SXSW London 2025 Day Three: Elevation Orchestra, Shambolics, Tankus and more
Originating in Texas, SXSW’s British counterpart has settled into a satisfying rhythm by day three. 93 Feet East opens the evening programme with an energising set from a rising jazz octet.
Comprised of eight accomplished session musicians in their own right, Elevation Orchestra exceeds the sum of its parts. The band communicates flawlessly with one another, each instrumental solo encouraging a complementary response from the next player. An important theme that emerges is the voice – not just of the main singer, but of the whole band and the crowd at large.
At times, the lead vocalist directs the band; at others, her voice mingles with the rest amid shared improvised passages. The final song transforms the audience into a choir; a simple melody builds to an epic finale accompanied by swelling chords and frenzied rhythms. Elevation Orchestra gleefully channels the kinetic performance style that characterises London’s surging jazz underground.
Over at Hoxton Hall, Scottish rockers Shambolics harness the indie rock aesthetic of the late 90s and early 2000s. Oversized plaid shirts, sunglasses on stage and catchy tunes bemoaning the profit-centred major labels abound.
Their debut album arrived in 2024, crafted among the financial stresses of living a life for the arts. Universal Credit is the clearest example of this. Front-man Darren Forbes proclaims, “I don’t need your money / I’m gonna be happier than you,” teasing at the contradictions inherent in pursuing a difficult but creatively rewarding lifestyle. The live rendition of this track clatters around Hoxton Hall, now bleached red with crimson lighting.
Returning to 93 Feet East for Tankus, here is an artist who takes a rather different approach. Refusing to borrow too heavily from any particular musical tradition, Tankus rips through a tight set, winding through old-school bluesy numbers, up-tempo ragtime and tremulous ballads.
During the more extreme crescendos, frontman Jaz Delorean’s tentacle-tattooed piano hinges backwards as steam bursts from its lid. While the guitarist theatrically collapses, DeLorean then mounts the piano while howling the refrain “between the living and the dead”. Despite a short 40-minute set, Tankus represents much of the wild diversity packed within this week’s programme.
Ben Browning
Photos: Virginie Viche
For further information and future events, visit SXSW London 2025’s website here.
Watch the video for the single Universal Credit here:
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