The Agit Reader • SXSW10

Thursday March 18, 2010 at 5:30 pm

The Shattered Records family show at Beerland has been highly entertaining. Cheap Time is currently laying waste to the place, kicking out rapid fire precision garage punk jams. The trio has an infectious energy that helps it to rise above those who toil in the same rock vineyard. The female-fronted River City Tanlines preceded Cheap Time and impressed with their solid, straightforward brand of punk that sometimes has a harder edge to it.

The French Legation Museum was packed earlier, probably mostly on account of the free Magic Hat beer. The primary target for me was Zola Jesus, who has gotten a fair amount of deserved praise on this site. Now supplemented with three synth players, Ms. Zola’s industrial pop was fantastic. The expanded backing group allowed her to focus more on the delivery of her powerful vocals, and by the end of the set she was nearly blowing out the PA speakers. I’m gonna do my best to catch her again.

Before that was the Antlers, whose anthemic rock went over well with the crowd, but didn’t really inspire me this afternoon.