Cloud Sounds #8: Don't Mess With Texas

In honour of the start of the South By SouthWest Festival (SXSW), which begins tomorrow in Austin, Texas, we've curated an hour of tracks from some of our favourite bands attending this year's showcase. Now in its 26th year, the event welcomes a whopping 2,500 bands in total, all hoping to wow the crowds, and perhaps make their bones. We've got a selection of sounds from the Scottish contingent making their way across to Austin this year, including Young Fathers, Honeyblood, Rustie and Casual Sex, as well as Stones Throw heavyweight Jonwayne, and Leeds rockers Eagulls.

We spoke exclusively to Young Fathers' 'G' Hastings about the band's SXSW history – remembering their 2013 visit, G describes a strange encounter in the desert: "Last year we went out in the sticks in Texas and met a cowboy in all white, including the hat. We spoke to him outside a barn with the confederate flag hanging outside," he reports. For G, Texas is all about the "rattlesnakes and good lemonade," and he is looking forward to playing SXSW after an acclaimed tour back home and in Europe.

"We've been happy to see people moving," he says. "To see people with a bit of soul turn up, all different folk. Last night it was 20 minutes before the crowd gave up on an encore. It's good to see the trendy lots squirm cos they don't understand even though they want to. So in America we just want more of the same." Asked if he has any feelings about appearing on this year's bill alongside major label headliners like Coldplay, Pitbull and Imagine Dragons, G remains a consummate professional: "We don't feel a thing," he says. Just give us the stage and we will do a job only we can do."

Asked if there's anyone he and his bandmates are looking forward to seeing at the festival, G says: "I haven't seen the lineup. We missed everyone last time. Iggy Pop was on at same time as us on a stage next door. In between songs I could hear him through the wall so we turned us up so he could hear us when he stopped." The Skinny wishes Young Fathers and all the Scottish bands playing at SXSW this year the very best of luck!

Our playlist kicks off with tracks from the delightful Honeyblood, the ever-reliable Rustie and legends-in-the-making Young Fathers, before moving on to check out hotly-tipped synth-pop trio Prides, a cheeky little vintage from post-punk nutters Casual Sex, the latest single from acclaimed singer-songwriter Withered Hand, and a searing slice of indie rock from Glasgow's Holy Esque. 

Next up, there's a slice of classical-meets-Celtic loveliness from Cairn String Quartet, a live track from We Were Promised Jetpacks, actual honest-to-goodness bagpipes from Saor Patrol, and a slice of elegant melancholy from Edinburgh's Meursault. To finish up, we sample a slice of artful fuzz-grunge from Pontiak, a track from Stones Throw's Jonwayne, psych-rock goodness from NYC's The Black Angels, and end on a storming Killing Joke cover by those unstoppable Eagulls.

We're off to this year's event to catch some bands, drink some tequila, and eat some improbably large steaks – we'll have an account of the Austin experience and a few video exclusives from the event for you in the weeks to come. Keep track of the latest SxSW chatter and drop us a line on Twitter here if you're messing with Texas. For now, kick back with the whole playlist below, and follow The Skinny on SoundCloud to keep up to date with our favourites.