Cibo Matto, Asian Dub Foundation, Bellatrix Highlight Saturday's SXSW

22 Mar 1999 07:55:00 EST

Bellatrix

Even though events carry on through to Sunday evening here in Austin, for most people Saturday represented the conclusion of SXSW '99.

Things got going early in the afternoon with a Sugar Free Records showcase highlighted by the much talked about band Beulah. Later, the SXSW Film Festival crossed paths with the music conference with the premiere of film/video director Grant Gee's Radiohead feature, "Meeting People Is Easy," a visually stunning work that takes the viewer into the world of Radiohead on tour.

Early in the evening, Ireland's Nina Hynes performed a lush arrangement of songs that showcased her tender vocals, evoking comparisons to Harriet Wheeler of The Sundays. A show co-headlined by the highly anticipated Asian Dub Foundation and Ben Lee kicked the night up a notch. Asian Dub Foundation threw down a uniquely political mix of hip hop, dub, and drum 'n bass. Ben Lee followed, flanked on stage by two bouncy girls on keyboards. New material from his recent Grand Royal release was impassioned yet still clutching tightly to a lo-fi aesthetic.

Across town, Cibo Matto debuted material from an album due out in early June. A highlight of their show was "Sci-Fi Wasabi," where the crowd did a little swaying two-step on command as the hook of the chorus reeled them in.

Despite a raft of technical problems at the outset which drove these otherwise sweet Icelandic girls into a profanity-riddled tete-a-tete with the sound engineer, Bellatrix pulled off what was probably the diamond in the rough performance of the conference. The voice of lead singer Eliza begged the listener to wonder if all Icelandic girls are blessed with the beautifully warbling quality that has endeared Bjork to the world. A blend of live and looped drums, jangly guitars, synthesizers, driving bass lines, and raw bursts of violin were wrapped neatly in a stunning package.

A number of unsanctioned after-hours parties drove people crazy trying to secure invites, the biggest of which was "Spin" magazine's party featuring Built To Spill, the Flaming Lips, and Juan Atkins. Built To Spill's Doug Martsch put his fine lyrics on display as the band pulled out a number of gems mainly from "Perfect From Now On" and "Keep it Like a Secret."

For many, this year's SXSW was a throwback to the conference's original intent of showcasing a good number of unsigned and independent artists while mixing in a handful of established acts.

Now we will have to wait and see what is in store for the year 2000. Oh, and by the way, most people never did get their hands on a Tom Waits ticket.

Related Artists

Asian Dub Foundation Incite Listeners To Take Action

18 Nov 1998 04:30:00 EST

Asian Dub Foundation Live "Naxalite"

One of the more outspoken groups at CMJ Music Marathon this year was Asian Dub Foundation. Since 1993 -- when this quintet was formed by a group of teachers and students from a British community music education center -- ADF has been making politically and socially conscious sounds. Using a mixture of beats, ragga, rock, rhymes and more, they create high energy music which encompasses both a punk ethos and a jungle vibe.

One of their more notable new tracks, "Free Satpal Ram," is about an Asian man jailed in Britain for a self-defense killing.

ADF's Chandrasonic told MTV News, "In Britain the track, 'Free Satpal Ram,' has brought us to a lot of people's attention, because people actually found it refreshing that there was a record which was actually connected to something that did encourage them to get involved, to get outraged at the behavior of the police." [28.8 RealVideo]

ADF is planning to tour early next year, in the meantime their latest album, "Rafi's Revenge," is out now.

Related Artists

Asian Dub Foundation