Kevin Bronson on March 20th, 2011

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[Friday night is when SXSW hits you – at least if you were stupid enough to use too much fuel the first two days, which I was. So some best-laid plans went awry, I ended up straying from my usual strategy of avoiding L.A. bands in Austin and only a pep talk from a polite Canadian got me back on track:]

The Joy Formidable (Billboard Bungalow at Buffalo Billiards) – The Coachella-bound Welsh trio blasted off this week with the release of their new album “The Big Roar,” and they played Billboard’s showcase as if they were The Next Big Thing – and not just on the indie scene, where guitar-wielding women with bangs often are anointed rock queens while they’re still learning to be princesses. Frontwoman Ritzy Bryan was all wide-eyed and smiling in an I-dare-you-to-hate-this way and, with bassist Rhydian Dafydd and drummer Matt Thomas, coated the packed room in caustic but pretty guitar noise. In “The Ever Changing Spectrum of a Lie” and “The Greatest Light Is the Greatest Shade,” Bryan shared her wounded emotions with glee, as if giddy to have rolled them into a song. In the wee hours of Friday, the crowd was giddy as well.

Andy Clockwise and AM & Shawn Lee (The Ale House) – Arriving early to catch the second-ever show from new collaborators AM & Shawn Lee, we got see another sweaty installment of the Andy Clockwise road show. The roguish frontman tore through his Hotel Cafe showcase set with the sensitivity of a barroom brawler, which is part of his charm. The track “Everybody’s In a Band” (off his forthcoming “the Socialite”) rang especially true in Austin, and at the climax he grabbed a female audience member, thrust a guitar in her hand, retreated to assist on the drum kit and went nuts. Which is part of his charm. The AM & Shawn Lee set was every bit as pretty as “Dark Into Light” (which premiered here in early March). AM, the L.A.-based singer-songwriter, and Lee, the London-based electro guru, seem to have the same chemistry as another songwriter/producer collaboration, Broken Bells. The former duo’s material spans more sonic territory, though, incorporating tropical and Latin beats. An album is due in May.

Twitter: @krbronson