The stage at The Historic Scoot Inn on April 10 presented a night of powerful women shredding out their angst for a crowd of loyal fans.
Story by Ryan Wellman
Photos by Mary Pistorius
Houston band Football Etc. kicked off the night. Lead singer Lindsay Minton bared her heart with indie rock songs that all seemed like letters to an unidentified lover. Each word was precisely chosen and held out to demonstrate its proper weight. Though it was still early, Football Etc. captured the attention of the flock of fans and set the trend for the night of thoughtful lyrics paired with edgy guitar riffs galore.
As the sun began its descent and the sky turned to hues of pinks and oranges, Snail Mail took the stage. Hailing from Baltimore, Snail Mail has garnered a hefty amount of buzz after releasing their first extended play “Habit” in 2016. Frontwoman Lindsey Jordan stepped out onto the stage nonchalantly and began the show with all new material, presumably from the band’s upcoming debut album “Lush” which will be released on June 8th. In fact, their setlist was mostly made up of brand new songs.
After playing a handful of new songs and finishing their hit “Thinning,” Jordan spoke about how the band had driven 19 hours nonstop to Austin after their van broke down in Orlando two days earlier. Although the band was “running on empty”, their sound was as alive as ever. When Jordan started singing “Pristine,” which was released just last month, the crowd began chanting along to all of the lyrics, making it clear that they were ready to digest every morsel of new music Snail Mail will be releasing in 2018. As their set came to a close, the band left Jordan alone on stage to play two final songs. In these two ballads, which are from the new album, Jordan’s voice pierced through the audience with unrestricted ferocity, only increasing the anticipation for the release of “Lush”.
As the night turned dark, every inch of the Scoot Inn filled with people all waiting in anticipation for Japanese Breakfast to take the stage. The venue became drenched in blue and the crowd roared as Michelle Zauner, lead member of Japanese Breakfast, danced out to opening song “In Heaven”. Zauner, in her light up shoes, brought a new buzzing energy into the atmosphere.
While jumping on speakers, reaching out into the audience, and showing off her futuristic white jumpsuit, Zauner’s lyrics explored the widest reaches of the human condition, from failed relationships to mortality. The juxtaposition of lyrics and presentation was peculiar but beautiful, demonstrating to fans how things are not always as they seem.
After playing a hefty amount of upbeat material, Zauner took a breather to acknowledge the “giant rodeo” of fans squeezed as close to the stage as possible and how much Austin has meant to Japanese Breakfast. The band first signed to their label, Dead Oceans, at SXSW 2016, where they had originally planned on only playing one solo show, but ended up playing seven showcases. She also enlisted the audiences help in practicing for the audience banter she would have to perform in the coming days at Coachella, jokingly urging everyone to jump wildly and get ready to rock as she moved ironically into the slower section of the set.
The audience swayed in rhythm while the band played standout track “Boyish” from their most recent album “Soft Sounds from Another Planet.” The song revealed the insecurities that Zauner had been dancing through earlier in the night. After playing a few more quiet ballads on her own, the band came out to join Zauner to close out the show with two crowd-pleasing bangers, “Diving Woman” and “Everybody Wants to Love You.”
During “Diving Woman” Zauner showcased her guitar skills, shredding with fervent passion. Lastly, for “Everybody Wants to Love You” the stage lit up in flashing rainbow lights and the crowd came alive for the bubbly pop jam. After a few minutes of audience jeering, the band came out for an encore, playing “Dreams” by The Cranberries as an homage to the late Dolores O’Riordan. The energy was magnetic as everyone danced and cried for a final time that night.
