SXSW Highlight: Broken Social Scene
By Seraphina L.
When there are so many indie bands playing at a great festival such as SXSW, it’s hard not to feel guilty when you’re not checking out all the new ones. However, seeing a band such as Broken Social is an exception.
So, I headed over to The Parish again and just as expected… There was a line just as It was a free show for only badges and wristbands and I finally decided to take advantage of my wristband capabilities and see a big act. If you are unaware of how the system works at SXSW, badges are first, wristbands are second and those without registration credentials are sometimes given the option of paying a cover. However, this was Broken Social Scene, so this was definitely not a free show for everyone.
By some miracle, I was able to get in right as BSS was starting and the upstairs venue continued to quickly thicken. Broken Social Scene is undoubtedly one the more well-known bands in Canada for having a massive amount of people on stage. It was no different this night as there was about ten band members on stage at one point. Although she’s no Leslie Feist, Lisa Lobsinger was also there to provide backing and duet vocals as was Jason Collett since he was already playing SXSW earlier in the week (See Day 1).
Broken Social Scene played well into the night. At 1:15 AM, they were still going strong. For some reason, they seemed keen on repeating how intimate this party was (I suppose it was, in a sense) and that Sandra Bullock should join their group – as if they needed more band members! They played “Love Is New” for the second time ever in history, again with Lisa Lobsinger on accompanying vocals. Jason Collett also sang lead on a couple of songs and they decided to premiere their song, ‘Ungrateful Little Father” for the first time that night as well.
Although I’m aware of the fact that I could have seen Broken Social Scene any time they come around on tour, I’m very glad that I got to catch such a special set from the band at one of the biggest festivals in the nation. Seeing a band like them on a small stage feels like a rare opportunity and my time in line was well worth-spent.
