Definitely a band worth seeing a second time, Those Darlins woke us up right on Friday. Reminding us that the early hour and the bright sun were no excuses for not dancing—"We're hungover, too!" Nikki exclaimed—Nikki, Kelley, and Jessi ripped into the South-Austin morning with the same rollicking fun of their night shows. Indeed, holding a michilada and beholding the Darlins made the perfect hangover cure. Perhaps not as strong as a good bloody mary, but surely just as spicy.
We saw many, MANY shows at SXSW, and with the packed schedule and multitude of bands at each show, we also saw sound-check after sound-check. Many bands took these very seriously. Those Darlins did not. Rather, as soon as the sound tech asked them to check-check their mics, the gals screeched, shouted, hooted, and yowled into their mics, fast-strummed guitar, bass, and baritone ukulele, and Lynn knocked-around on his skins&tins. Sometimes I would feel sorry for Lynn, so often forgotten playing rock-solid hillbilly rhythms behind such lively and lovely singers. But then one thinks about it, and you can really only envy him living the dream.
The Darlins play with extraordinary energy and skill, showed off particularly well when Jessi trades her guitar for Kelley's bass and the two keep right on playing with equal passion and ability. They're real, god's-honest musicians and—legend has it—true country girls. Which doesn't bode well for getting them up to the City, but we're gonna beg and plead until it happens.
And there's a full-length coming out July 7, with a vinyl release two weeks ahead. Get in line now.
