We were pretty sure that people would show up to our Thursday SXSW party because of our exclusive set by Atlas Sound, and while we were confident that we had an equally strong lineup for our Friday party (which was presented by Shure), we still weren’t certain how many fans would show up. But our immediate concern at the start of the party was whether our first artist would make it in time (if at all). Porcelain Raft (aka Italian born, London-based, Mauro Remiddi) had underestimated how far his hotel was from our venue (The Flamingo Cantina), was running late, and had a dead cell-phone and thus no way to let us know that he was indeed on his way. Thankfully the charming Remiddi arrived with a thousand apologies 10 minutes before he was scheduled to perform and because he’s a one-man band, was pretty much ready to go on time. The crowd, by the way, was as healthy in numbers as the day before, with a to-capacity venue and a line down the block most of the day.

A recap of Under the Radar‘s Thursday SXSW party, which was presented by JanSport and featured performances by Violens, The Dodos, Yuck, Sondre Lerche, Lord Huron, The Dears, and Atlas Sound (Deerhunter’s Bradford Cox).

The fourth and final day of SXSW was highlighted with euphoria, exhaustion, and more fantastic music. Is it really almost over? Have my feet finally fallen off? Did I really get that terrible sunburn? Do I have the energy to see a few more bands? (Answers: Yes. No. Sadly yes. Emphatically yes.)

As fellow writer Mike Hilleary pointed out, the ratio of sleep to bands at SXSW is somewhat skewed. This is of course, an understatement, as it seems even my dreams (whenever I close my eyes long enough to have them) have been rented out for showcases. While there’s no accounting for my subconscious booking agency (who seem intent on making it an all Twin Shadow bill), the variety of bands available to the waking world of SXSW is pretty dang impressive. After our second successful Under the Radar day party, the magazine crew opted to hop from venue to venue for the remainder of the evening, as no one showcase was strong enough to demand our full attention.

Delivering sore feet, a disproportionate amount of time being awake and actually getting to sleep, and a list of bands that requires an army of journalists to successfully navigate, Austin’s SXSW festival has hit its 25th anniversary this year.

After a long—and incredibly enjoyable—day at our first of two Under the Radar SXSW parties, the magazine trouped en mass over to Central Presbyterian Church to check out Pitchfork’s impressively stacked lineup: Glasser, Cults, tUnE-yArDs, Twin Shadow, and James Blake.

Day one of my first go-around at the bacchic excesses that is SXSW, I had a very important realization: there are a lot of people here. Bars, restaurants, clubs—basically anywhere with a door—opens to let artists perform. The streets are, to put it mildly, peopled. Intellectually, I knew this. Physically I’ve not only survived, but also enjoyed, in a variety of packed festival situations. But to borrow a parlance from my hometown of Los Angeles: dude. Here’s the kicker, even with the sea of humanity, it is still quite possible to see quality bands up close and personal. SXSW, you have my heart.