If you’ve been following the previous South By Southwest (SXSW) 2014 announcements, you’ll already know that a strong contingent of Aussie bands are set to represent their country at one of the world’s biggest and most influential music events.
What you might not know however, is that the forthcoming edition of the annual industry conference will see a record-breaking number of music wonders from Down Under hitting Austin, Texas.
The list of Aussie artists headed to SXSW 2014, taking place from Tuesday 11th March to Sunday 16th March, has swelled to a rank of 55 acts, which includes an impressive list that includes UK-cracking singer-songwriter Vance Joy, Sydney’s award-winning The Preatures, and even a healthy selection of Triple J Next Crop 2014 picks.
“It’s a record number of Australian homegrown talent at SXSW and the most Australian artists in the US at any one time in history,” said SXSW’s Aussie ambassador Phil Tripp in a press statement issued today.
“We have so many bands because Australian music is performance-based live at the crash barriers, not cloned in auto-tune studio cubicles,” adds Tripp, who also represents New Zealand and Hawaii. “It’s a record number of Australian homegrown talent at SXSW and the most Australian artists in the US at any one time in history.”
By comparison, the 55 bands at this year’s gathering is ten times that of the five Aussie acts that first appeared at SXSW back in 2002. More than 10 years on, the list of break-out Aussie success stories that have passed through the industry conference includes the likes of Chet Faker, Big Scary, Flume, San Cisco, The Rubens, and Gold Fields.
“SXSW has been the catalyst for this Australian Invasion of talent for over a decade of momentum and we’re ready to explode in 2014,” says Tripp.
Over 220 Australian bands had applied to play at SXSW 2014, while there were over 7,500 applications worldwide, leading to the current 55 Aussie acts that have confirmed contracts to perform at this year’s showcases. Plus, there’s more to come as six more invited artists are yet to confirm their place among a touted 2,000 performers gracing over 100 stages.
As for those already confirmed to hit Austin, Texas, the first SXSW 2014 lineup announcement confirmed the likes of Vance Joy and Money For Rope, a second added Boy & Bear, The Growl, and Gossling before another batch earlier this month included The Preatures, Angus And Julia Stone, Miami Horror, Owl Eyes, DZ Deathrays, and more. (View the full list below).
The SXSW infiltration can be viewed in tandem with a much larger invasion of bands capitalising on the success of making major in-roads overseas in 2013, even cracking taste-making yeard-end lists, the blogosphere, overseas media and radio, and even the Grammys.
A number of local bands are also invading big-name international festival lineups, including the massive Coachella 2014 bill and Firefly Music Festival, each featuring familiar Aussie heroes like Courtney Barnett, Jagwar Ma, Flume, The Preatures, Empire Of The Sun, Vance Joy, and more.
As well as hosting a huge selection of live music, SXSW also offers a range of invaluable information and sources through its many talks, panels, and seminars (view in full here). This year’s keynote addresses (following in the footsteps of a killer presentation from Dave Grohl last year ) will feature rap mogul P.Diddy, legendary post-punks Blondie, funk-father George Clinton, hip hop hero Nas, and more to be announced.
For conference registrations and further info, hit up http://www.sxsw.com
SXSW 2014
March 7th – 16th, 2014
Austin, Texas
Music, Film, Interactive Conference
http://www.sxsw.com
SXSW 2014 Australian Lineup
Angus and Julia Stone
Boy and Bear
Chela
Cooper
Dirty South
Dog Trumpet
Dub Fx
Dune Rats
DZ Deathrays
Favored Nations
Gang of Youths
George Maple
Glass Towers
Gossling
High Highs
High Tension
Indian Summer
Jonti
Josef Salvat
Jungle Giants
Kid Mac
King Parrot
Kirin J Callinan
KLP
Lime Cordiale
Mia Dyson
Miami Horror
Money For Rope
Mt Warning
Oh Mercy
Owl Eyes
Panama
Peking Duk
People of Letters
Reptiles
RÜFÜS DU SOL
Seekae
Sheppard
Strange Talk
The Chevelles
The Creases
The Delta Riggs
The Griswolds
The Growl
The John Steel Singers
The Kite String Tangle
The Preatures
The Swiss
Thief
Touch Sensitive
Vance Joy
Vancouver Sleep Clinic
Wave Racer
Wax Motif
What So Not
