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SXSW: Thousands of gigs later, fest is a wrap

Mike Snider
USA TODAY
Stromae on stage during NPR Music Presents SXSW Showcase at Stubb’s.

AUSTIN — Over the last week here, more than 2,200 bands and artists performed more than 3,000 gigs in music halls, bars and even hotel lobbies.

And that's just the official number from South By Southwest. Unofficial performances throughout the city numbered in the hundreds more.

While most of the acts were up-and-coming and lesser-known, big names such as Iggy Azalea and Miley Cyrus made surprise appearances. As the week came to an end, lingering rain showers dampened outdoor venues, too.

Snapshots from a week of music:

• Nashville band Pujol rocked the late shift Saturday night at Red Eyed Fly, taking the indoor stage at midnight. They broke out a rock version of Drunk in Love and new song Circle that suggested to the standing listeners that it may have "been a real bad day, but I can turn it around."

Rock band Pujol plays the Red Eyed Fly in Austin during South By Southwest on March 21, 2015.

• South Korean punk rock godfathers No Brain were among the last performers inside the Austin Convention Center on Saturday. Lead singer Bulldaegal took seriously his job of inciting a sluggish 1 p.m. crowd, telling them their first attempt at cheering didn't match the band's previous South By Southwest audiences.

Their furious set paid homage to The Ramones and The Clash with short, straight-ahead rock songs and a dalliance with reggae. Drummer Hyoonga took the microphone to sing a song devoted to soju, a Korean alcoholic beverage. A cover of Social Distortion's Bad Luck broke down any language barriers.

South Korean punk rockers No Brain held down Saturday at South By Southwest.

• Australian mood rockers The Church performed a short set Friday night at Buffalo Billiards, but apparently the logistics weren't to singer Steve Kilbey's liking. "We're so pressed for time, we have no time for my hilarious stage banter, so we are just going to press on with our songs," he said. The set ended with a clamorous crescendo that felt as if the band was trying to make the room spontaneously combust.

Australian rock band The Church performs Friday night at Buffalo Billiards.

• Brazilian band Call Me Lolla faced logistical issues, too, but delivered a tidy performance of laidback folk Friday during happy hour while competing with the NCAA men's basketball broadcasts in the Hilton Austin's Liberty Tavern. Frontwoman Brenda Mayer's vocals recalled those of Edie Brickell.

• Thursday night at the Midcoast Takeover, an unofficial showcase of Kansas City area bands, provided a wide swath of rock: power punk from The Bad Ideas, Primus-y dark grunge from The Medicine Theory (a two-piece joined by a cellist) and theatrical indie rockers Me Like Bees.

The Architects command the stage at Midcoast Takeover during South By Southwest in Austin.

A late addition to the bill, Austin-based Sphynx, had listeners dancing to its glam pop. Hard rockers The Architects, the last band of the night, tossed in a rendition of The Clash's Bankrobber.

• NPR Music's showcase Wednesday night at Stubb's BBQ had talent to satisfy nearly any musical palate. Rapper Boogie kicked the show off with a lyrical set that would surely test radio censors. Las Vegas native Shamir then mashed up pop and disco to catchy effect.

Next up, Courtney Barnett, an Australian singer/songwriter, brought some loud crunchy power pop. Belgium singer Stromae connected with danceable pop music sung mostly in French. Closing band TV on the Radio segued from straight-ahead to synth-driven rock.

• Loud electropop band Passion Pit helped unofficially kick off the musical segment of South By Southwest Tuesday night in the Fader Fort. Their performance was the first concert live streamed in 4K online and throughout Austin on ultrahigh-definition displays. Later that night, Austin native Gary Clark Jr. closed out the He^rd/PayPal SXSW Music Tech Mashup with a blistering blues-rock set at the Empire Control Room & Garage.

• After earlier appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live, which sets up residence here for a week during the festival, Brad Paisley played an energetic late-night set Monday in the Samsung Lounge. Kimmel took the stage with a harmonica to duet with Paisley on a cover of Huey Lewis and the News' I Want a New Drug.

Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider

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