2020 was a grueling year for us all, but here in 2021, there’s at least a flicker of light at the end of the tunnel. Just take South by Southwest: Last year’s event was canceled, one of the first serious shockwaves of COVID-19’s U.S. onset, but this year’s 35th annual festival will be held online on March 16-20, 2021, and today (Jan. 26) brings the first wave of showcasing artists who’ll be performing.
Per usual, SXSW’s initial lineup features up-and-coming acts the world over; per unusual, the festival’s digital format offers attendees “the opportunity to experience tomorrow’s headliners at unique venues in the artists’ home countries through a premium viewing experience,” a press release reads.
Notable names on the slate include Montreal art-rock trio Braids, Sub Pop-signed rockers TV Priest, Oliver Ackermann’s Brooklyn-based noise-rock project A Place To Bury Strangers, Irish “puppy pop” act Pillow Queens, Busan, South Korea rockers Say Sue Me, London duo Sorry, Irish art-rocker Sinead O’Brien, English folk singer/songwriter Katy J Pearson, Pottery drummer and solo artist Paul Jacobs, London electronic trio PVA, Australia singer/songwriter Indigo Sparke and Bristol, U.K. indie-rock act Squid, to name only a handful.
SXSW 2021 will boast the festival’s usual profusion of events, despite the shift to a digital format, as the aforementioned presser details:
In addition to the Music Festival Showcases, passholders also have access to the full range of content available during SXSW Online including Conference Keynotes, Featured Speakers, Mentor Sessions, Networking Meet Ups, Film Festival Screenings, Comedy Festival Showcases, Online Exhibitions and Professional Development. Previously announced for 2021 are a Keynote by Willie Nelson and Featured Speakers including Queen Latifah, Chiquis, Mark Mothersbaugh, Wyclef Jean, Nicholas Britell, Taraji P. Henson, Barry Jenkins, Matthew McConaughey, Baratunde Thurston, Samantha Bee, Sir Richard Branson, and more.
You can stream SXSW 2021 via web, mobile and the SXSW Online Connected TV app (which is available via Apple TV, Fire TV, Roku, Samsung TV Plus and Android TV). In the meantime, you can listen to this year’s artists via SXSW’s Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube channels.
See the full initial lineup below, but first, check out Say Sue Me’s 2019 Paste session. You can find out more about SXSW 2021 on the festival’s website.
AIRY (Nowon Gu SOUTH KOREA)
Alexander Biggs (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)
Alice Skye (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)
Alien Tango (Murcia SPAIN)
Anna B Savage (London UK-ENGLAND)
A Place To Bury Strangers (Brooklyn NY)
Astrid Sonne (Copenhagen DENMARK)
Autre Monde (Dublin IRELAND)
Baby Kahlo (Baltimore MD)
Beans (Geelong AUSTRALIA)
BELAKO (Bilbao SPAIN)
Benji Wild (Cardiff UK-WALES)
Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears (Austin TX)
Blushing (Austin TX)
Braids (Montreal CANADA)
Caiine (Manchester UK-ENGLAND)
Campfire Social (Wrexham UK-WALES)
Candeleros (Madrid SPAIN)
Connie Constance (Watford UK-ENGLAND)
Dan Bettridge (Cardiff UK-WALES)
Daniel Casimir and Tess Hirst (London UK-ENGLAND)
Data Animal (Auckland NEW ZEALAND)
Dayramir Gonzalez (Hacienda Heights CA)
Death by Denim (Perth AUSTRALIA)
Didirri (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)
Dingo Bells (Porto Alegre BRAZIL)
Do Nothing (Nottingham UK-ENGLAND)
Drinking Boys and Girls Choir (Daegu SOUTH KOREA)
Ego Ella May (London UK-ENGLAND)
El Shirota (Mexico City MEXICO)
Enno Cheng (Taipei City TAIWAN)
Enola Gay (Belfast IRELAND)
Family Jools (Bristol UK-ENGLAND)
Fire EX. (Kaohsiung TAIWAN)
Francisca Valenzuela (Santiago CHILE)
Golden Dawn Arkestra (Austin TX)
Grrrl Gang (Yogyakarta INDONESIA)
HAEPAARY (Seoul SOUTH KOREA)
Hazy Sour Cherry (Tokyo JAPAN)
Holy Fuck (Toronto CANADA)
Indigo Sparke (Byron Bay AUSTRALIA)
Jealous (Berlin GERMANY)
Jekyll (Blackpool UK-ENGLAND)
Kalpee (Chaguanas TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO)
Katy J Pearson (Bristol UK-ENGLAND)
Kee’ahn (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)
lau.ra (London UK-ENGLAND)
Lilla Vargen (Ballymena UK-ENGLAND)
Los Blenders (Mexico City MEXICO)
Loshh (London UK-ENGLAND)
Luisa e os Alquimistas (Natal BRAZIL)
The Merindas (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)
Mimi Bay (Gothenburg SWEDEN)
The Mysterines (Liverpool UK-ENGLAND)
Nané (Austin TX)
Nanpa Básico (Bogotá COLOMBIA)
Nayana Iz (London UK-ENGLAND)
NekoJam (Taipei City TAIWAN)
No Money Enterprise (Brisbane AUSTRALIA)
Noya Rao (Leeds UK-ENGLAND)
Otoboke Beaver (Kyoto JAPAN)
Paul Jacobs (Montreal CANADA)
Paupière (Montreal CANADA)
Petite Amie (Mexico City MEXICO)
Pillow Queens (Dublin IRELAND)
Pote (Paris FRANCE)
Purple Pilgrims (Coromandel NEW ZEALAND)
PVA (London UK-ENGLAND)
Quanna (Savannah GA)
The Queendom (Atlanta GA)
Remi Burgz (London UK-ENGLAND)
Richard Spaven (London UK-ENGLAND)
Robocobra Quartet (Belfast UK-N. IRELAND)
Rosehip Teahouse (Cardiff UK-WALES)
Ruido Rosa (Mexico City MEXICO)
Samantha Sanchez (Miami FL)
Say Sue Me (Busan SOUTH KOREA)
School of X (Copenhagen DENMARK)
Seed Ensemble (London UK-ENGLAND)
Shannen James (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)
Sinead O’Brien (Limerick IRELAND)
Sir Woman (Austin TX)
Sorry (London UK-ENGLAND)
Squid (Bristol UK-ENGLAND)
Tebi Rex (Maynooth IRELAND)
TEKE :: TEKE (Montreal CANADA)
TENGGER (Seoul SOUTH KOREA)
Tessellated (Kingston JAMAICA)
Theon Cross (London UK-ENGLAND)
Tuyo (Curitiba BRAZIL)
TV Priest (London UK-ENGLAND)
Vaya Futuro (Mexico City MEXICO)
Virginia Wing (Manchester UK-ENGLAND)
Vocal Vidas (Santiago CUBA)
Walt Disco (Glasgow UK-SCOTLAND)
Wavy The Creator (Lagos NIGERIA)
Weird Milk (Buckingham UK-ENGLAND)
Y2K92 (Seoul SOUTH KOREA)
Ydegirl (Copenhagen DENMARK)
Yoshi Vintage (Flint MI)
(This list is subject to change. More performers will be announced at later dates.)
