Never Too Early For SXSW

By Sarah Pesin on 01/15/2009

As the New Year sets in and winter continues to rear its ugly head, the only way to get through these dark months is to look towards the future of spring, sunshine, and more importantly, South by Southwest. The wheels are already set in motion for this year's festival and the first crop of bands playing has just been announced. While the festival is still over two months away, there's no point in not getting a head start on who is worth seeing.

(left: Two months and counting.)

Of course, my list is extremely biased. Of the over one hundred and fifty acts announced, I only previewed the British bands and most female artists were ignored. If you'd like to view the acts I knowingly overlooked, a complete list can be found here.

But for now, here are my suggestions:

Cashier No.9: Hailing from Belfast, the scariest part of the UK I've ever had the pleasure of visiting, Cashier No. 9 remind me of BRMC when they went in a more southern direction.

Dananananaykroyd: Probably the hardest "word" to spell this side of banana. How many "an's" are there? This six piece from Glasgow have both male and female vocals with a mellower At the Drive In feel to their songs.

Ebony Bones!: Okay, normally this type of music would not be on my "must see" list, but there's something inherently fun about Ebony Bones! and their desire to be out there.

My Federation: Completely infectious and dancey with vocals reminiscent of The Features. One listen to "What Gods Are These" and you'll be hooked.

Nacional: They wear their influences right on their sleeves, which is okay by me when Joy Division is the most apparent one. While both the music and vocals are similar to those of Joy Division, Nacional are a lot more upbeat!

The Courteeners: They're one of the few bands to successfully merge dark vocals with dance highlights throughout their songs. Because they're opening for Morrissey during his small club tour, their time at SXSW will be cut short so make sure to catch this band while they're still in Texas.

Toy Horses: The only Welsh band to make the list, Toy Horses are adorable (much like toy horses) and make incredibly pretty, melodic music. Their music will be lovely on a hot Texas day!

White Lies: All I have to say is The Bravery + The Cinematics. I am very much looking forward to this dance party.

It looks like 2009's South by Southwest is already a force to be reckoned with. Let the countdown 'til March begin!