Beer and BBQ. Ringing Ears. Buzz bands. Day parties. Hordes of Brits. Second-hand smoke. Sixth Street. Exhaustion. When approaching South By Southwest in Austin, Texas, the largest annual music event in the world, you've got to take the good with the bad (and the queen). With performances from over 1300 bands, this year's conference held March 14-17th appears to have broken all former records. Fans and acts heaved from within the confines of the 59 designated venues, not counting the dozens of unofficial backyards and parking lots that also hosted live music.

In the past, SXSW has always featured a full schedule of musical acts from Thursday through Saturday. But this year Wednesday really broke out on its own. Wednesday used to be for picking up your badge, settling into your hotel, getting acquainted with Austin, and for a few hundred diehards, attending the Austin Music Awards. But now it's a full-fledged conference day, with about as many musical events booked as the other days.

SXSW continues to be a popular spring break for bands and music fans from across the pond. Our UK brethren are eager to trade their cold climate for a bit of Texas sunshine, and this year's visiting talent included old hands like Buzzcocks, Donovan, and keynote speaker Pete Townshend, alongside buzz acts Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen, and up & comers like Mika, the Fratellis, the Pipettes, the Rumble Strips, the Horrors, Jamie T, and Loney, Dear. It's part of the special magic of SXSW that you can catch a soon-to-be legendary band like The Good, The Bad & The Queen (featuring Damon Albarn and Paul Simonon) at a day party in a tiny club, or an insane double bill featuring Rickie Lee Jones and Lee "Scratch" Perry.

(STUBB'S BBQ)

Everyone has their own individual SXSW experience. No two people are going to completely agree on the same schedule. Some folks prefer just wandering down the main music drag of Sixth Street, popping into club after club on a blind voyage of discovery. Others prefer to eat and drink, and if a band is playing in the vicinity, well, that's a bonus. And then there are those who intricately plan their schedule down to the last detail, making certain to include alternates in case of disappointment. I fall squarely in the last group.

Wednesday, March 13

Upon arrival, I head straight for the afternoon NME party at the outdoor Stubb's amphitheater. MUMM-RA is just finishing their set and I'm anxious to catch the jazz-metal riffage of the next act, ENTER SHIKARI. Then I'm told they've canceled. I cut my losses and head to the hotel to check in and get sorted.