The Thermals hands down “won SXSW”, if you must. They were easily my favorite set out of the countless number of shows and bands that I saw while in Austin for SXSW. They aren’t a new band, and there was no buzz to their show. They won me over because they came out and just fucking killed it.
I have been trying to see The Thermals live for nearly 7 years now, and somehow it took me coming to Austin to see them. Shame on me, I know, but hey, I made it. The show was running late and their set got cut short, but the band gave every second of every minute of the show everything that they got. During “Here’s Your Future” guitarist/singer Hutch Harris jumped into the crowd, and then the next thing you knew drummer Westin Glass stage dove into the crowd and was then hanging onto the arms of the enthused fans.
They gave us all the goods with absolutely brilliant energetic versions of their classics “Here’s Your Future”, “A Pillar of Salt”. As a guitar-bass-drums 3-piece, they aren’t the flashiest band. But holy hell, they give every ounce of energy they have into their performances and I couldn’t help but get lost in it.
The set may not have lasted more than 20-25 minutes, but it was my favorite set of the entire week. It also is one of the best performances I have seen so far this year.
I ran into Westin while getting some navajo tacos and he told me the band will be back in NYC sometime in May. You can bet I will be there. Can’t wait.
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