SXSW 2010: Surfer Blood @ The Mohawk–3-20-10
Surfer Blood
It seemed like everywhere you went, Surfer Blood was playing a show. The Floridians managed to cram ten shows into four days, but even though their set at the Mohawk on Saturday night was their last for SXSW, they still performed like it was their first. The band already has something of a hit single out called “Swim,” and most of the crowd in attendance was ready to sing along to its anthemic chorus. The band made them wait through forty minutes worth of tight power pop, but it hardly felt like a wait: Each song was catchier than the last, full of guitar solos and brilliant melodic hooks that would make the late Alex Chilton proud. Despite their obvious youth (most of the band members were sporting x’s on their hands), Surfer Blood worked the room like expert professionals. The crowd erupted with the first chugging chords of “Swim,” but were forced to wait a bit longer as the band stopped mid-song to replace a broken string. Finally, “Swim” blasted off, ending a young band’s chaotic week that has put the name Surfer Blood on everybody’s lips.
-Art Levy
