The music portion of SXSW 2018 is about to commence, so we’re looking ahead to the fest to signal out the acts we’re most excited to see perform. The iconic festival has earned its pedigree year-after-year thanks to their continuous effort to connect fans with music from all over the world while offering its hometown’s stages to artists from all levels of fame, providing an experience that is pretty unique to ATX that keeps us making an annual pilgrimage.
Naturally, we looked up and down this year’s roster and picked out the artists that will make us run around the Texas capital to catch their live set. From seasoned vets, to up-and-comers, to some new faces, these 12 artists are pretty much a guarantee to get you to follow their music more intently and seeing them play live will leave you wanting more.
Check out our list and find out who we’re trying to see at SXSW 2018.
A. Chal
A.Chal has been on our radar since 2016 and with his recent signing to Epic Records, the sky is the limit for the Peruvian singer-songwriter. He currently has two solid projects under his belt and we’re sure we can expect a lot more from him in the very near future.
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Ace Tee
90s nostalgia has kicked into full swing lately as a new generation starts looking back at the days of old with fresh new eyes, and since we grew up back in those days, you already know we’re down with it. Our first glimpse at Ace Tee came via an October 2017 South-by lineup announcement that put her right at the beginning of the list, since then we have heard her music that revives R&B and Hip Hop from that era and it makes the 90s as fly as ever. If you’re like us, seeing her latest video will make you imagine the dope vibes that will fill whatever venue she’s performing at down at ATX.
Adrian Daniel
Brooklyn native Adrian Daniel just released his debut album, Flawd, last week. He is also listed as one of the Top 100 artists to see at SXSW by NPR, so there is plenty of hype surrounding his performances next week.
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Albert Hammond Jr
Perhaps best known as The Strokes’ guitarist, AHJ’s actually racked up quite the solo catalog that has allowed him to shine all on his own accord. Fresh off the release of his new album Francis Trouble, Albert Hammond Jr’s set will expand to include new jams like “Muted Beatings” and “Far Away Truths” that will set perfectly mixed-in with fan-favorites like “In Transit” and “Born Slippy.”
The Britanys
The beauty about writing this kind of article is that we get compelled to look beyond the music we know and love and try out artists that make up the massive lineup. Upon that exploration, we came across The Britanys, a New York band that seems to have been heavily influenced by The Strokes and the Rock revival they ushered in. They also sort of sound like early Arctic Monkeys, which is quite the combo. If they’re playing in some dingy bar on 6th St., best believe we’ll try to be there.
Cloves
The Australian singer-songwriter is making her way to Austin for this years SXSW and her powerful voice will be sure to impress many crowds. We were first introduced to Cloves with the release of “Don’t Forget About Me” and “Better Now.” She has since released more solid records and we’re hoping we get an EP or LP soon.
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Demo Taped
Demo Taped just released a brand new EP titled Momentary a few weeks back and we are very excited to see it come to life at one of his showcases down in Austin. The 300 Ent artist and Atlanta native is poised to make a lot of new fans at SXSW.
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Knox Fortune
Knox Fortune may well be one of the dopest acts coming up these days from the booming Chicago scene. You may recognize his work most prominently thanks to his brilliant production of Chance The Rapper’s “All Night” or Joey Purp’s “Girls@,” but it’s his debut solo effort that’s turning heads these days. We saw Fortune’s show in Chicago in support of Paradise, and it was without a doubt one of the most fun shows we checked out in 2017 (and, trust us, we stay at shows).
HINDS
HINDS are part of a wave of bands that operate with that old-school spirit of Rock & Roll, which makes them a hell of a fun act to see live. If you like you some jangly guitars paired with choruses that will make you wild out frenetically, this is the band for you. This Spanish band also has a Chicago connection, thanks to a budding friendship with hometown heroes Twin Peaks that resulted in a number of playing live together as well as a tour last year.
Moon Taxi
The Nashville band was just announced as a performing act at The Roots’ annual Bud Light x The Roots & Friends Jam at Fair Market next Saturday (3/16). We didn’t get to catch the band perform at their recent Chicago area show last month, so we will be in attendance for this showcase.
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Mt. Joy
Fresh off of the release of their self-titled debut album, Mt. Joy are also slated to make a big splash at SXSW with a total of 8 performances at the fest. We’ll definitely be checking out a few of those sets.
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Smino
2017 was a hell of a year for Smino, but this St. Louis product broke out of the Chicago music scene in a major thanks to his debut blkswn. The Zero Fatigue member has remained busy since then with a tour supporting SZA, collabing with idol T-Pain, and steadily releasing new tunes we rock with. Smino has been cooking in Brazil and Jamaica, so if we’re lucky, SXSW may well be among the first fans to hear his latest gems.
