Jazz/funk fusioneer INSXGHT closed out with explosive playing matched step-for-step by his superb band. His group was the most jazz of the showcase – appropriate for the last act of the night. – Michael Toland
Clerel’s Smooth Soul
Chill soul-jazz fusion with a French twist and a nod to Otis Redding? Sounds like the perfect respite from day three of SXSW Music. Central African Francophone Clerel opened the M for Montreal and POP Montreal indoor showcase Wednesday night with a stripped-down, one-man set. The chemistry graduate-turned-songwriter’s career launched in 2019 with his doo-wop debut EP, Songs From Under a Guava Tree. Since then, he has headlined the Montreal International Jazz Festival, toured the U.S., UK, and Australia, and released a 2024 EP, Kaleidoscope. Compared to his first batch, the sophomore tracks wear more layers with funky rainbow sparkles, rap collaborations, and disco grooves. Yet, during his lean Swan Dive set, the curator only featured one earworm, “Rainbow,” from his latest work. The other songs flowed like a holistic grab bag: a couple standalone singles, a French ballad, a new one, “Velvet Tears,” and a cover, “Try a Little Tenderness,” by the King of Soul. The spread still felt cohesive with the soloist’s consistent and almost hypnotic synergy of soft electric fingerwork and smooth falsetto. While the background chatter never ceased, the front fans lent loyal ears until the finale, “Blackstone.” “It could be so easy,” the singer crooned as crowd members swayed, eyes closed. Listening to Clerel is not hard. – Amber Williams
Technical Difficulties Undercut LYNN’s Rising Talent
Even though she calls herself “the Bad Guy,” LYNN unexpectedly turned into a sympathetic babyface on Wednesday night when she headlined KUTX The Breaks’ annual SXSBreaks showcase at Lefty’s Brick Bar. The Alabama transplant began with a botched, six-plus minute rendition of “Origin Story Intro” off 2024 EP Bad Guy – which is only two minutes on record. There’s technical difficulties, then there’s the inability to solve said difficulties during an entire 30-minute headlining performance of an official showcase. To her credit, LYNN persevered – with some understandable glares towards the apparent sound technician – and still managed to offer glimpses of why she garnered the show’s top slot. During second track “IDK,” she ushered trash talk with sheer venom and even continued rapping when forced to switch mics mid-song. Affairs worsened as poorly mixed backing tracks jump-scared listeners during R&B cuts, and her threepiece band similarly flared up in volume without warning. I briefly thought I teleported to the days of pop hits receiving unnecessary mainstream EDM remixes when the trio seemingly leaned into the chaos and mustered up blips of what should’ve been. LYNN wrapped up with a song dedicated to her mom and a composed, real-time reminder that “life be lifin’” out of nowhere. For all of the complaints uttered about South by Southwest, the cramming of music into any willing Downtown space with a pulse may reign supreme. I later stumbled upon a European band performing near Reem’s Falafel with better sound, which got me thinking: How can Vancerts, a self-professed “mobile music venue,” host a better setup for live instrumentation than an official SXSW showcase for Austin’s premier hip-hop radio show? – Derek Udensi
This article appears in March 7 • 2025.