SXSW Music: Spin Day Party

Spin’s annual SX day party at Stubb’s seldom disappoints. Attendees have learned to count on a stacked lineup of cutting-edge acts (recall Kendrick Lamar a couple years back), carefully curated crowd favorites, and a free supply of whatever beer partner they find that year. What up, Bud Light!

Those same elements were all present and accounted for on Friday afternoon, but something about the six-hour, two-stage soirée didn’t land as well as years past. Maybe it was the clouds and occasional sky spittle, but the crowd drooped through early performances from post-punk Philly quartet Beach Slang and hardcore pop Canadian threepiece White Lung.

There were sparks from L.A. sister duo Jennifer and Jessie Clavin and their live quartet Bleached’s set, which was perhaps inevitable with all the hair-flipping and guitar shreds onstage.

Vince Staples (photo by David Brendan Hall)

Still, the crowd’s perceived lack of enthusiasm was duly noted by Long Beach rapper Vince Staples. First, he said he felt like he was performing in a museum. It was a decidedly unhyped crowd, to be sure.

“It feels like a slave auction,” he continued.

Halfway through his 30-minute set, early single “Hands Up” marked the palpable moment when the rapper completely gave up on the crowd. He could hardly be blamed.

Metal monoliths Deftones, meanwhile, had some, erm, hardcore fans in the audience, but it wasn’t until closing act Chvrches that the crowd turned on. Suddenly, chatty, listless milling about turned into a sea of writhing bodies hooked on hits such as “The Mother We Share” and “Leave a Trace.” Maybe the booze had kicked in at that point, or maybe that’s the problem with having a megaband close the show, but it’s clear who the audience actually showed up to see.