SXSW Day Three: Fleshwater, Frankie and the Witch Fingers, Ribbon Skirt, and more
Day three commenced with strategic resource acquisition at Marshall's Amp Party—free vinyl from Waterloo Records, Queer Vinyl Collective pop-up presence, plus sustenance distribution essential for surviving Austin's merciless solar assault. Corporate largesse occasionally yields legitimate dividends.
Local grunge purveyors Fawn warmed the rapidly liquefying audience before Boston's Fleshwater assumed command. Their impending nocturnal engagement supporting Deftones at Moody Theatre imbued their afternoon performance with anticipatory voltage. Excavating material from 2022's aptly titled We're Not Here to Be Loved and 2023's Sounds of Grieving they catalyzed spontaneous kinetic rituals—circle pits formed, dissolved, reformed as audience members screamed cathartic accompaniment to "Kiss the Ladder."
Marshall's eponymous amplifiers transcended mere stage dressing, metamorphosing into performative props. Guitars weaponized against amplifier grids produced precisely calibrated feedback—corporeal interaction with electronic infrastructure. Fleshwater's trajectory suggests imminent coronation as pop-punk/grunge royalty, their ascension all but mathematically inevitable.
Vinyl acquisition compulsion propelled us toward Waterloo Records, where Frankie and the Witch Fingers did a surprise in-store pop-up performance. Garage rock maximalism ensued. Their abbreviated yet incendiary set privileged crowd pleasers—"Electricide," "Futurephobic," culminating in the chemically evocative "Cocaine Dream.” It was also pleasant to observe the demographic bridge the festival can offer: SXSW youth occupied front row positions with this all ages show, aurally protected yet visibly entranced. Paternal shoulders provided elevation platforms. Commercial endorsement: we exited premises with newly acquired Fleshwater and Frankie vinyl. Support local vinyl distribution nodes or forfeit community-centric programming opportunities!
We then ventured to Pop Montreal and MforMontreal’s showcase at Swan Dive, the temporary Canadian embassy for the duration of festival. Ribbon Skirt emerged as an unequivocal highlight, their forthcoming Mint Records debut Bite Down, hitting platforms on April 11, is positioning them for a strong album of the year contender for Canadian music fans. Anishinaabe musician Tashiina Buswa's vocal deployment during "Cellophane" and recent single "Mountains" oscillated between controlled aggression and raw emotional excavation. At peak intensity: Buswa fell to the stage floor, with her atmospheric screams achieving maximum density. The audiences emotional response bifurcated between moshing impulse and lachrymose surrender. Conclusion: why choose?
On Wednesday night, the candy-coloured club Cheer Up Charlie’s was home to the Working Families Party’s Politics House. The evening featured an incredible slate of drag and burlesque performers from across Texas, including Kristi Waters, Sinful Purchase and Eddie Divas, all hosted by Austin drag queen and political activist Brigette Bandit. While decked out in her finest Dolly Parton-inspired drag, Bandit spoke against the continued on-slaught of anti-drag bills that artists are facing both in Texas and across the South. Amidst the ongoing political turmoil across the United States, it was uplifting to be in an audience who were completely ecstatic to celebrate each performer. When drag queen Kristi Waters came on stage to a Chappell Roan medley, the crowd reacted as if Chappell herself appeared on stage, hoisting the drag queen into their arms as they proceeded to crowd surf her across the room.
Closing the night was New Orleans bounce legend, Big Freedia. An absolute force of a performer, Big Freedia’s live show came complete with a crew of backup singers, dancers and vogue performers. Big Freedia’s charisma was absolutely infectious and she brought an almost obscene amount of fans from the crowd onto the stage to dance along with her. The crowd came well prepared too, with one group of friends bursting into what must have been a pre-choreographed dance number that had both the rest of the audience and Big Freedia herself cheering them on.
Overall, the evening was an unforgettable experience, celebrating music, activism and self-expression.
The juxtaposition of Fleshwater's amplified aggression against Ribbon Skirt's emotionally resonant Indigenous futurism illuminates SXSW's persistent value proposition—unexpected sonic collisions producing cognitive recalibration. Meanwhile, Big Freedia's politicized dance sanctuary demonstrates music's capacity for resistance beyond mere aesthetic consideration.
We’ll be back tomorrow with more coverage as we venture around Austin’s inner city limits.