Best Bands at SXSW 2024

OK, put this in the category of “Better Late Than Never”. The good people at SXSW Command Central are already gearing up for SXSW 2025, collecting applications for showcase slots from prospective bands.SXSW 2024 was a bit of a mess, and frankly I’ve been too ticked off to give credit where it’s due: to the bands who actually showed up, played great music, and gave us plenty of tremendous entertainment.As to all the bands who boycotted SXSX 2024 to make their political statements and fouled up everybody’s show schedule, you blew a wonderful opportunity to get in front of thousands of live music fans who came a long way to see you perform.But enough of my grousing. As usual, SXSW was loaded with talent, with hundreds if not thousands of bands from all over the world, across widely different genres.Before the festival, I scoured the entire Official SXSW 2024 Playlist to sort out the bands that most interested me. Over six days, I checked out some 40–50 shows. Some bands were worth seeing twice, so I did.Here are my favorite bands from this year’s performances.Press enter or click to view image in full sizeKing NunKing Nun was the single best thing to hit the venues of SXSW. Their ener...