SXSW Day 1 – Royal Bangs and more

I start SXSW pretty much the same way every year – queso, margarita and music. The great Austin traditions.

I only saw one band last night but it was a group I’ve had my eyes on for a couple years – The Royal Bangs. Their songs are so varied its hard to categorize them – and not necessarily in a bad way. It all seems to work. I could throw lots of genre names around but they’re pretty much rockers (KCRW’s social media guru Betsy said she could hear some Kings of Leon in there. But much louder and more raw). The Tennessean trio thanked the audience for attending their first SXSW show of 2011, at the Thrillist party at legendary blues club Antones.

The band signed to Glassnote Records (home of Phoenix, Mumford and Sons and Two Door Cinema Club) late last year and have a new album. Flux Outside, coming out at the end of this month.

RR