SXSW 2006 Bonus Coverage 3: Ours Electrify Saturday Night

03/22/06 10:51am

by Karen Pace (CHARTattack)

Former Chartattack News Editor, Karen Pace travelled to Austin TX, to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the venerable music festival. Here's her report on her Saturday activities.

Saturday night's showcases began with the only gig I attended where you could actually hear a pin drop. The rapt but tiny audience of 20 were mesmerized by local flamenco guitarist and Spanish dancer Teye and Belen as a last-minute fill-in for a band that didn't show up. Somehow, this handful of fans found out and came to support the couple in a respectful, attentive way. That was in contrast to all of the other gigs I went to, which were overshadowed by a constant roar from the back of the room of industry types and drunken college students who couldn't have cared less who was on stage.

The Duke Spirit didn't live up to my expectations, as they were my pick of SXSW last year, but fell short this time due to a terrible PA system and a lack of good songs. I thought they'd make a big dent in the past year and they haven't managed to do so. Luke Doucet and his lady friend won't agree with me, I'm sure, as they stood in front of me dancing up a storm and singing along to every song in obvious and palpable rapture.

Another reason that South By does it better is the sheer volume of bands that they bring in. Everyone can find both their favourite acts and great new talent. My travel buddy Lori said that she can die happy now that she finally caught Dead Boy & The Elephant Man here this year. She also said that The Datsuns were as awesome as usual, even though she's seen them 100 times.

For me, being five feet away from Ian McCulloch was only topped three nights later on the very same Guerrero Warehouse stage by being five feet away from another of my favourite singers, Jimmy Gnecco, in his first full-band performance with Ours in almost two years. New drummer Zambia Greene made his debut appearance in a 3 a.m. set filled with all new material. For such a late-night show, following the stunningly animated and danceable beats of Sweden's The Sounds, it was melancholy and dark at perhaps the wrong time in the night, but Gnecco's voice won over new fans around us who marvelled at his range — which went from belting to breathy, often in the same song. It was a welcome and hypnotic capper to an incredible four days and nights of music.