SXSW's first night of showcases brought
out some veritably delicious Club Fonograma-approved acts, such as Davila 666, Chikita Violenta, and Mexican Institute of Sound. But those bands' profiles will have to wait a while, because last night was Latin Indie night at the gawdawfully-cheesy "dance bar" Elysium. Seriously, I think you could spit on the floor and it would upgrade the decor. Oh, and for some reason the whole place was smoky (which ruined every picture I took), but YOU COULDN'T SEE WHERE THE SMOKE WAS COMING FROM. Annoying.
Anyway, our first act of the night, the mighty Furland, played what looked like a victory lap for their highly-successful second album, Historia de la Luz. At least that's what the band, who were full of smiles and playful mannerisms, made it look like. "Quiero Ser Un Color" in particular brought down the house, provoking an equal mix of dancing, feet-tapping, and headbanging (!). The whole set in general was quite impressive, especially when you consider how reliant their music is on stud
io production and effects.
The next act was Adanowsky, who filled in on the bill for the absent Chetes. Personally, I've been sort of ambivalent about his studio work. I liked some stuff, didn't hate anything, but had no serious feelings about him whatsoever really. Well, consider me a convert after last night because Adanowsky fucking KILLED it. I mean, his show had everything. Dancing, ridiculous haircuts, energy, band members wearing embarrassing red outfits, audience interaction, stories about jerking off in front of your best friend--like I said, everything! The setlist itself was put together too, providing highlight after highlight, even an especially seductive rendition of "El Idolo" which I have confidence in saying made every woman in the crowd swoon--and even some of the dudes. Highlight of the festival so far.
Following that was Rey Pila, who had an impossible task in following up Adanowsky's breakout set. Pila's bit of upbeat Devandra Banhart-like tunes sounds really great on record, but like with most bands who are distinct lyrically, the music had trouble really connecting with the crowd. There were some high points, like when he played some Los Dynamite covers, and Pila tried to get the momentum back by going out into the audience, but by that point it was lost. Not a terrible set, but certainly disappointing. Probably needed a story or two about jerking off, I reckon.
The next act was Adanowsky, who filled in on the bill for the absent Chetes. Personally, I've been sort of ambivalent about his studio work. I liked some stuff, didn't hate anything, but had no serious feelings about him whatsoever really. Well, consider me a convert after last night because Adanowsky fucking KILLED it. I mean, his show had everything. Dancing, ridiculous haircuts, energy, band members wearing embarrassing red outfits, audience interaction, stories about jerking off in front of your best friend--like I said, everything! The setlist itself was put together too, providing highlight after highlight, even an especially seductive rendition of "El Idolo" which I have confidence in saying made every woman in the crowd swoon--and even some of the dudes. Highlight of the festival so far.Following that was Rey Pila, who had an impossible task in following up Adanowsky's breakout set. Pila's bit of upbeat Devandra Banhart-like tunes sounds really great on record, but like with most bands who are distinct lyrically, the music had trouble really connecting with the crowd. There were some high points, like when he played some Los Dynamite covers, and Pila tried to get the momentum back by going out into the audience, but by that point it was lost. Not a terrible set, but certainly disappointing. Probably needed a story or two about jerking off, I reckon.
♫♫♫ Furland - "El castillo de arena" (31 Minutos Cover)
♫♫♫ Adanowsky - "Me Siento Solo"
♫♫♫ Rey Pila - "No.114" (Disco Ruido Yu-Remix)