Live, in Photos: SXSW Music Festival 2023

Be Your Own Pet, Bartees Strange, Militarie Gun, Sweet Pill, Debby Friday, Godcaster, and more highlights from the annual music conference.
EventsLive, In Photos

Live, in Photos: SXSW Music Festival 2023

Be Your Own Pet, Bartees Strange, Militarie Gun, Sweet Pill, Debby Friday, Godcaster, and more highlights from the annual music conference.

Words: FLOOD Staff

Photos: Skylar Watkins

March 21, 2023

Militarie Gun crowd at Lost Weekend/Brooklyn Vegan party at Mohawk in Austin, TX. March 15, 2023. Photo by Skylar Watkins

Founded in 1987, the early years of the annual SXSW music conference in Austin, Texas offered a unique setting for a few thousand registrants (there were actually only 700 for their first year) to discover new music and connect with industry folk. For the most part, SXSW lived up to its mission for "creative people to develop their careers by bringing together people from around the globe to meet, learn and share ideas." After panels in the day, the clubs on 6th Street would come alive, as you could wander from club to club to check out new bands or search out the best BBQ joint.

Of course, SXSW has changed in many ways since those early years, as big brands and party dwellers descended upon the city, and the festival reached a breaking point of decadence with over-crowding and over-the-top brand activations. The devolution of SXSW requires a much longer story than we can get into here, but throughout it all, the music remained—it just grew a little more challenging to navigate (and to get into venues, even with a pricey SXSW badge).

In March of 2020, SXSW was one of the first major events to cancel in the wake of the pandemic, and was forced to shut down for two years. But in the interim, somehow, someway, SXSW became fun again after its return last year.

Godcaster at Post Trash (Unofficial Party) at Hole in the Wall

Godcaster at Post-Trash (Unofficial Party) at Hole in the Wall

Sure, you've still got Doritos and Coca-Cola sponsoring big branded events, but you've also got hundreds of fantastic developing artists from around the world performing at both official and unofficial showcases and parties. We've talked a lot about our own FLOODfest shindig at the Mohawk, but there were also great events from the likes of Topshelf Records, Marshall, Third Man Records, Stereogum, Brooklyn Vegan, Beyond the Music, NME, Dance to the Music, Tiger Den, Wasserman Music, and countless others.

It was FLOOD photographer Skylar Watkins' first year at SXSW, so she probably has no idea what we're talking about, but along the way she discovered a plethora of cool happenings around the city everywhere from official SXSW venues to abandoned warehouses, while documenting the true underbelly of the SXSW music experience.

Check out her live photos and candid artist portraits she captured throughout the week, from established artists like Bartees Strange, Sunflower Bean, and recently reunited punks Be Your Own Pet, to emerging bands including Sweet Pill, Godcaster, Venus Twins, and Cinnamon Babe.

Be Your Own Pet at Marshall’s Hair of the Dog showcase at Mohawk

Be Your Own Pet at Marshall's Hair of the Dog showcase at Mohawk

Be Your Own PET at Marshall’s Hair of the Dog showcase at Mohawk

Be Your Own PET at Hair of the Dog / Marshall showcase at Mohawk

We Don’t Ride Llamas at Marshall’s Hair of the Dog showcase at Mohawk

We Don't Ride Llamas at Marshall's Hair of the Dog showcase at Mohawk

The Black Angels at Marshall’s Hair of the Dog showcase at Mohawk

The Black Angels at Marshall's Hair of the Dog showcase at Mohawk

Sunflower Bean at Marshall’s Hair of the Dog showcase at Mohawk

Sunflower Bean at Marshall's Hair of the Dog showcase at Mohawk

Sweet Pill at Math Rock Homies (Unofficial Showcase) at Spiderhouse Ballroom

Sweet Pill at Math Rock Homies (Unofficial Showcase) at Spiderhouse Ballroom

Sweet Pill at Math Rock Homies (Unofficial Showcase) at Spiderhouse Ballroom

Sweet Pill at Math Rock Homies (Unofficial Showcase) at Spiderhouse Ballroom

Sweet Pill at Math Rock Homies (Unofficial Showcase) at Spiderhouse Ballroom

Sweet Pill at Math Rock Homies (Unofficial Showcase) at Spiderhouse Ballroom

Zeta at Math Rock Homies (Unofficial Showcase) at Spiderhouse Ballroom

Zeta at Math Rock Homies (Unofficial Showcase) at Spiderhouse Ballroom

Sorry Mom at Women That Rock showcase at Cheer Up Charlie’s

Sorry Mom at Women That Rock showcase at Cheer Up Charlie's

Fans outside PinkPantheress show

Fans outside PinkPantheress show at Mala Vida

The Orielles at Seven Grand

The Orielles at Dance to the Radio showcase at Seven Grand

Indigo De Souza at Lost Weekend/Brooklyn Vegan party at Mohawk

Indigo De Souza at Lost Weekend/Brooklyn Vegan party at Mohawk

Militarie Gun at Lost Weekend/Brooklyn Vegan party at Mohawk in Austin, TX. March 15, 2023. Photo by Skylar Watkins

Militarie Gun at Lost Weekend/Brooklyn Vegan party at Mohawk

Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs at Lost Weekend/Brooklyn Vegan party at Mohawk

Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs at Lost Weekend/Brooklyn Vegan party at Mohawk

Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs at Lost Weekend/Brooklyn Vegan party at Mohawk

Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs at Lost Weekend/Brooklyn Vegan party at Mohawk

9m88 at Tiger Den party at Cheer Up Charlie’s

9m88 at Tiger Den party at Cheer Up Charlie's

Ena Mori at Tiger Den party at Cheer Up Charlie’s

Ena Mori at Tiger Den party at Cheer Up Charlie's

Cinnamon Babe at Punk Black Femme Fatale at Latchkey

Cinnamon Babe at Punk Black's Femme Fatale part at Latchkey

Cinnamon Babe at Punk Black’s Femme Fatale at Latchkey

Cinnamon Babe at Punk Black's Femme Fatale at Latchkey

Pussy Gillette at Punk Black’s Femme Fatale at Latchkey

Pussy Gillette at Punk Black's Femme Fatale at Latchkey

Death Valley Girls

Death Valley Girls
Cinnamon Babe

Protomartyr at Laneway Festival Party

Protomartyr at Laneway Festival Party

Protomartyr at Laneway Festival Party

Protomartyr at Laneway Festival Party

Death Valley Girls at Laneway Festival Party

Death Valley Girls at Laneway Festival Party

Voka Gentle at Hotel Vegas

Voka Gentle at Hotel Vegas

Indigo De Souza

Indigo De Souza outside FLOODfest

Baby Rose at FLOODfest at the Mohawk

Baby Rose at FLOODfest at the Mohawk

Frost Children at FLOODfest at the Mohawk

Frost Children at FLOODfest at the Mohawk

Sunflower Bean at FLOODfest at the Mohawk

Sunflower Bean at FLOODfest at the Mohawk

Blondshell at FLOODfest at the Mohawk

Blondshell at FLOODfest at the Mohawk
Sudan Archives at FLOODfest at the Mohawk

Bartees Strange at Stereogum Range Life party at Cheer Up Charlie’s

Bartees Strange at Stereogum Range Life party at Cheer Up Charlie’s

Bartees Strange at Stereogum's Range Life party at Cheer Up Charlie's

They’re Gutting a Body of Water at Stereogum Range Life party at Cheer Up Charlie’s

They Are Gutting a Body of Water at Stereogum Range Life party at Cheer Up Charlie's

Debby Friday at Stereogum Range Life party at Cheer Up Charlie’s

Debby Friday at Stereogum Range Life party at Cheer Up Charlie’s

Debby Friday at Stereogum Range Life party at Cheer Up Charlie's

Militarie Gun at Stereogum Range Life party at Cheer Up Charlie’s

Militarie Gun at Stereogum Range Life party at Cheer Up Charlie's

Militarie Gun at Stereogum Range Life party at Cheer Up Charlie’s

Militarie Gun at Stereogum Range Life party at Cheer Up Charlie's

Godcaster

Godcaster

Godcaster at Post Trash (Unofficial Party) at Hole in the Wall

Godcaster at Post-Trash (Unofficial Party) at Hole in the Wall

Godcaster at Post Trash (Unofficial Party) at Hole in the Wall

Godcaster at Post-Trash (Unofficial Party) at Hole in the Wall

Godcaster at Post Trash (Unofficial Party) at Hole in the Wall

Godcaster at Post-Trash (Unofficial Party) at Hole in the Wall

Godcaster at Post Trash (Unofficial Party) at Hole in the Wall

Godcaster at Post-Trash (Unofficial Party) at Hole in the Wall

Lobby Boy

Lobby Boy

Lobby Boy at CXGJ showcase

Lobby Boy at CXGJ showcase

Venus Twins

Venus Twins

Venus Twins

Venus Twins at abandoned warehouse show
Venus Twins
Lobby Boy

Softcult at In-N-Out at SXSW

Softcult at In-N-Out