bad pony

​We discovered pretty quickly how hard it can be to travel with 7 people, 7 suit cases, 3 guitars, 1 key board, 1 floor Tom, 1 snare drum and a cymbal bag. Also driving for the first time on the right hand side of the road can be a bit of a team effort, make sure you have a spotter.

SXSW is a great time for hanging out with your pals and doing as much fun stuff as possible. But it can also be rad to have a bit of time to yourself, do the things you really want to do, check out the bands you’re personally digging. You’ll have time to chill, meet new people and roam the city.

Although a lot of SXSW is based around the intense and frantic night life, make sure you get out during the day to explore the city. There’s some real beauty around, awesome markets, great people and good food.

Chances are you will meet some of your idols. I was lucky enough to run into one of my favourite bands, Young the Giant, at a local American BBQ joint. Mark lost his mind meeting Dave from Gang of Youths and the guys from Phew Phew Phew.

​The best part of being in Austin were the shows. It was such an awesome thrill to play for so many people who were checking us out on a whim, or hearing us for the first time. Each show progressively got more exciting and by the end we were pretty sad to leave it all behind.