Scottish bands take to the stage in Texas at SXSW 2008
18/02/2008
Six rising stars of the Scottish music scene will travel to Austin, Texas next month to perform and promote themselves to over 7000 music industry delegates from around the world at South by South West (SXSW), supported by the Scottish Arts Council.
The Scottish Arts Council has provided support for Frightened Rabbit, The Dykeenies, The Law, Our Lunar Activities, Popup and Jyrojets to attend the event, and has also provided support for Sons and Daughters to take part in a dedicated Scottish showcase.
SXSW is one of the largest music industry showcase and networking events in the world, featuring hundreds of showcases from artists and bands from around the globe performing on over 50 stages in Austin. A range of workshops, panel discussions with acclaimed industry speakers and an international trade fair also take place as part of the event.
Showcasing Scotland, presented by the Scottish Arts Council, Highland and Islands Enterprise and GoEvents, in association with DF Concerts and PCL promotions will take place on Friday 14 March in the heart of the Warehouse District in Austin, with BBC Radio Scotland DJ Vic Galloway on compere duties. The line up features Sons and Daughters, Frightened Rabbit, The Dykeenies, Our Lunar Activities and Jyrojets, joined by Make Model who have received support from their record label to attend the event.
The Scottish Arts Council will also form part of a coordinated UK presence at a dedicated venue in Austin - the British Music Embassy, to help promote Scottish music to an international delegate audience.
This is the fifth year that the Scottish Arts Council has provided support for up and coming Scottish bands to attend SXSW. Since 2004 the organisation has supported over 50 bands to showcase at the event at a crucial point in their musical careers, including Franz Ferdinand and the Delgados.
As a result of last year’s Scottish Arts Council supported presence at SXSW, The Cinematics secured a tour with top New York based band The Bravery, Errors were invited to play at Primavera Sound 07, Benecassim, Vice Saves Ibiza, Global Gathering, Creamfields and Tales of The Jackalope, Emma Pollock secured two New York shows and The Twilight Sad boosted their profile which led to critical acclaim for their debut album released in April 2007.
Commenting on this year’s SXSW Ian Smith, Head of Music at the Scottish Arts Council said: ‘SXSW has become a regular feature for the Scottish Arts Council and this year we maintain our commitment to ensure that the bands selected from Scotland will be able to maximise every opportunity that the world’s greatest showcase event for contemporary pop/rock music represents.’
Notes to editors
- The Scottish Arts Council is a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) which was established by Royal Charter in 1994 and is also a Lottery distributor. The organisation serves the people of Scotland by fostering arts of excellence through investment, development, research and advocacy. Our corporate aims are: to support artists to fulfil their creative and business potential; to increase participation in the arts; and to place the arts, culture and creativity at the heart of learning. We invest £60m each year, including £15 million of National Lottery funding. For more information visit: http://www.scottisharts.org.uk/
- SXSW 2008 runs from 7 – 16 March. For more information visit: www.sxsw.com
- Showcase Scotland will take place on Friday 14 March at 2:45pm at Latitude 30°, 512 San Jacinto Blvd, Austin, Texas.
- For more information on the bands visit:
Contact email(s)
media.office@scottisharts.org.uk
Issued by: Scottish Arts Council
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