SXSW 2008: The Full Recap
The 2008 edition of South By Southwest has now come and gone. From the R.E.M. appearance and
Vampire Weekend hoopla to the debut of She & Him and the new N.E.R.D. songs, SXSW 2008 truly offered something for everybody. It certainly was one for the ages.
Were you in Austin and missed something? Didn’t go at all and want to see some of this year’s highlights? No problem. We got you covered. Welcome to Consequence of Sound’s SXSW 2008 recap.
South by Southwest…this was your festival.
The Legends:
R.E.M. were at Stubb’s on the opening night of SXSW and debuted some of their new material:
The Contra Costa Rica Times has the setlist and a review. You can hear the complete recording of the concert via NPR.org.
Lou Reed delivered the keynote speech and was honored by a tribute:
He played with Moby…
And got to watch Yo Lo Tengo…
More on Aquarium Drunkard. Reed also revealed his favorite band - Holy Fuck.
Billy Bragg debuted material off his new album Mr. Love and Justice, honored The Clash, and was joined on stage by Kate Nash:
He also performed with Tom Morello and Serj Tankian to celebrate the soundtrack for the new documentary Body of War….
Carbon/Silicon performed at various showcases throughout the week:
Thurston Moore:
He also gave a speech during the conference.
Van Morrison performed at SXSW’s first official showcase:
More on Wayward Blog and in The Mercury News.
The Fan Favorites:
The Breeders previewed new material and appeared at KLRU Studios:
My Morning Jacket “heated up” SXSW:
You can stream their entire show at Stubb’s via NPR.org.
Jim James also performed a solo set with M. Ward…
Yo La Tengo:
You can stream their entire show at Stubb’s via NPR.org.
N.E.R.D. debuted new songs:
The atmosphere was like an “aggressive rock show, complete with guitar solos and Williams calling for mosh pits.” More videos on AOL.com.
The Kills:
Simian Mobile Disco:
They also did a DJ set.
The Cribs played their biggest SXSW show ever:
Okkervil River:
The Raveonettes:
More on MPR.org…
Tapes ‘n Tapes:
They were also interviewed by KEXP and Spin Magazine.
Dead Confederate opened for R.E.M.:
You can stream their Stubb’s show via NPR.org.
British Sea Power:
Pictures on Ugo.com and exclusive video on Brightcove.
Justice were at the Playboy party:
The New Kids:
Vampire Weekend dazzled SXSW:
You can stream their entire show at Parish via NPR.org. Also check out reviews from both their first and last shows of the weekend…
MGMT won over some new fans:
They were also interviewed by the BBC and watched by The Wombats and Kings of Leon.
Ra Ra Riot:
…and treated crowds to album teasers…
She & Him “fried on the pavement”:
Peter Morén of Peter, Bjorn and John performed everywhere:
He also performed exclusively for Spin.
Spank Rock:
They also hung out with Diplo and Kid Sister and invited the crowd on stage. More pictures on Prefix.
Why?:
Lightspeed Champion rocked some “geek fashion”:
More on Subterranean…
Other videos:
- Los Campesinos!
- Robyn
- Blitzen Trapper
- The Donnas
- Yeasayer
- BBC Introducing…
- Rachel Ray interviewed about SXSW
- Five Questions…
- Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg
Recaps:
- The Rolling Stone
- Spin Magazine
- Pitchfork
- Club.Kingsnake
- DoneWaiting.com
- SXSW 2009: March 13-22, 2009
- Austinist: SXSW
- 2008 SXSW Live Music Downloads & Streams
- Montreal bands at SXSW
- Infographic timeline
- Yewknee
- Perez Hilton saves the music industry…
Reviews:
Got a link or video? Post it in the comments and we’ll add it to the recap…
Also look for our review of SXSW 2008 later today…





















Looks like you guys had a great time at SXSW. I enjoyed the hell out of our Playboy event. Glad you (hopefully) got a kick out of my video of Justice.
Mar 18th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
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