Ryan’s Punk Music Blog
SXSW 2008 – The Future Kings of Nowhere
The Flamingo Cantina is a really cool space; essentially an alley with a tin roof over it. It’s the kind of space that could only exist as a live music venue in a warm-weather town like Austin. It’s where we went for the Yarrr! PR party, and where I caught my first “Wow!” moment of SXSW with a set from The Future Kings of Nowhere.
The Future Kings of Nowhere play a sound that dabbles with all sorts of influences, ranging from influences of indie rock, emo and punk to sea shanties and drinking songs, carried by a charismatic frontman who manhandles his acoustic guitar and offers up intelligent songwriting. They teeter between indie melodies and in-your-face punchy punk – they even pulled out the occasional horn and accordion, and were joined on stage by a part of Midtown Dickens for more fun – and their whole set was a simply satisfying punk rock hoedown.
If you dig Mountain Goats, but think they would benefit from being a bit punker, that’s an apt description of Future Kings of Nowhere. They’re like a punker version of Mountain Goats, with a handful of fun little toys from 25¢ vending machines thrown in. Their album is a must-own, and you can pick it up here .
Photo © Nicole Lucas
http://punkmusic.about.com/b/2008/03/13/sxsw-2008-the-future-kings-of-nowhere.htm
