SXSW Music 2015, Thursday

The second day of our inaugural FLOODfest, four days and three nights of music at Cedar Street presented by Lyve, kicked off Thursday morning with a showcase by Øya Festival, highlighting some of Norway’s finest: Hanne Kolstø, Haust (who were an excellent morning wake-up call), and Marit Larsen. The Paradigm/ASCAP showcase featured the reverbed pop of Hippo Campus, alt-synthers Swimm, the energetic Tove Styrke, raucous beats from Years & Years, and an absolutely dynamic set from The Ting Tings.

After a short programing break, we returned for our evening’s schedule of music—welcomed by a huge line around the corner of SXSW-ers. English rock heroes The Vaccines took the stage first and subsequently set the tone for the rest of the night. Viet Cong were up next and soldiered on despite drummer Mike Wallace’s arm in a sling. He never missed a beat, however, and was given a hand by METZ drummer Hayden Menzies for a double, deafening dose of percussion. The galvanizing set ended in amplified chaos—and no less than four broken strings. Menzies got no recess, as METZ followed their fellow Canadians with an equally abrasive and stunning display as the trio tore through a rapid-fire set of scorchers. Satisfyingly turned up to eleven, King Tuff kept the good times rolling with a joyous and high-spirited performance that lead into headliner (and SXSW’s reigning darling) Courtney Barnett. Barnett treated the crowd to an electric show of songs from her full-length debut, and closed out Thursday night collapsing into a wailing solo that left sustained elation from night into early morning.

Below, check out photos from morning, afternoon, and night at FLOODfest, courtesy of Describe The Fauna and Jasmine Safaeian, plus more scenes from Austin from Describe The Fauna and Alice Baxley.

SXSW 2015 coverage: Wednesday     ⋅     Thursday    ⋅     Friday    ⋅     Saturday     ⋅     The Portraits

Daytime at Cedar Street Courtyard
Øya Festival showcase morning: Hanne Kolstø, Haust, Marit Larsen
Paradigm/ASCAP afternoon showcase: Hippo Campus, Swimm, Tove Styrke, Years & Years, The Ting Tings

Describe The Fauna