One of the hot new bands on my SXSW hit-list this year was most definitely Sykes. We’ve been captivated by their upbeat pop/rock sounds with a hint of electronica throughout their releases with Draper on “Ready For Us” and single “Chances” after proclaiming them as emerging artists to be on look out for.
Sykes opened the SXSW Music Festival for us this year as they played the first night at ScratcHouse, right before Draper’s 1am set to a venue heaving with patrons constantly coming and going for the great line-up of international artists that were programmed onto the schedule that evening. It was the first time I’ve seen Sykes live and I was rather impressed with the band’s energetic performance. Their sheer passion and excitement of the band on stage oozed seamlessly out into the crowd as all were bouncing, arms in the air, full of music joy.
What impressed me most with Sykes was lead singer Julia who somehow manages to take on lead vocal, keys and guitar duty all in one go. The show moves so fast and for me, I was transfixed on how effortlessly she makes it all look. If only I had the spunk and energy of her youth.
All in all, I fucking enjoyed seeing Sykes live at SXSW this year. I urge you all to check them out too once they hit your local hot spot and we’ll continue to cover their every musical move here at EQ Music.