Remember that chicken-wire bit in the Blues Brothers movie? Well, Guy Sebastian didn’t sing behind chicken wire this afternoon in Austin but he did face a tough crowd.
Let me put SXSW into perspective. You are playing to primarily an industry audience. They may or may not have heard of you when you hit that first note, but by the end of the first song you better make it matter or it’s all over.Idol was a reality TV show. SXSW is reality. It can be ruthless. You impress or they are unimpressed in your first three minutes.
Today I witness Guy Sebastian capture a lethargic crowd. The audience at the Sounds Australia event had three priorities:
A: drink free booze
B: network with their peers
C: Listen to music
I kid you not; Guy Sebastian went from priority C to priority A within three songs.
It is late here in Austin as a write this so I won’t get into too much detail until we interview Guy tomorrow at the Aussie BBQ.
The song that fans will be interested to hear is “All To Myself”, the first single from the forthcoming album.
Watch a preview of the song from Sounds Australia at SXSW in Austin, Texas March 19, 2009 and we will follow-up with Ros O’Gorman’s photos from the showcase and the interview in coming days.
Guy Sebastian : teaser of All To Myself:
