SXSW 2013: All hands up for Kendrick Lamar and Solange, Metz’ beautiful mess and other savagery

Kevin Bronson on March 16th, 2013

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@KRBronson on Friday at SXSW:

SPIN may no longer be a print publication, but they still know how to throw one heck of a party. And if the outlet keeps booking acts like Kenrick Lamar and Solange for their annual South by Southwest event, they may want to solicit deodorant companies as sponsors.

“All hands up,” Solange Knowles asked during her half-hour turn on the outdoor stage at Stubb’s BBQ in Austin. “Put your hands up,” Lamar demanded during his set. The crowd happily obeyed. Solange’s cooing electro-soul carried over the place like the afternoon breeze, the pretty-in-pink singer making nice with the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd up front. Lamar’s turn was a loose affair – the Compton rapper has had a monster run, thanks to his album “Good Kid m.A.A.d City,” and he immediately separated the latecomers from his true devotees: “How many people have been listening to my music from Day 1?” (Quite a few in the crowd copped to it, and showed it by rapping along with him.) He briefly recalled an appearance at SXSW 2008 while getting plenty of crowd participation in songs such as “Money Trees,” “Backseat Freestyle,” “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe,” “Poetic Justice” and “m.a.a.d. city.” Not a bottle of PatrÃ³n in sight, though.

Also notable …

You want to fall back on the well-worn phrase “unholy racket” when talking about the music of Metz, but actually it’s very holy if you abide the gospel of the Pixies and the Jesus Lizard and similar disciples of dissonance and chaos. The Toronto trio’s set at the Filter party at Bar 96 threatened to incite something more than a party early on – singer-guitarist Alex Edkins warned folks in the middle that they should “be nice to each other.” And then he, bassist Chris Slorach and drummer Hayden Menzies proceeded to serve up 30 minutes of hardcore that was quite naughty to the ears. You didn’t have to go very far in the crowd to spot other SXSW musicians looking on in awe, particularly of Menzies. He’s just plain thunder.

And even more savagery

A little bit sexy, a little bit psychotic, London four-piece Savages delivered a set that was heavy on the urgency but a little short on variety at Club Deville. Faithful to the U.K.’s post-punk roots, the all-female quartet of Jehnny Beth, Ayse Hassan, Fay Milton and Gemma Thompson can brood with the best of them, and even with only the “I Am Here” live EP to their credit thus far, they bear following closely.

Locals only

This just in: Wildcat! Wildcat!’s album is almost finished (no details on its release yet); the L.A. quartet has taken to covering Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” in rather charming fashion; and people danced to “Mr. Quiche” at the Rachael Ray party on Friday night at Bangers.

This just in: Teenage terror Chloe Chaidez still vamps like a pole dancer and is guaranteed to climb atop a speaker or amp at lest once during every Kitten set; her young band has become lights-out good live; and the crowd at the outdoor Sonos Studio stage on Friday couldn’t get enough.