Well, when you find yourself not personally attending SXSW, you tend to shy away from looking too closely at who is playing for fear of what you are missing! Our correspondents Jim & Sandra will be there and will hopefully be sending us all some reports from the frontline in Austin.
In the meantime, if you are there, you might like to catch .......
Angel Olsen (really original singer/songwriter)
Arc Iris (Low Anthem's lady returns)
The Darcys (Canadian Indie crew with great new album)
Eagulls (Noisy guys from Leeds with bags of energy)
The Ghost of the Saber Tooth Tiger (A must see, Sean Lennon and Charlotte Kemp Muhl)
Hurray For The Riff Raff (Just real Americana)
Jamestown Revival (Our next Jayhawks)
Lydia Loveless (Lucinda Williams is at SXSW as well)
Quilt (Sweet gentle sounds, you will love these guys)
Speedy Ortiz (Energy fuelled band)
Sturgill Simpson (New Loose Music Country Star)
Traams (Sonic rockers)
Temples (Psychedelic Wonderkids)
Thumpers (Alive with a myirad of sound)
Wye Oak (Superb sonic rocking duo back with a new album in tow)
and then Jim thought, I must see these guys;
Honeyblood, Preatures, Arthur Beatrice, Wolf Alice, Syd Arthur, Julian Casablancas, Polica, Jungle, Slaves, Glass Animals, Wild Cub, Chloe Howl, Dune Rats, Mutual Benefit, San Fermin, Wytches, Hold Steady, Temples, Ballet School, Lawrence Rothman, St Vincent, Damon Albarn, St Paul and the Broken Bones, Benjamin Booker, Yellow Ostrich, Slow Club, Gardens & Villas, Cloud Nothings, Magic Man, Great Good Fine Ok, Strypes, Phantogram,September girls, Summer Twins, Naïve Thieves, Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Dum Dum Girls, Papa, Avid Dancer, Fresh and Only, Desert Noises, Ballroom Thieves, Sister Sparrow, Shakey Graves and Cody Chesnutt..
Have a great time in Austin folks!