Blog

When a canister of toxic waste splashed into his eyes, young Matt Murdock lost his ability to see. But between his natural talents, the effect of the chemicals, and the cruel tutelage of his mentor Stick, Murdock enhanced his other senses. So acute are his hearing and smell, in fact, that he can tell when […]

The post Daredevil’s Charlie Cox Insists He’s Not in Spider-Man Movie, Just Like Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield Did appeared first on Den of Geek.

Taking in all the music at South by Southwest is a bit of a marathon. You find yourself waking up thinking, “I couldn’t possibly drink again tonight. My ears are still ringing; how can I be expected to step foot in another loud club? My voice is gone — I couldn’t hoot and holler for another band if I tried.” But then you catch a second wind. And a third. A well-timed Celsius and an Arrachera taco from the strategically placed TacoWëy food stands get you feeling right as rain. The combination of electrifying talent and FOMO propels you from one set to another until you find yourself at closing time, knowing it will hurt again in the morning, but soldiering on all the same

I cannot lie; the common refrain amongst locals and longtime attendees is that attendance is down. The literal gaping hole where a centralized convention center once stood/will stand is a reminder that SXSW is missing a centrifugal force. Meanwhile, the film, television, and technology sectors of SXSW feel like they’re taking up more of the oxygen. That said, we didn’t let that prevent us from traversing downtown, 6th Street, South Congress, and East Austin in search of familiar favorites and fresh finds. 

Here are the most notable acts that the Den of Geek staff enjoyed at South By Southwest 2026.

Adult DVD

When I chatted with the Leeds-based dance punk band Adult DVD on Monday afternoon, they had been awake for over 24 hours. After their gig the night before, the lads had spent the wee hours riding mechanical bulls at Buck Wild. I was chuffed when they happened to saddle up next to our group at Casino El Camino for some pints (OK, I’ll stop with the Brit speak) and cigarettes after we had just caught their second show of the festival at the British Music Embassy. Their laid-back charm was particularly endearing after an afternoon set plagued by in-ear and monitor issues, which momentarily frustrated the band even if it ultimately didn’t affect their sound. It’s par the course for the tight stage turnovers at SXSW, and they rose above it.

Still, it was a relief when everything came together for Adult DVD Monday night at Swan Dive; their infectious, funny rave-ups finally popped the audience. Sweat dripped, bodies bumped up against each other. Moves were busted. For a kid who longed to experience a prime house set at the Haçienda in Manchester in the late ‘80s, or a DFA dance night on the Lower East Side in the early 2000s, this might be as close as I’ll get. 

If I were a writer for the NME, my hyperbolic headline would be “I’ve seen the future of indie sleaze, and its name is Adult DVD.” And look, I realize it can be intoxicating to rub shoulders with bands you admire, but I promise this isn’t that; this was Den of Geek’s unanimous favorite band of the festival. The band is working on their debut album with Fat Possum Records as I type and I’m smashing the preorder button first chance I get. I’ve been walking around singing “BILL MURRAY, BILL MURRAY IS LOST IN JAPAN/TOM HANKS, TOM HANKS SAYING CATCH ME IF YOU CAN” into strangers’ faces. Look it up and you will be too. – Nick Harley

2charm 

Sometimes you have to take a risk and tell your millennial bosses that the must-see artists at SXSW are two shirtless guys from Melbourne doing pushups onstage in Ugg boots. I’m talking, of course, about 2charm, the indie sleaze “gooner pop” duo. We caught them at Seven Grand Whiskey Bar on Sunday night, and their 1 a.m. set delivered exactly the second wind we needed. I first discovered 2charm back in October with their single “boyfriend,” and they followed it up with their debut album star scum city in February. What I didn’t realize before seeing them live is just how choreographed their performances are. Every song has its own set of moves, and at times it felt like I was playing Just Dance Sweat Mode, trying to keep up during my favorite track, “girls.”

Yes, it really is all about girls, but the men of Den of Geek were just as into the set. I don’t know if I can definitively say they were the best act we saw at SXSW as a group, but I can say with complete confidence that they were my favorite of the festival. Consider me charmed. – Darcie Zudell

Merrick Winter

I saunter into a scene I don’t feel quite cut out for, my first time in a church in 10 years and it’s arguably the most beautiful music venue in all of Austin. With nothing but an artist title, two ears, and a dream, I sit second pew. Central Presbyterian Church has walls 70 feet high built out for the echoing melodies of Merrick Winter. 

Winter combined vocals akin to Caamp (Ohio mentioned!), and Elliott Smith adjacent songbooks to take this audience on a train ride. No, seriously, he beckoned us to take the California Zephyr if we hadn’t already in the title track of their latest full body of work, The California Zephyr. His stance on flying: “Hell no. Sorry…God.” Winter was quick on the draw to thank his audience. Maybe it was the Holy presence or just his London charm. – Riley Clark

Sofia and the Antoinettes 

I don’t envy the position that Sofia and the Antoinettes were in on Thursday. As the third name on the lineup of Rolling Stone’s Future of Music Festival, the London-based singer and her three-piece band were facing a crowd in desperate need of a second wind after two acts had already played and Lola Young’s performance was still hours away. Within seconds, that second wind blew right through Sofia’s Old Hollywood hair and revived the crowd with haunting melodies and poetic lyricism. She charmed the crowd with cheeky anecdotes about past lovers and the internal inspirations behind her music. I felt the presence of Jeff Buckley, Phoebe Bridgers, and Nick Drake onstage beside her as existential bridges swelled and I found myself hoping the set would never end. – Sophia Rooksberry 

Gogol Bordello

Fresh off a connecting flight and the dreamy haze of sitting on a Florida beach, I was snapped right into the high-seed neon chase of SXSW by Gogol Bordello’s opening night performance. Listed as a “high sensory experience” online, the Lower East Side punk outfit’s performance delivered an encounter so steeped in flashing lights and mania, I thought I was being beamed up. Led by singer Eugene Hütz, the seven-piece band engaged and enraged through songs from their newest album, We Mean It, Man!

Deciding the crowd wasn’t living up to expectations, Hütz ordered the forming mosh pit to “Start swaying motherfuckers.” He was happily obliged when Puzzled Panther jumped on stage to perform a personal favorite off the album, “From Boyarka to Boyaca.” Fans new and old crowded the three-storied venue, jumping, pushing, and screaming the night away. The performance was capped in a delirious crowd and a spontaneous sidewalk performance outside the venue. After nearly 30 years under pressure, Gogol Bordello has burst forth as a gem of post-punk revolution. – Alexandra Hopkins

Geordie Greep

After the dogged pace of SXSW, the Tuesday night set from Geordie Greep was uniquely brain-melting. Greep’s jazz-influenced guitar freakouts and his impossibly tight band are almost maddeningly idiosyncratic. It was a smart choice to simply project Greenwich Mean Time on the screen behind him as he performed; never has such a bugged-out midnight showcase felt more like 5 a.m. – NH

Didjits

South By’s only scorching hot day, reaching a high of 99, required plenty of hydration. Rick Sims was having none of it. “It’s full of vodka,” he joked, holding up a full water bottle to the packed backyard at Hotel Vegas. Or not. Who knows. Who cares? The longtime Didjits frontman offered us a reprieve from the late afternoon sun, drawing in the crowd with his abrasive antics and thundering riffs. 

His Didjits journey dates back to the early ‘80s, but Sims seems energized by his much younger touring bandmates—who offered smirks and winks as they watched their fearless leader trade middle fingers with fans, heckle the crowd (“Austin bitches!”), and spunk off the neck of his guitar into the crowd mid solo on multiple tracks. Sims fed off the adoration of the punk-mad scene in Austin. And from the moment we saw him strut on stage—with a frilled blazer, puffed shoulder pads, dark, round glasses, and seductively shaking his old ass and wiggling his tongue, we gave it right back. Middle fingers up for a punk legend. – Chris Longo

Amor Vincit Omnia 

It’s 11:30 p.m. on Sunday. I’m bloated from barbeque, exhausted, and severely dehydrated, yet somehow still being pulled toward the stage at Low Down Lounge by two blond Icelanders asking, “Do you wantttt it?” Amor Vincit Omnia’s sound is compelling in a way that’s energetic enough to have you shaking your head, yet hazy and vibey in a way that makes you want to stretch your arms wide and just float. I saw their set completely sober, but their blend of folk textures and electronic noise still made me feel like I was on a cloud. 

Things took a turn from intriguing to unforgettable when the pair pulled out small egg shakers and moved across the stage in perfect sync. It was so specific and totally captivating. The set clicked into place during “Rvk Amour.” Before playing, they asked, “Who loves being in love?” and the room lit up. Amor Vincit Omnia may not deliver perfection, but they sure do deliver a feeling that got me excited for the rest of the night. Definitely an artist to watch. – DZ 

Grocery Bag

For some cruel reason, Texas temperatures dipped below 60 degrees on March 16 and 17. Leave it to Austin’s own Grocery Bag to bring the heat at a chilly outdoor performance at Zilker Brewing. Their staggering 10th performance of the festival didn’t show a hint of fatigue. Guitarist Dillon Aitala bounded across the stage in overalls while bassist Logan Kerman stood out with memorable riffs. Friends of the band packed the crowd and made it obvious that the formidable psych garage band could play 10 more shows and they’d all be as memorable and well-attended. – NH

Amie Blu

Amie Blu and band did nothing short of impress. There is no better sight than a female vocal lead standing foreground to a male band—a promise of a solid quintet dynamic. Billboard House welcomed Blu to Mohawk Outdoor where audience members ducked the beams of scorching sun like vampires. As soon as Blu took to the stage, a cool air swept through the venue and parted crowds merged into one. Was it magic or just the lullaby of music to my ears? The South East Londoner fits snugly into the Indie Pop category with a sound of the likes of Mk.gee and Faye Webster. The 23-year-old was wise beyond her years, serenading ye olde truths in her sung poetry and sporting loafers. Amie Blu, if you’re reading this, my deepest sorrows for the loss of your kitten. – RC

Mugger 

Hardcore punk band Mugger pummeled me into adorant submission. With a devil-may-care attitude and melodic yet brutally heavy riffs that would make Turnstile blush, they were by far Den of Geek’s collective favorite Austin-based act. Just when I thought the band couldn’t be any better, lead singer Anna Troxel donned a luchador mask halfway through their set and essentially transformed into a punk superhero. This band should be on everyone’s radar. – NH

Chalk 

I discovered Chalk while absentmindedly listening to my Discover Weekly playlist on Spotify a few months ago. Their song “Conditions” scratched my Irish alt-rock itch with a tinge of nostalgic new wave elements, and it became a regular feature in my rotating playlists. You can only imagine my surprise when I wandered into the British Music Embassy sometime around midnight to find the very same band dominating the stage. 

The trio was mostly playing tracks off their new album, Crystalpunk, which dropped two days prior to their first SXSW set. Chalk’s new album fuses my beloved dejected hardcore sound with techno dance beats and autotuned vocals. “It’s like if Charli XCX made punk music,” I screamed in my friend’s ear as “Béal Feirste” washed over the crowd, another track off the debut album that turned me from a fair-weather Discover Weekly fan into a diehard daily listener. If my ear is correct, Chalk is on its way to becoming the biggest musical name out of Ireland since Fontaines D.C. – SR

Gus Baldwin and The Sketch

Another Austin punk band? Look, I promise, we checked out other genres, but something is fucking happening in the scene here! Gus Baldwin and The Sketch are so powerful that a cowboy hat just materialized on my head. The Sketch are like if Parquet Courts listened to more AC/DC. And out of every band we caught at SXSW, Gus Baldwin is the best frontman, full stop. – NH 

Cashier

Hat tip to the official SXSW playlist for putting me on to the Lafayette, Louisiana four-piece Cashier. Leading into the festival I had tracks “Part From Me” and “Maybe I Was Wrong” on repeat so aggressively you’d think there was a monetary prize for landing in the top one percent of an artist’s Spotify Wrapped. I was both thrilled for the band yet dismayed for my newfound fandom to see a line out the door of Chess Club for their gig. 

Eventually we pushed through and were met with a wall of bodies and crunchy, swirling riffs. In their recent EP release, the band is quoted as saying their work is a celebration of rock guitar. A no frills stage presence led by vocalist and guitarist Kylie Gaspard allows you to ruminate on any range of influences from grunge and hardcore, to pop punk and ‘00 alternative. It feels less celebratory and more like a coronation: the Southern rock revival has indeed spread from Asheville to Lafayette, and westward to Austin. – CL 

Elijah Johnston

At the legendary Continental Club, Elijah Johnston was lucky he wasn’t pulled from the stage. Not because he wasn’t up to performing or captivating the crowd. On the contrary, the whip-smart lyricist was dropping winning, earworm choruses left and right. However, it was Athens in Austin night at the Continental, a showcase for Athens, Georgias’s ever-lively music scene, and Johnston confessed that he actually had been living in Atlanta for quite some time. Shhhh, Elijah — we won’t tell if you don’t. – NH

Slomo Drags

You’ll never know who you might meet when you’re catching a breather. “I like your hat,” was all it took to get me to talk to Ty, whose partner’s band was playing inside. I was asked if I had seen any Austin bands. I sure did, hence why I was very interested in hearing more. Ty says lead singer Jackson Albrachtis a mixologist in town and crafts some of the best cocktails you can imagine. I would love to fact-check this, but I’m gonna go out on a limb and say I think he might actually craft better songs! 

According to Albracht, SXSW is dead, but thank God he and his band are here to resuscitate it. They make top shelf indie rock filled with funk and hooks galore. Adam Mason is one of Austin’s best guitar players and all-around Swiss Army Knives, even mixing it up in Ben Kweller’s band alongside Superbad star Christoper Mintz-Plasse, but here, he’s holding it down on bass. During their performance, I wondered where the glorious keyboard licks were coming from; the Chess Club stage necessitated that Ty’s partner, Bowman Maze (of Sometimes a Legend), sit criss-cross applesauce in the corner of the stage. These guys don’t suffer drunk repeaters or fools, but they love anyone who sings along. – NH 

CDSM

Remember Adult DVD? From above? Surely you’ve listened to them by now. For this band, think moodier, but every bit as dancey, with 100 percent more saxophone. Kinda reminds us of the Voidz. Remember when we said Adult DVD’s Tuesday night show popped the fuck off? Afterward, a buzzed-up group of attendees spilled out into the street, and we met Tyler, who told us about his band, CDSM from Atlanta. It was serendipity; when the Adult DVD gang was asked about their favorite set that they caught at SXSW, they didn’t hesitate to say CDSM. Listen to Adult DVD’s advice — these guys rule. Buy their shirts, records, and stickers. They played 14 shows in eight days; they deserve it. – NH

The post Adult DVD, Gogol Bordello, Amie Blu: The Best Music We Caught at SXSW 2026 appeared first on Den of Geek.

Since breaking out with their segment “10/31/98” in the first V/H/S anthology from 2012, the filmmaking collective known as Radio Silence has established itself as masters of outrageous, gory horror. From Ready or Not to their two Scream entries to Abigail, a Radio Silence film promises vibrant characters, witty banter, and so, so much blood. […]

The post Ready or Not 2: Kathryn Newton Explains Getting ‘Parent Trapped’ by Radio Silence appeared first on Den of Geek.

Taking in all the music at South by Southwest is a bit of a marathon. You find yourself waking up thinking, “I couldn’t possibly drink again tonight. My ears are still ringing; how can I be expected to step foot in another loud club? My voice is gone — I couldn’t hoot and holler for another band if I tried.” But then you catch a second wind. And a third. A well-timed Celsius and an Arrachera taco from the strategically placed TacoWëy food stands get you feeling right as rain. The combination of electrifying talent and FOMO propels you from one set to another until you find yourself at closing time, knowing it will hurt again in the morning, but soldiering on all the same

I cannot lie; the common refrain amongst locals and longtime attendees is that attendance is down. The literal gaping hole where a centralized convention center once stood/will stand is a reminder that SXSW is missing a centrifugal force. Meanwhile, the film, television, and technology sectors of SXSW feel like they’re taking up more of the oxygen. That said, we didn’t let that prevent us from traversing downtown, 6th Street, South Congress, and East Austin in search of familiar favorites and fresh finds. 

Here are the most notable acts that the Den of Geek staff enjoyed at South By Southwest 2026.

Adult DVD

When I chatted with the Leeds-based dance punk band Adult DVD on Monday afternoon, they had been awake for over 24 hours. After their gig the night before, the lads had spent the wee hours riding mechanical bulls at Buck Wild. I was chuffed when they happened to saddle up next to our group at Casino El Camino for some pints (OK, I’ll stop with the Brit speak) and cigarettes after we had just caught their second show of the festival at the British Music Embassy. Their laid-back charm was particularly endearing after an afternoon set plagued by in-ear and monitor issues, which momentarily frustrated the band even if it ultimately didn’t affect their sound. It’s par the course for the tight stage turnovers at SXSW, and they rose above it.

Still, it was a relief when everything came together for Adult DVD Monday night at Swan Dive; their infectious, funny rave-ups finally popped the audience. Sweat dripped, bodies bumped up against each other. Moves were busted. For a kid who longed to experience a prime house set at the Haçienda in Manchester in the late ‘80s, or a DFA dance night on the Lower East Side in the early 2000s, this might be as close as I’ll get. 

If I were a writer for the NME, my hyperbolic headline would be “I’ve seen the future of indie sleaze, and its name is Adult DVD.” And look, I realize it can be intoxicating to rub shoulders with bands you admire, but I promise this isn’t that; this was Den of Geek’s unanimous favorite band of the festival. The band is working on their debut album with Fat Possum Records as I type and I’m smashing the preorder button first chance I get. I’ve been walking around singing “BILL MURRAY, BILL MURRAY IS LOST IN JAPAN/TOM HANKS, TOM HANKS SAYING CATCH ME IF YOU CAN” into strangers’ faces. Look it up and you will be too. – Nick Harley

2charm 

Sometimes you have to take a risk and tell your millennial bosses that the must-see artists at SXSW are two shirtless guys from Melbourne doing pushups onstage in Ugg boots. I’m talking, of course, about 2charm, the indie sleaze “gooner pop” duo. We caught them at Seven Grand Whiskey Bar on Sunday night, and their 1 a.m. set delivered exactly the second wind we needed. I first discovered 2charm back in October with their single “boyfriend,” and they followed it up with their debut album star scum city in February. What I didn’t realize before seeing them live is just how choreographed their performances are. Every song has its own set of moves, and at times it felt like I was playing Just Dance Sweat Mode, trying to keep up during my favorite track, “girls.”

Yes, it really is all about girls, but the men of Den of Geek were just as into the set. I don’t know if I can definitively say they were the best act we saw at SXSW as a group, but I can say with complete confidence that they were my favorite of the festival. Consider me charmed. – Darcie Zudell

Merrick Winter

I saunter into a scene I don’t feel quite cut out for, my first time in a church in 10 years and it’s arguably the most beautiful music venue in all of Austin. With nothing but an artist title, two ears, and a dream, I sit second pew. Central Presbyterian Church has walls 70 feet high built out for the echoing melodies of Merrick Winter. 

Winter combined vocals akin to Caamp (Ohio mentioned!), and Elliott Smith adjacent songbooks to take this audience on a train ride. No, seriously, he beckoned us to take the California Zephyr if we hadn’t already in the title track of their latest full body of work, The California Zephyr. His stance on flying: “Hell no. Sorry…God.” Winter was quick on the draw to thank his audience. Maybe it was the Holy presence or just his London charm. – Riley Clark

Sofia and the Antoinettes 

I don’t envy the position that Sofia and the Antoinettes were in on Thursday. As the third name on the lineup of Rolling Stone’s Future of Music Festival, the London-based singer and her three-piece band were facing a crowd in desperate need of a second wind after two acts had already played and Lola Young’s performance was still hours away. Within seconds, that second wind blew right through Sofia’s Old Hollywood hair and revived the crowd with haunting melodies and poetic lyricism. She charmed the crowd with cheeky anecdotes about past lovers and the internal inspirations behind her music. I felt the presence of Jeff Buckley, Phoebe Bridgers, and Nick Drake onstage beside her as existential bridges swelled and I found myself hoping the set would never end. – Sophia Rooksberry 

Gogol Bordello

Fresh off a connecting flight and the dreamy haze of sitting on a Florida beach, I was snapped right into the high-seed neon chase of SXSW by Gogol Bordello’s opening night performance. Listed as a “high sensory experience” online, the Lower East Side punk outfit’s performance delivered an encounter so steeped in flashing lights and mania, I thought I was being beamed up. Led by singer Eugene Hütz, the seven-piece band engaged and enraged through songs from their newest album, We Mean It, Man!

Deciding the crowd wasn’t living up to expectations, Hütz ordered the forming mosh pit to “Start swaying motherfuckers.” He was happily obliged when Puzzled Panther jumped on stage to perform a personal favorite off the album, “From Boyarka to Boyaca.” Fans new and old crowded the three-storied venue, jumping, pushing, and screaming the night away. The performance was capped in a delirious crowd and a spontaneous sidewalk performance outside the venue. After nearly 30 years under pressure, Gogol Bordello has burst forth as a gem of post-punk revolution. – Alexandra Hopkins

Geordie Greep

After the dogged pace of SXSW, the Tuesday night set from Geordie Greep was uniquely brain-melting. Greep’s jazz-influenced guitar freakouts and his impossibly tight band are almost maddeningly idiosyncratic. It was a smart choice to simply project Greenwich Mean Time on the screen behind him as he performed; never has such a bugged-out midnight showcase felt more like 5 a.m. – NH

Didjits

South By’s only scorching hot day, reaching a high of 99, required plenty of hydration. Rick Sims was having none of it. “It’s full of vodka,” he joked, holding up a full water bottle to the packed backyard at Hotel Vegas. Or not. Who knows. Who cares? The longtime Didjits frontman offered us a reprieve from the late afternoon sun, drawing in the crowd with his abrasive antics and thundering riffs. 

His Didjits journey dates back to the early ‘80s, but Sims seems energized by his much younger touring bandmates—who offered smirks and winks as they watched their fearless leader trade middle fingers with fans, heckle the crowd (“Austin bitches!”), and spunk off the neck of his guitar into the crowd mid solo on multiple tracks. Sims fed off the adoration of the punk-mad scene in Austin. And from the moment we saw him strut on stage—with a frilled blazer, puffed shoulder pads, dark, round glasses, and seductively shaking his old ass and wiggling his tongue, we gave it right back. Middle fingers up for a punk legend. – Chris Longo

Amor Vincit Omnia 

It’s 11:30 p.m. on Sunday. I’m bloated from barbeque, exhausted, and severely dehydrated, yet somehow still being pulled toward the stage at Low Down Lounge by two blond Icelanders asking, “Do you wantttt it?” Amor Vincit Omnia’s sound is compelling in a way that’s energetic enough to have you shaking your head, yet hazy and vibey in a way that makes you want to stretch your arms wide and just float. I saw their set completely sober, but their blend of folk textures and electronic noise still made me feel like I was on a cloud. 

Things took a turn from intriguing to unforgettable when the pair pulled out small egg shakers and moved across the stage in perfect sync. It was so specific and totally captivating. The set clicked into place during “Rvk Amour.” Before playing, they asked, “Who loves being in love?” and the room lit up. Amor Vincit Omnia may not deliver perfection, but they sure do deliver a feeling that got me excited for the rest of the night. Definitely an artist to watch. – DZ 

Grocery Bag

For some cruel reason, Texas temperatures dipped below 60 degrees on March 16 and 17. Leave it to Austin’s own Grocery Bag to bring the heat at a chilly outdoor performance at Zilker Brewing. Their staggering 10th performance of the festival didn’t show a hint of fatigue. Guitarist Dillon Aitala bounded across the stage in overalls while bassist Logan Kerman stood out with memorable riffs. Friends of the band packed the crowd and made it obvious that the formidable psych garage band could play 10 more shows and they’d all be as memorable and well-attended. – NH

Amie Blu

Amie Blu and band did nothing short of impress. There is no better sight than a female vocal lead standing foreground to a male band—a promise of a solid quintet dynamic. Billboard House welcomed Blu to Mohawk Outdoor where audience members ducked the beams of scorching sun like vampires. As soon as Blu took to the stage, a cool air swept through the venue and parted crowds merged into one. Was it magic or just the lullaby of music to my ears? The South East Londoner fits snugly into the Indie Pop category with a sound of the likes of Mk.gee and Faye Webster. The 23-year-old was wise beyond her years, serenading ye olde truths in her sung poetry and sporting loafers. Amie Blu, if you’re reading this, my deepest sorrows for the loss of your kitten. – RC

Mugger 

Hardcore punk band Mugger pummeled me into adorant submission. With a devil-may-care attitude and melodic yet brutally heavy riffs that would make Turnstile blush, they were by far Den of Geek’s collective favorite Austin-based act. Just when I thought the band couldn’t be any better, lead singer Anna Troxel donned a luchador mask halfway through their set and essentially transformed into a punk superhero. This band should be on everyone’s radar. – NH

Chalk 

I discovered Chalk while absentmindedly listening to my Discover Weekly playlist on Spotify a few months ago. Their song “Conditions” scratched my Irish alt-rock itch with a tinge of nostalgic new wave elements, and it became a regular feature in my rotating playlists. You can only imagine my surprise when I wandered into the British Music Embassy sometime around midnight to find the very same band dominating the stage. 

The trio was mostly playing tracks off their new album, Crystalpunk, which dropped two days prior to their first SXSW set. Chalk’s new album fuses my beloved dejected hardcore sound with techno dance beats and autotuned vocals. “It’s like if Charli XCX made punk music,” I screamed in my friend’s ear as “Béal Feirste” washed over the crowd, another track off the debut album that turned me from a fair-weather Discover Weekly fan into a diehard daily listener. If my ear is correct, Chalk is on its way to becoming the biggest musical name out of Ireland since Fontaines D.C. – SR

Gus Baldwin and The Sketch

Another Austin punk band? Look, I promise, we checked out other genres, but something is fucking happening in the scene here! Gus Baldwin and The Sketch are so powerful that a cowboy hat just materialized on my head. The Sketch are like if Parquet Courts listened to more AC/DC. And out of every band we caught at SXSW, Gus Baldwin is the best frontman, full stop. – NH 

Cashier

Hat tip to the official SXSW playlist for putting me on to the Lafayette, Louisiana four-piece Cashier. Leading into the festival I had tracks “Part From Me” and “Maybe I Was Wrong” on repeat so aggressively you’d think there was a monetary prize for landing in the top one percent of an artist’s Spotify Wrapped. I was both thrilled for the band yet dismayed for my newfound fandom to see a line out the door of Chess Club for their gig. 

Eventually we pushed through and were met with a wall of bodies and crunchy, swirling riffs. In their recent EP release, the band is quoted as saying their work is a celebration of rock guitar. A no frills stage presence led by vocalist and guitarist Kylie Gaspard allows you to ruminate on any range of influences from grunge and hardcore, to pop punk and ‘00 alternative. It feels less celebratory and more like a coronation: the Southern rock revival has indeed spread from Asheville to Lafayette, and westward to Austin. – CL 

Elijah Johnston

At the legendary Continental Club, Elijah Johnston was lucky he wasn’t pulled from the stage. Not because he wasn’t up to performing or captivating the crowd. On the contrary, the whip-smart lyricist was dropping winning, earworm choruses left and right. However, it was Athens in Austin night at the Continental, a showcase for Athens, Georgias’s ever-lively music scene, and Johnston confessed that he actually had been living in Atlanta for quite some time. Shhhh, Elijah — we won’t tell if you don’t. – NH

Slomo Drags

You’ll never know who you might meet when you’re catching a breather. “I like your hat,” was all it took to get me to talk to Ty, whose partner’s band was playing inside. I was asked if I had seen any Austin bands. I sure did, hence why I was very interested in hearing more. Ty says lead singer Jackson Albrachtis a mixologist in town and crafts some of the best cocktails you can imagine. I would love to fact-check this, but I’m gonna go out on a limb and say I think he might actually craft better songs! 

According to Albracht, SXSW is dead, but thank God he and his band are here to resuscitate it. They make top shelf indie rock filled with funk and hooks galore. Adam Mason is one of Austin’s best guitar players and all-around Swiss Army Knives, even mixing it up in Ben Kweller’s band alongside Superbad star Christoper Mintz-Plasse, but here, he’s holding it down on bass. During their performance, I wondered where the glorious keyboard licks were coming from; the Chess Club stage necessitated that Ty’s partner, Bowman Maze (of Sometimes a Legend), sit criss-cross applesauce in the corner of the stage. These guys don’t suffer drunk repeaters or fools, but they love anyone who sings along. – NH 

CDSM

Remember Adult DVD? From above? Surely you’ve listened to them by now. For this band, think moodier, but every bit as dancey, with 100 percent more saxophone. Kinda reminds us of the Voidz. Remember when we said Adult DVD’s Tuesday night show popped the fuck off? Afterward, a buzzed-up group of attendees spilled out into the street, and we met Tyler, who told us about his band, CDSM from Atlanta. It was serendipity; when the Adult DVD gang was asked about their favorite set that they caught at SXSW, they didn’t hesitate to say CDSM. Listen to Adult DVD’s advice — these guys rule. Buy their shirts, records, and stickers. They played 14 shows in eight days; they deserve it. – NH

The post Adult DVD, Gogol Bordello, Amie Blu: The Best Music We Caught at SXSW 2026 appeared first on Den of Geek.

Although seemingly endless questions continue to swirl about Doctor Who’s future — Who’s the next Doctor? How will the forthcoming Christmas special clean up the Billie Piper-shaped mystery from the season 15 finale? — fans can take comfort from one eternal truth: There’s no uncomfortable Whoniverse situation that cannot be improved via copious application of […]

The post David Tennant is Returning to Doctor Who Again But Not The Way You Think appeared first on Den of Geek.

Taking in all the music at South by Southwest is a bit of a marathon. You find yourself waking up thinking, “I couldn’t possibly drink again tonight. My ears are still ringing; how can I be expected to step foot in another loud club? My voice is gone — I couldn’t hoot and holler for another band if I tried.” But then you catch a second wind. And a third. A well-timed Celsius and an Arrachera taco from the strategically placed TacoWëy food stands get you feeling right as rain. The combination of electrifying talent and FOMO propels you from one set to another until you find yourself at closing time, knowing it will hurt again in the morning, but soldiering on all the same

I cannot lie; the common refrain amongst locals and longtime attendees is that attendance is down. The literal gaping hole where a centralized convention center once stood/will stand is a reminder that SXSW is missing a centrifugal force. Meanwhile, the film, television, and technology sectors of SXSW feel like they’re taking up more of the oxygen. That said, we didn’t let that prevent us from traversing downtown, 6th Street, South Congress, and East Austin in search of familiar favorites and fresh finds. 

Here are the most notable acts that the Den of Geek staff enjoyed at South By Southwest 2026.

Adult DVD

When I chatted with the Leeds-based dance punk band Adult DVD on Monday afternoon, they had been awake for over 24 hours. After their gig the night before, the lads had spent the wee hours riding mechanical bulls at Buck Wild. I was chuffed when they happened to saddle up next to our group at Casino El Camino for some pints (OK, I’ll stop with the Brit speak) and cigarettes after we had just caught their second show of the festival at the British Music Embassy. Their laid-back charm was particularly endearing after an afternoon set plagued by in-ear and monitor issues, which momentarily frustrated the band even if it ultimately didn’t affect their sound. It’s par the course for the tight stage turnovers at SXSW, and they rose above it.

Still, it was a relief when everything came together for Adult DVD Monday night at Swan Dive; their infectious, funny rave-ups finally popped the audience. Sweat dripped, bodies bumped up against each other. Moves were busted. For a kid who longed to experience a prime house set at the Haçienda in Manchester in the late ‘80s, or a DFA dance night on the Lower East Side in the early 2000s, this might be as close as I’ll get. 

If I were a writer for the NME, my hyperbolic headline would be “I’ve seen the future of indie sleaze, and its name is Adult DVD.” And look, I realize it can be intoxicating to rub shoulders with bands you admire, but I promise this isn’t that; this was Den of Geek’s unanimous favorite band of the festival. The band is working on their debut album with Fat Possum Records as I type and I’m smashing the preorder button first chance I get. I’ve been walking around singing “BILL MURRAY, BILL MURRAY IS LOST IN JAPAN/TOM HANKS, TOM HANKS SAYING CATCH ME IF YOU CAN” into strangers’ faces. Look it up and you will be too. – Nick Harley

2charm 

Sometimes you have to take a risk and tell your millennial bosses that the must-see artists at SXSW are two shirtless guys from Melbourne doing pushups onstage in Ugg boots. I’m talking, of course, about 2charm, the indie sleaze “gooner pop” duo. We caught them at Seven Grand Whiskey Bar on Sunday night, and their 1 a.m. set delivered exactly the second wind we needed. I first discovered 2charm back in October with their single “boyfriend,” and they followed it up with their debut album star scum city in February. What I didn’t realize before seeing them live is just how choreographed their performances are. Every song has its own set of moves, and at times it felt like I was playing Just Dance Sweat Mode, trying to keep up during my favorite track, “girls.”

Yes, it really is all about girls, but the men of Den of Geek were just as into the set. I don’t know if I can definitively say they were the best act we saw at SXSW as a group, but I can say with complete confidence that they were my favorite of the festival. Consider me charmed. – Darcie Zudell

Merrick Winter

I saunter into a scene I don’t feel quite cut out for, my first time in a church in 10 years and it’s arguably the most beautiful music venue in all of Austin. With nothing but an artist title, two ears, and a dream, I sit second pew. Central Presbyterian Church has walls 70 feet high built out for the echoing melodies of Merrick Winter. 

Winter combined vocals akin to Caamp (Ohio mentioned!), and Elliott Smith adjacent songbooks to take this audience on a train ride. No, seriously, he beckoned us to take the California Zephyr if we hadn’t already in the title track of their latest full body of work, The California Zephyr. His stance on flying: “Hell no. Sorry…God.” Winter was quick on the draw to thank his audience. Maybe it was the Holy presence or just his London charm. – Riley Clark

Sofia and the Antoinettes 

I don’t envy the position that Sofia and the Antoinettes were in on Thursday. As the third name on the lineup of Rolling Stone’s Future of Music Festival, the London-based singer and her three-piece band were facing a crowd in desperate need of a second wind after two acts had already played and Lola Young’s performance was still hours away. Within seconds, that second wind blew right through Sofia’s Old Hollywood hair and revived the crowd with haunting melodies and poetic lyricism. She charmed the crowd with cheeky anecdotes about past lovers and the internal inspirations behind her music. I felt the presence of Jeff Buckley, Phoebe Bridgers, and Nick Drake onstage beside her as existential bridges swelled and I found myself hoping the set would never end. – Sophia Rooksberry 

Gogol Bordello

Fresh off a connecting flight and the dreamy haze of sitting on a Florida beach, I was snapped right into the high-seed neon chase of SXSW by Gogol Bordello’s opening night performance. Listed as a “high sensory experience” online, the Lower East Side punk outfit’s performance delivered an encounter so steeped in flashing lights and mania, I thought I was being beamed up. Led by singer Eugene Hütz, the seven-piece band engaged and enraged through songs from their newest album, We Mean It, Man!

Deciding the crowd wasn’t living up to expectations, Hütz ordered the forming mosh pit to “Start swaying motherfuckers.” He was happily obliged when Puzzled Panther jumped on stage to perform a personal favorite off the album, “From Boyarka to Boyaca.” Fans new and old crowded the three-storied venue, jumping, pushing, and screaming the night away. The performance was capped in a delirious crowd and a spontaneous sidewalk performance outside the venue. After nearly 30 years under pressure, Gogol Bordello has burst forth as a gem of post-punk revolution. – Alexandra Hopkins

Geordie Greep

After the dogged pace of SXSW, the Tuesday night set from Geordie Greep was uniquely brain-melting. Greep’s jazz-influenced guitar freakouts and his impossibly tight band are almost maddeningly idiosyncratic. It was a smart choice to simply project Greenwich Mean Time on the screen behind him as he performed; never has such a bugged-out midnight showcase felt more like 5 a.m. – NH

Didjits

South By’s only scorching hot day, reaching a high of 99, required plenty of hydration. Rick Sims was having none of it. “It’s full of vodka,” he joked, holding up a full water bottle to the packed backyard at Hotel Vegas. Or not. Who knows. Who cares? The longtime Didjits frontman offered us a reprieve from the late afternoon sun, drawing in the crowd with his abrasive antics and thundering riffs. 

His Didjits journey dates back to the early ‘80s, but Sims seems energized by his much younger touring bandmates—who offered smirks and winks as they watched their fearless leader trade middle fingers with fans, heckle the crowd (“Austin bitches!”), and spunk off the neck of his guitar into the crowd mid solo on multiple tracks. Sims fed off the adoration of the punk-mad scene in Austin. And from the moment we saw him strut on stage—with a frilled blazer, puffed shoulder pads, dark, round glasses, and seductively shaking his old ass and wiggling his tongue, we gave it right back. Middle fingers up for a punk legend. – Chris Longo

Amor Vincit Omnia 

It’s 11:30 p.m. on Sunday. I’m bloated from barbeque, exhausted, and severely dehydrated, yet somehow still being pulled toward the stage at Low Down Lounge by two blond Icelanders asking, “Do you wantttt it?” Amor Vincit Omnia’s sound is compelling in a way that’s energetic enough to have you shaking your head, yet hazy and vibey in a way that makes you want to stretch your arms wide and just float. I saw their set completely sober, but their blend of folk textures and electronic noise still made me feel like I was on a cloud. 

Things took a turn from intriguing to unforgettable when the pair pulled out small egg shakers and moved across the stage in perfect sync. It was so specific and totally captivating. The set clicked into place during “Rvk Amour.” Before playing, they asked, “Who loves being in love?” and the room lit up. Amor Vincit Omnia may not deliver perfection, but they sure do deliver a feeling that got me excited for the rest of the night. Definitely an artist to watch. – DZ 

Grocery Bag

For some cruel reason, Texas temperatures dipped below 60 degrees on March 16 and 17. Leave it to Austin’s own Grocery Bag to bring the heat at a chilly outdoor performance at Zilker Brewing. Their staggering 10th performance of the festival didn’t show a hint of fatigue. Guitarist Dillon Aitala bounded across the stage in overalls while bassist Logan Kerman stood out with memorable riffs. Friends of the band packed the crowd and made it obvious that the formidable psych garage band could play 10 more shows and they’d all be as memorable and well-attended. – NH

Amie Blu

Amie Blu and band did nothing short of impress. There is no better sight than a female vocal lead standing foreground to a male band—a promise of a solid quintet dynamic. Billboard House welcomed Blu to Mohawk Outdoor where audience members ducked the beams of scorching sun like vampires. As soon as Blu took to the stage, a cool air swept through the venue and parted crowds merged into one. Was it magic or just the lullaby of music to my ears? The South East Londoner fits snugly into the Indie Pop category with a sound of the likes of Mk.gee and Faye Webster. The 23-year-old was wise beyond her years, serenading ye olde truths in her sung poetry and sporting loafers. Amie Blu, if you’re reading this, my deepest sorrows for the loss of your kitten. – RC

Mugger 

Hardcore punk band Mugger pummeled me into adorant submission. With a devil-may-care attitude and melodic yet brutally heavy riffs that would make Turnstile blush, they were by far Den of Geek’s collective favorite Austin-based act. Just when I thought the band couldn’t be any better, lead singer Anna Troxel donned a luchador mask halfway through their set and essentially transformed into a punk superhero. This band should be on everyone’s radar. – NH

Chalk 

I discovered Chalk while absentmindedly listening to my Discover Weekly playlist on Spotify a few months ago. Their song “Conditions” scratched my Irish alt-rock itch with a tinge of nostalgic new wave elements, and it became a regular feature in my rotating playlists. You can only imagine my surprise when I wandered into the British Music Embassy sometime around midnight to find the very same band dominating the stage. 

The trio was mostly playing tracks off their new album, Crystalpunk, which dropped two days prior to their first SXSW set. Chalk’s new album fuses my beloved dejected hardcore sound with techno dance beats and autotuned vocals. “It’s like if Charli XCX made punk music,” I screamed in my friend’s ear as “Béal Feirste” washed over the crowd, another track off the debut album that turned me from a fair-weather Discover Weekly fan into a diehard daily listener. If my ear is correct, Chalk is on its way to becoming the biggest musical name out of Ireland since Fontaines D.C. – SR

Gus Baldwin and The Sketch

Another Austin punk band? Look, I promise, we checked out other genres, but something is fucking happening in the scene here! Gus Baldwin and The Sketch are so powerful that a cowboy hat just materialized on my head. The Sketch are like if Parquet Courts listened to more AC/DC. And out of every band we caught at SXSW, Gus Baldwin is the best frontman, full stop. – NH 

Cashier

Hat tip to the official SXSW playlist for putting me on to the Lafayette, Louisiana four-piece Cashier. Leading into the festival I had tracks “Part From Me” and “Maybe I Was Wrong” on repeat so aggressively you’d think there was a monetary prize for landing in the top one percent of an artist’s Spotify Wrapped. I was both thrilled for the band yet dismayed for my newfound fandom to see a line out the door of Chess Club for their gig. 

Eventually we pushed through and were met with a wall of bodies and crunchy, swirling riffs. In their recent EP release, the band is quoted as saying their work is a celebration of rock guitar. A no frills stage presence led by vocalist and guitarist Kylie Gaspard allows you to ruminate on any range of influences from grunge and hardcore, to pop punk and ‘00 alternative. It feels less celebratory and more like a coronation: the Southern rock revival has indeed spread from Asheville to Lafayette, and westward to Austin. – CL 

Elijah Johnston

At the legendary Continental Club, Elijah Johnston was lucky he wasn’t pulled from the stage. Not because he wasn’t up to performing or captivating the crowd. On the contrary, the whip-smart lyricist was dropping winning, earworm choruses left and right. However, it was Athens in Austin night at the Continental, a showcase for Athens, Georgias’s ever-lively music scene, and Johnston confessed that he actually had been living in Atlanta for quite some time. Shhhh, Elijah — we won’t tell if you don’t. – NH

Slomo Drags

You’ll never know who you might meet when you’re catching a breather. “I like your hat,” was all it took to get me to talk to Ty, whose partner’s band was playing inside. I was asked if I had seen any Austin bands. I sure did, hence why I was very interested in hearing more. Ty says lead singer Jackson Albrachtis a mixologist in town and crafts some of the best cocktails you can imagine. I would love to fact-check this, but I’m gonna go out on a limb and say I think he might actually craft better songs! 

According to Albracht, SXSW is dead, but thank God he and his band are here to resuscitate it. They make top shelf indie rock filled with funk and hooks galore. Adam Mason is one of Austin’s best guitar players and all-around Swiss Army Knives, even mixing it up in Ben Kweller’s band alongside Superbad star Christoper Mintz-Plasse, but here, he’s holding it down on bass. During their performance, I wondered where the glorious keyboard licks were coming from; the Chess Club stage necessitated that Ty’s partner, Bowman Maze (of Sometimes a Legend), sit criss-cross applesauce in the corner of the stage. These guys don’t suffer drunk repeaters or fools, but they love anyone who sings along. – NH 

CDSM

Remember Adult DVD? From above? Surely you’ve listened to them by now. For this band, think moodier, but every bit as dancey, with 100 percent more saxophone. Kinda reminds us of the Voidz. Remember when we said Adult DVD’s Tuesday night show popped the fuck off? Afterward, a buzzed-up group of attendees spilled out into the street, and we met Tyler, who told us about his band, CDSM from Atlanta. It was serendipity; when the Adult DVD gang was asked about their favorite set that they caught at SXSW, they didn’t hesitate to say CDSM. Listen to Adult DVD’s advice — these guys rule. Buy their shirts, records, and stickers. They played 14 shows in eight days; they deserve it. – NH

The post Adult DVD, Gogol Bordello, Amie Blu: The Best Music We Caught at SXSW 2026 appeared first on Den of Geek.

Dan does not love his wife. That would be apparent to anyone if they gave him the time of day. The Jason Segel character clumsily drops into conversation to every co-worker within earshot that he and the little lady are going to a cabin in the woods this weekend. More desperate still, are his lamentations […]

The post Over Your Dead Body Review: Samara Weaving Delights in ‘Murder Your Spouse’ Comedy appeared first on Den of Geek.

Taking in all the music at South by Southwest is a bit of a marathon. You find yourself waking up thinking, “I couldn’t possibly drink again tonight. My ears are still ringing; how can I be expected to step foot in another loud club? My voice is gone — I couldn’t hoot and holler for another band if I tried.” But then you catch a second wind. And a third. A well-timed Celsius and an Arrachera taco from the strategically placed TacoWëy food stands get you feeling right as rain. The combination of electrifying talent and FOMO propels you from one set to another until you find yourself at closing time, knowing it will hurt again in the morning, but soldiering on all the same

I cannot lie; the common refrain amongst locals and longtime attendees is that attendance is down. The literal gaping hole where a centralized convention center once stood/will stand is a reminder that SXSW is missing a centrifugal force. Meanwhile, the film, television, and technology sectors of SXSW feel like they’re taking up more of the oxygen. That said, we didn’t let that prevent us from traversing downtown, 6th Street, South Congress, and East Austin in search of familiar favorites and fresh finds. 

Here are the most notable acts that the Den of Geek staff enjoyed at South By Southwest 2026.

Adult DVD

When I chatted with the Leeds-based dance punk band Adult DVD on Monday afternoon, they had been awake for over 24 hours. After their gig the night before, the lads had spent the wee hours riding mechanical bulls at Buck Wild. I was chuffed when they happened to saddle up next to our group at Casino El Camino for some pints (OK, I’ll stop with the Brit speak) and cigarettes after we had just caught their second show of the festival at the British Music Embassy. Their laid-back charm was particularly endearing after an afternoon set plagued by in-ear and monitor issues, which momentarily frustrated the band even if it ultimately didn’t affect their sound. It’s par the course for the tight stage turnovers at SXSW, and they rose above it.

Still, it was a relief when everything came together for Adult DVD Monday night at Swan Dive; their infectious, funny rave-ups finally popped the audience. Sweat dripped, bodies bumped up against each other. Moves were busted. For a kid who longed to experience a prime house set at the Haçienda in Manchester in the late ‘80s, or a DFA dance night on the Lower East Side in the early 2000s, this might be as close as I’ll get. 

If I were a writer for the NME, my hyperbolic headline would be “I’ve seen the future of indie sleaze, and its name is Adult DVD.” And look, I realize it can be intoxicating to rub shoulders with bands you admire, but I promise this isn’t that; this was Den of Geek’s unanimous favorite band of the festival. The band is working on their debut album with Fat Possum Records as I type and I’m smashing the preorder button first chance I get. I’ve been walking around singing “BILL MURRAY, BILL MURRAY IS LOST IN JAPAN/TOM HANKS, TOM HANKS SAYING CATCH ME IF YOU CAN” into strangers’ faces. Look it up and you will be too. – Nick Harley

2charm 

Sometimes you have to take a risk and tell your millennial bosses that the must-see artists at SXSW are two shirtless guys from Melbourne doing pushups onstage in Ugg boots. I’m talking, of course, about 2charm, the indie sleaze “gooner pop” duo. We caught them at Seven Grand Whiskey Bar on Sunday night, and their 1 a.m. set delivered exactly the second wind we needed. I first discovered 2charm back in October with their single “boyfriend,” and they followed it up with their debut album star scum city in February. What I didn’t realize before seeing them live is just how choreographed their performances are. Every song has its own set of moves, and at times it felt like I was playing Just Dance Sweat Mode, trying to keep up during my favorite track, “girls.”

Yes, it really is all about girls, but the men of Den of Geek were just as into the set. I don’t know if I can definitively say they were the best act we saw at SXSW as a group, but I can say with complete confidence that they were my favorite of the festival. Consider me charmed. – Darcie Zudell

Merrick Winter

I saunter into a scene I don’t feel quite cut out for, my first time in a church in 10 years and it’s arguably the most beautiful music venue in all of Austin. With nothing but an artist title, two ears, and a dream, I sit second pew. Central Presbyterian Church has walls 70 feet high built out for the echoing melodies of Merrick Winter. 

Winter combined vocals akin to Caamp (Ohio mentioned!), and Elliott Smith adjacent songbooks to take this audience on a train ride. No, seriously, he beckoned us to take the California Zephyr if we hadn’t already in the title track of their latest full body of work, The California Zephyr. His stance on flying: “Hell no. Sorry…God.” Winter was quick on the draw to thank his audience. Maybe it was the Holy presence or just his London charm. – Riley Clark

Sofia and the Antoinettes 

I don’t envy the position that Sofia and the Antoinettes were in on Thursday. As the third name on the lineup of Rolling Stone’s Future of Music Festival, the London-based singer and her three-piece band were facing a crowd in desperate need of a second wind after two acts had already played and Lola Young’s performance was still hours away. Within seconds, that second wind blew right through Sofia’s Old Hollywood hair and revived the crowd with haunting melodies and poetic lyricism. She charmed the crowd with cheeky anecdotes about past lovers and the internal inspirations behind her music. I felt the presence of Jeff Buckley, Phoebe Bridgers, and Nick Drake onstage beside her as existential bridges swelled and I found myself hoping the set would never end. – Sophia Rooksberry 

Gogol Bordello

Fresh off a connecting flight and the dreamy haze of sitting on a Florida beach, I was snapped right into the high-seed neon chase of SXSW by Gogol Bordello’s opening night performance. Listed as a “high sensory experience” online, the Lower East Side punk outfit’s performance delivered an encounter so steeped in flashing lights and mania, I thought I was being beamed up. Led by singer Eugene Hütz, the seven-piece band engaged and enraged through songs from their newest album, We Mean It, Man!

Deciding the crowd wasn’t living up to expectations, Hütz ordered the forming mosh pit to “Start swaying motherfuckers.” He was happily obliged when Puzzled Panther jumped on stage to perform a personal favorite off the album, “From Boyarka to Boyaca.” Fans new and old crowded the three-storied venue, jumping, pushing, and screaming the night away. The performance was capped in a delirious crowd and a spontaneous sidewalk performance outside the venue. After nearly 30 years under pressure, Gogol Bordello has burst forth as a gem of post-punk revolution. – Alexandra Hopkins

Geordie Greep

After the dogged pace of SXSW, the Tuesday night set from Geordie Greep was uniquely brain-melting. Greep’s jazz-influenced guitar freakouts and his impossibly tight band are almost maddeningly idiosyncratic. It was a smart choice to simply project Greenwich Mean Time on the screen behind him as he performed; never has such a bugged-out midnight showcase felt more like 5 a.m. – NH

Didjits

South By’s only scorching hot day, reaching a high of 99, required plenty of hydration. Rick Sims was having none of it. “It’s full of vodka,” he joked, holding up a full water bottle to the packed backyard at Hotel Vegas. Or not. Who knows. Who cares? The longtime Didjits frontman offered us a reprieve from the late afternoon sun, drawing in the crowd with his abrasive antics and thundering riffs. 

His Didjits journey dates back to the early ‘80s, but Sims seems energized by his much younger touring bandmates—who offered smirks and winks as they watched their fearless leader trade middle fingers with fans, heckle the crowd (“Austin bitches!”), and spunk off the neck of his guitar into the crowd mid solo on multiple tracks. Sims fed off the adoration of the punk-mad scene in Austin. And from the moment we saw him strut on stage—with a frilled blazer, puffed shoulder pads, dark, round glasses, and seductively shaking his old ass and wiggling his tongue, we gave it right back. Middle fingers up for a punk legend. – Chris Longo

Amor Vincit Omnia 

It’s 11:30 p.m. on Sunday. I’m bloated from barbeque, exhausted, and severely dehydrated, yet somehow still being pulled toward the stage at Low Down Lounge by two blond Icelanders asking, “Do you wantttt it?” Amor Vincit Omnia’s sound is compelling in a way that’s energetic enough to have you shaking your head, yet hazy and vibey in a way that makes you want to stretch your arms wide and just float. I saw their set completely sober, but their blend of folk textures and electronic noise still made me feel like I was on a cloud. 

Things took a turn from intriguing to unforgettable when the pair pulled out small egg shakers and moved across the stage in perfect sync. It was so specific and totally captivating. The set clicked into place during “Rvk Amour.” Before playing, they asked, “Who loves being in love?” and the room lit up. Amor Vincit Omnia may not deliver perfection, but they sure do deliver a feeling that got me excited for the rest of the night. Definitely an artist to watch. – DZ 

Grocery Bag

For some cruel reason, Texas temperatures dipped below 60 degrees on March 16 and 17. Leave it to Austin’s own Grocery Bag to bring the heat at a chilly outdoor performance at Zilker Brewing. Their staggering 10th performance of the festival didn’t show a hint of fatigue. Guitarist Dillon Aitala bounded across the stage in overalls while bassist Logan Kerman stood out with memorable riffs. Friends of the band packed the crowd and made it obvious that the formidable psych garage band could play 10 more shows and they’d all be as memorable and well-attended. – NH

Amie Blu

Amie Blu and band did nothing short of impress. There is no better sight than a female vocal lead standing foreground to a male band—a promise of a solid quintet dynamic. Billboard House welcomed Blu to Mohawk Outdoor where audience members ducked the beams of scorching sun like vampires. As soon as Blu took to the stage, a cool air swept through the venue and parted crowds merged into one. Was it magic or just the lullaby of music to my ears? The South East Londoner fits snugly into the Indie Pop category with a sound of the likes of Mk.gee and Faye Webster. The 23-year-old was wise beyond her years, serenading ye olde truths in her sung poetry and sporting loafers. Amie Blu, if you’re reading this, my deepest sorrows for the loss of your kitten. – RC

Mugger 

Hardcore punk band Mugger pummeled me into adorant submission. With a devil-may-care attitude and melodic yet brutally heavy riffs that would make Turnstile blush, they were by far Den of Geek’s collective favorite Austin-based act. Just when I thought the band couldn’t be any better, lead singer Anna Troxel donned a luchador mask halfway through their set and essentially transformed into a punk superhero. This band should be on everyone’s radar. – NH

Chalk 

I discovered Chalk while absentmindedly listening to my Discover Weekly playlist on Spotify a few months ago. Their song “Conditions” scratched my Irish alt-rock itch with a tinge of nostalgic new wave elements, and it became a regular feature in my rotating playlists. You can only imagine my surprise when I wandered into the British Music Embassy sometime around midnight to find the very same band dominating the stage. 

The trio was mostly playing tracks off their new album, Crystalpunk, which dropped two days prior to their first SXSW set. Chalk’s new album fuses my beloved dejected hardcore sound with techno dance beats and autotuned vocals. “It’s like if Charli XCX made punk music,” I screamed in my friend’s ear as “Béal Feirste” washed over the crowd, another track off the debut album that turned me from a fair-weather Discover Weekly fan into a diehard daily listener. If my ear is correct, Chalk is on its way to becoming the biggest musical name out of Ireland since Fontaines D.C. – SR

Gus Baldwin and The Sketch

Another Austin punk band? Look, I promise, we checked out other genres, but something is fucking happening in the scene here! Gus Baldwin and The Sketch are so powerful that a cowboy hat just materialized on my head. The Sketch are like if Parquet Courts listened to more AC/DC. And out of every band we caught at SXSW, Gus Baldwin is the best frontman, full stop. – NH 

Cashier

Hat tip to the official SXSW playlist for putting me on to the Lafayette, Louisiana four-piece Cashier. Leading into the festival I had tracks “Part From Me” and “Maybe I Was Wrong” on repeat so aggressively you’d think there was a monetary prize for landing in the top one percent of an artist’s Spotify Wrapped. I was both thrilled for the band yet dismayed for my newfound fandom to see a line out the door of Chess Club for their gig. 

Eventually we pushed through and were met with a wall of bodies and crunchy, swirling riffs. In their recent EP release, the band is quoted as saying their work is a celebration of rock guitar. A no frills stage presence led by vocalist and guitarist Kylie Gaspard allows you to ruminate on any range of influences from grunge and hardcore, to pop punk and ‘00 alternative. It feels less celebratory and more like a coronation: the Southern rock revival has indeed spread from Asheville to Lafayette, and westward to Austin. – CL 

Elijah Johnston

At the legendary Continental Club, Elijah Johnston was lucky he wasn’t pulled from the stage. Not because he wasn’t up to performing or captivating the crowd. On the contrary, the whip-smart lyricist was dropping winning, earworm choruses left and right. However, it was Athens in Austin night at the Continental, a showcase for Athens, Georgias’s ever-lively music scene, and Johnston confessed that he actually had been living in Atlanta for quite some time. Shhhh, Elijah — we won’t tell if you don’t. – NH

Slomo Drags

You’ll never know who you might meet when you’re catching a breather. “I like your hat,” was all it took to get me to talk to Ty, whose partner’s band was playing inside. I was asked if I had seen any Austin bands. I sure did, hence why I was very interested in hearing more. Ty says lead singer Jackson Albrachtis a mixologist in town and crafts some of the best cocktails you can imagine. I would love to fact-check this, but I’m gonna go out on a limb and say I think he might actually craft better songs! 

According to Albracht, SXSW is dead, but thank God he and his band are here to resuscitate it. They make top shelf indie rock filled with funk and hooks galore. Adam Mason is one of Austin’s best guitar players and all-around Swiss Army Knives, even mixing it up in Ben Kweller’s band alongside Superbad star Christoper Mintz-Plasse, but here, he’s holding it down on bass. During their performance, I wondered where the glorious keyboard licks were coming from; the Chess Club stage necessitated that Ty’s partner, Bowman Maze (of Sometimes a Legend), sit criss-cross applesauce in the corner of the stage. These guys don’t suffer drunk repeaters or fools, but they love anyone who sings along. – NH 

CDSM

Remember Adult DVD? From above? Surely you’ve listened to them by now. For this band, think moodier, but every bit as dancey, with 100 percent more saxophone. Kinda reminds us of the Voidz. Remember when we said Adult DVD’s Tuesday night show popped the fuck off? Afterward, a buzzed-up group of attendees spilled out into the street, and we met Tyler, who told us about his band, CDSM from Atlanta. It was serendipity; when the Adult DVD gang was asked about their favorite set that they caught at SXSW, they didn’t hesitate to say CDSM. Listen to Adult DVD’s advice — these guys rule. Buy their shirts, records, and stickers. They played 14 shows in eight days; they deserve it. – NH

The post Adult DVD, Gogol Bordello, Amie Blu: The Best Music We Caught at SXSW 2026 appeared first on Den of Geek.

Star Trek, in general, is in a bit of an odd limbo at the moment. Despite the fact that we’ve still got two seasons of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds left before the show’s final credits roll and a full second season of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy has already been filmed, it’s the first time […]

The post Beloved The Next Generation Star Crushes Fan Hopes for Star Trek: Legacy Series appeared first on Den of Geek.

Taking in all the music at South by Southwest is a bit of a marathon. You find yourself waking up thinking, “I couldn’t possibly drink again tonight. My ears are still ringing; how can I be expected to step foot in another loud club? My voice is gone — I couldn’t hoot and holler for another band if I tried.” But then you catch a second wind. And a third. A well-timed Celsius and an Arrachera taco from the strategically placed TacoWëy food stands get you feeling right as rain. The combination of electrifying talent and FOMO propels you from one set to another until you find yourself at closing time, knowing it will hurt again in the morning, but soldiering on all the same

I cannot lie; the common refrain amongst locals and longtime attendees is that attendance is down. The literal gaping hole where a centralized convention center once stood/will stand is a reminder that SXSW is missing a centrifugal force. Meanwhile, the film, television, and technology sectors of SXSW feel like they’re taking up more of the oxygen. That said, we didn’t let that prevent us from traversing downtown, 6th Street, South Congress, and East Austin in search of familiar favorites and fresh finds. 

Here are the most notable acts that the Den of Geek staff enjoyed at South By Southwest 2026.

Adult DVD

When I chatted with the Leeds-based dance punk band Adult DVD on Monday afternoon, they had been awake for over 24 hours. After their gig the night before, the lads had spent the wee hours riding mechanical bulls at Buck Wild. I was chuffed when they happened to saddle up next to our group at Casino El Camino for some pints (OK, I’ll stop with the Brit speak) and cigarettes after we had just caught their second show of the festival at the British Music Embassy. Their laid-back charm was particularly endearing after an afternoon set plagued by in-ear and monitor issues, which momentarily frustrated the band even if it ultimately didn’t affect their sound. It’s par the course for the tight stage turnovers at SXSW, and they rose above it.

Still, it was a relief when everything came together for Adult DVD Monday night at Swan Dive; their infectious, funny rave-ups finally popped the audience. Sweat dripped, bodies bumped up against each other. Moves were busted. For a kid who longed to experience a prime house set at the Haçienda in Manchester in the late ‘80s, or a DFA dance night on the Lower East Side in the early 2000s, this might be as close as I’ll get. 

If I were a writer for the NME, my hyperbolic headline would be “I’ve seen the future of indie sleaze, and its name is Adult DVD.” And look, I realize it can be intoxicating to rub shoulders with bands you admire, but I promise this isn’t that; this was Den of Geek’s unanimous favorite band of the festival. The band is working on their debut album with Fat Possum Records as I type and I’m smashing the preorder button first chance I get. I’ve been walking around singing “BILL MURRAY, BILL MURRAY IS LOST IN JAPAN/TOM HANKS, TOM HANKS SAYING CATCH ME IF YOU CAN” into strangers’ faces. Look it up and you will be too. – Nick Harley

2charm 

Sometimes you have to take a risk and tell your millennial bosses that the must-see artists at SXSW are two shirtless guys from Melbourne doing pushups onstage in Ugg boots. I’m talking, of course, about 2charm, the indie sleaze “gooner pop” duo. We caught them at Seven Grand Whiskey Bar on Sunday night, and their 1 a.m. set delivered exactly the second wind we needed. I first discovered 2charm back in October with their single “boyfriend,” and they followed it up with their debut album star scum city in February. What I didn’t realize before seeing them live is just how choreographed their performances are. Every song has its own set of moves, and at times it felt like I was playing Just Dance Sweat Mode, trying to keep up during my favorite track, “girls.”

Yes, it really is all about girls, but the men of Den of Geek were just as into the set. I don’t know if I can definitively say they were the best act we saw at SXSW as a group, but I can say with complete confidence that they were my favorite of the festival. Consider me charmed. – Darcie Zudell

Merrick Winter

I saunter into a scene I don’t feel quite cut out for, my first time in a church in 10 years and it’s arguably the most beautiful music venue in all of Austin. With nothing but an artist title, two ears, and a dream, I sit second pew. Central Presbyterian Church has walls 70 feet high built out for the echoing melodies of Merrick Winter. 

Winter combined vocals akin to Caamp (Ohio mentioned!), and Elliott Smith adjacent songbooks to take this audience on a train ride. No, seriously, he beckoned us to take the California Zephyr if we hadn’t already in the title track of their latest full body of work, The California Zephyr. His stance on flying: “Hell no. Sorry…God.” Winter was quick on the draw to thank his audience. Maybe it was the Holy presence or just his London charm. – Riley Clark

Sofia and the Antoinettes 

I don’t envy the position that Sofia and the Antoinettes were in on Thursday. As the third name on the lineup of Rolling Stone’s Future of Music Festival, the London-based singer and her three-piece band were facing a crowd in desperate need of a second wind after two acts had already played and Lola Young’s performance was still hours away. Within seconds, that second wind blew right through Sofia’s Old Hollywood hair and revived the crowd with haunting melodies and poetic lyricism. She charmed the crowd with cheeky anecdotes about past lovers and the internal inspirations behind her music. I felt the presence of Jeff Buckley, Phoebe Bridgers, and Nick Drake onstage beside her as existential bridges swelled and I found myself hoping the set would never end. – Sophia Rooksberry 

Gogol Bordello

Fresh off a connecting flight and the dreamy haze of sitting on a Florida beach, I was snapped right into the high-seed neon chase of SXSW by Gogol Bordello’s opening night performance. Listed as a “high sensory experience” online, the Lower East Side punk outfit’s performance delivered an encounter so steeped in flashing lights and mania, I thought I was being beamed up. Led by singer Eugene Hütz, the seven-piece band engaged and enraged through songs from their newest album, We Mean It, Man!

Deciding the crowd wasn’t living up to expectations, Hütz ordered the forming mosh pit to “Start swaying motherfuckers.” He was happily obliged when Puzzled Panther jumped on stage to perform a personal favorite off the album, “From Boyarka to Boyaca.” Fans new and old crowded the three-storied venue, jumping, pushing, and screaming the night away. The performance was capped in a delirious crowd and a spontaneous sidewalk performance outside the venue. After nearly 30 years under pressure, Gogol Bordello has burst forth as a gem of post-punk revolution. – Alexandra Hopkins

Geordie Greep

After the dogged pace of SXSW, the Tuesday night set from Geordie Greep was uniquely brain-melting. Greep’s jazz-influenced guitar freakouts and his impossibly tight band are almost maddeningly idiosyncratic. It was a smart choice to simply project Greenwich Mean Time on the screen behind him as he performed; never has such a bugged-out midnight showcase felt more like 5 a.m. – NH

Didjits

South By’s only scorching hot day, reaching a high of 99, required plenty of hydration. Rick Sims was having none of it. “It’s full of vodka,” he joked, holding up a full water bottle to the packed backyard at Hotel Vegas. Or not. Who knows. Who cares? The longtime Didjits frontman offered us a reprieve from the late afternoon sun, drawing in the crowd with his abrasive antics and thundering riffs. 

His Didjits journey dates back to the early ‘80s, but Sims seems energized by his much younger touring bandmates—who offered smirks and winks as they watched their fearless leader trade middle fingers with fans, heckle the crowd (“Austin bitches!”), and spunk off the neck of his guitar into the crowd mid solo on multiple tracks. Sims fed off the adoration of the punk-mad scene in Austin. And from the moment we saw him strut on stage—with a frilled blazer, puffed shoulder pads, dark, round glasses, and seductively shaking his old ass and wiggling his tongue, we gave it right back. Middle fingers up for a punk legend. – Chris Longo

Amor Vincit Omnia 

It’s 11:30 p.m. on Sunday. I’m bloated from barbeque, exhausted, and severely dehydrated, yet somehow still being pulled toward the stage at Low Down Lounge by two blond Icelanders asking, “Do you wantttt it?” Amor Vincit Omnia’s sound is compelling in a way that’s energetic enough to have you shaking your head, yet hazy and vibey in a way that makes you want to stretch your arms wide and just float. I saw their set completely sober, but their blend of folk textures and electronic noise still made me feel like I was on a cloud. 

Things took a turn from intriguing to unforgettable when the pair pulled out small egg shakers and moved across the stage in perfect sync. It was so specific and totally captivating. The set clicked into place during “Rvk Amour.” Before playing, they asked, “Who loves being in love?” and the room lit up. Amor Vincit Omnia may not deliver perfection, but they sure do deliver a feeling that got me excited for the rest of the night. Definitely an artist to watch. – DZ 

Grocery Bag

For some cruel reason, Texas temperatures dipped below 60 degrees on March 16 and 17. Leave it to Austin’s own Grocery Bag to bring the heat at a chilly outdoor performance at Zilker Brewing. Their staggering 10th performance of the festival didn’t show a hint of fatigue. Guitarist Dillon Aitala bounded across the stage in overalls while bassist Logan Kerman stood out with memorable riffs. Friends of the band packed the crowd and made it obvious that the formidable psych garage band could play 10 more shows and they’d all be as memorable and well-attended. – NH

Amie Blu

Amie Blu and band did nothing short of impress. There is no better sight than a female vocal lead standing foreground to a male band—a promise of a solid quintet dynamic. Billboard House welcomed Blu to Mohawk Outdoor where audience members ducked the beams of scorching sun like vampires. As soon as Blu took to the stage, a cool air swept through the venue and parted crowds merged into one. Was it magic or just the lullaby of music to my ears? The South East Londoner fits snugly into the Indie Pop category with a sound of the likes of Mk.gee and Faye Webster. The 23-year-old was wise beyond her years, serenading ye olde truths in her sung poetry and sporting loafers. Amie Blu, if you’re reading this, my deepest sorrows for the loss of your kitten. – RC

Mugger 

Hardcore punk band Mugger pummeled me into adorant submission. With a devil-may-care attitude and melodic yet brutally heavy riffs that would make Turnstile blush, they were by far Den of Geek’s collective favorite Austin-based act. Just when I thought the band couldn’t be any better, lead singer Anna Troxel donned a luchador mask halfway through their set and essentially transformed into a punk superhero. This band should be on everyone’s radar. – NH

Chalk 

I discovered Chalk while absentmindedly listening to my Discover Weekly playlist on Spotify a few months ago. Their song “Conditions” scratched my Irish alt-rock itch with a tinge of nostalgic new wave elements, and it became a regular feature in my rotating playlists. You can only imagine my surprise when I wandered into the British Music Embassy sometime around midnight to find the very same band dominating the stage. 

The trio was mostly playing tracks off their new album, Crystalpunk, which dropped two days prior to their first SXSW set. Chalk’s new album fuses my beloved dejected hardcore sound with techno dance beats and autotuned vocals. “It’s like if Charli XCX made punk music,” I screamed in my friend’s ear as “Béal Feirste” washed over the crowd, another track off the debut album that turned me from a fair-weather Discover Weekly fan into a diehard daily listener. If my ear is correct, Chalk is on its way to becoming the biggest musical name out of Ireland since Fontaines D.C. – SR

Gus Baldwin and The Sketch

Another Austin punk band? Look, I promise, we checked out other genres, but something is fucking happening in the scene here! Gus Baldwin and The Sketch are so powerful that a cowboy hat just materialized on my head. The Sketch are like if Parquet Courts listened to more AC/DC. And out of every band we caught at SXSW, Gus Baldwin is the best frontman, full stop. – NH 

Cashier

Hat tip to the official SXSW playlist for putting me on to the Lafayette, Louisiana four-piece Cashier. Leading into the festival I had tracks “Part From Me” and “Maybe I Was Wrong” on repeat so aggressively you’d think there was a monetary prize for landing in the top one percent of an artist’s Spotify Wrapped. I was both thrilled for the band yet dismayed for my newfound fandom to see a line out the door of Chess Club for their gig. 

Eventually we pushed through and were met with a wall of bodies and crunchy, swirling riffs. In their recent EP release, the band is quoted as saying their work is a celebration of rock guitar. A no frills stage presence led by vocalist and guitarist Kylie Gaspard allows you to ruminate on any range of influences from grunge and hardcore, to pop punk and ‘00 alternative. It feels less celebratory and more like a coronation: the Southern rock revival has indeed spread from Asheville to Lafayette, and westward to Austin. – CL 

Elijah Johnston

At the legendary Continental Club, Elijah Johnston was lucky he wasn’t pulled from the stage. Not because he wasn’t up to performing or captivating the crowd. On the contrary, the whip-smart lyricist was dropping winning, earworm choruses left and right. However, it was Athens in Austin night at the Continental, a showcase for Athens, Georgias’s ever-lively music scene, and Johnston confessed that he actually had been living in Atlanta for quite some time. Shhhh, Elijah — we won’t tell if you don’t. – NH

Slomo Drags

You’ll never know who you might meet when you’re catching a breather. “I like your hat,” was all it took to get me to talk to Ty, whose partner’s band was playing inside. I was asked if I had seen any Austin bands. I sure did, hence why I was very interested in hearing more. Ty says lead singer Jackson Albrachtis a mixologist in town and crafts some of the best cocktails you can imagine. I would love to fact-check this, but I’m gonna go out on a limb and say I think he might actually craft better songs! 

According to Albracht, SXSW is dead, but thank God he and his band are here to resuscitate it. They make top shelf indie rock filled with funk and hooks galore. Adam Mason is one of Austin’s best guitar players and all-around Swiss Army Knives, even mixing it up in Ben Kweller’s band alongside Superbad star Christoper Mintz-Plasse, but here, he’s holding it down on bass. During their performance, I wondered where the glorious keyboard licks were coming from; the Chess Club stage necessitated that Ty’s partner, Bowman Maze (of Sometimes a Legend), sit criss-cross applesauce in the corner of the stage. These guys don’t suffer drunk repeaters or fools, but they love anyone who sings along. – NH 

CDSM

Remember Adult DVD? From above? Surely you’ve listened to them by now. For this band, think moodier, but every bit as dancey, with 100 percent more saxophone. Kinda reminds us of the Voidz. Remember when we said Adult DVD’s Tuesday night show popped the fuck off? Afterward, a buzzed-up group of attendees spilled out into the street, and we met Tyler, who told us about his band, CDSM from Atlanta. It was serendipity; when the Adult DVD gang was asked about their favorite set that they caught at SXSW, they didn’t hesitate to say CDSM. Listen to Adult DVD’s advice — these guys rule. Buy their shirts, records, and stickers. They played 14 shows in eight days; they deserve it. – NH

The post Adult DVD, Gogol Bordello, Amie Blu: The Best Music We Caught at SXSW 2026 appeared first on Den of Geek.

Movie mistakes are a staple of filmmaking, but some errors are so obvious that it’s hard to believe they made it into the final cut. From glaring continuity issues to misplaced props, these moments could have been fixed in editing, but weren’t. Sometimes the mistake is small, like a cup on a table, and other times it’s a major flub that fans instantly notice. Whether it’s an actor flubbing a line, a visible crew member, or anachronistic props, these 15 movie mistakes somehow slipped past the editors, leaving audiences scratching their heads and wondering how no one caught them before release.

The post 15 Movie Mistakes We Can’t Believe They Missed appeared first on Den of Geek.

Taking in all the music at South by Southwest is a bit of a marathon. You find yourself waking up thinking, “I couldn’t possibly drink again tonight. My ears are still ringing; how can I be expected to step foot in another loud club? My voice is gone — I couldn’t hoot and holler for another band if I tried.” But then you catch a second wind. And a third. A well-timed Celsius and an Arrachera taco from the strategically placed TacoWëy food stands get you feeling right as rain. The combination of electrifying talent and FOMO propels you from one set to another until you find yourself at closing time, knowing it will hurt again in the morning, but soldiering on all the same

I cannot lie; the common refrain amongst locals and longtime attendees is that attendance is down. The literal gaping hole where a centralized convention center once stood/will stand is a reminder that SXSW is missing a centrifugal force. Meanwhile, the film, television, and technology sectors of SXSW feel like they’re taking up more of the oxygen. That said, we didn’t let that prevent us from traversing downtown, 6th Street, South Congress, and East Austin in search of familiar favorites and fresh finds. 

Here are the most notable acts that the Den of Geek staff enjoyed at South By Southwest 2026.

Adult DVD

When I chatted with the Leeds-based dance punk band Adult DVD on Monday afternoon, they had been awake for over 24 hours. After their gig the night before, the lads had spent the wee hours riding mechanical bulls at Buck Wild. I was chuffed when they happened to saddle up next to our group at Casino El Camino for some pints (OK, I’ll stop with the Brit speak) and cigarettes after we had just caught their second show of the festival at the British Music Embassy. Their laid-back charm was particularly endearing after an afternoon set plagued by in-ear and monitor issues, which momentarily frustrated the band even if it ultimately didn’t affect their sound. It’s par the course for the tight stage turnovers at SXSW, and they rose above it.

Still, it was a relief when everything came together for Adult DVD Monday night at Swan Dive; their infectious, funny rave-ups finally popped the audience. Sweat dripped, bodies bumped up against each other. Moves were busted. For a kid who longed to experience a prime house set at the Haçienda in Manchester in the late ‘80s, or a DFA dance night on the Lower East Side in the early 2000s, this might be as close as I’ll get. 

If I were a writer for the NME, my hyperbolic headline would be “I’ve seen the future of indie sleaze, and its name is Adult DVD.” And look, I realize it can be intoxicating to rub shoulders with bands you admire, but I promise this isn’t that; this was Den of Geek’s unanimous favorite band of the festival. The band is working on their debut album with Fat Possum Records as I type and I’m smashing the preorder button first chance I get. I’ve been walking around singing “BILL MURRAY, BILL MURRAY IS LOST IN JAPAN/TOM HANKS, TOM HANKS SAYING CATCH ME IF YOU CAN” into strangers’ faces. Look it up and you will be too. – Nick Harley

2charm 

Sometimes you have to take a risk and tell your millennial bosses that the must-see artists at SXSW are two shirtless guys from Melbourne doing pushups onstage in Ugg boots. I’m talking, of course, about 2charm, the indie sleaze “gooner pop” duo. We caught them at Seven Grand Whiskey Bar on Sunday night, and their 1 a.m. set delivered exactly the second wind we needed. I first discovered 2charm back in October with their single “boyfriend,” and they followed it up with their debut album star scum city in February. What I didn’t realize before seeing them live is just how choreographed their performances are. Every song has its own set of moves, and at times it felt like I was playing Just Dance Sweat Mode, trying to keep up during my favorite track, “girls.”

Yes, it really is all about girls, but the men of Den of Geek were just as into the set. I don’t know if I can definitively say they were the best act we saw at SXSW as a group, but I can say with complete confidence that they were my favorite of the festival. Consider me charmed. – Darcie Zudell

Merrick Winter

I saunter into a scene I don’t feel quite cut out for, my first time in a church in 10 years and it’s arguably the most beautiful music venue in all of Austin. With nothing but an artist title, two ears, and a dream, I sit second pew. Central Presbyterian Church has walls 70 feet high built out for the echoing melodies of Merrick Winter. 

Winter combined vocals akin to Caamp (Ohio mentioned!), and Elliott Smith adjacent songbooks to take this audience on a train ride. No, seriously, he beckoned us to take the California Zephyr if we hadn’t already in the title track of their latest full body of work, The California Zephyr. His stance on flying: “Hell no. Sorry…God.” Winter was quick on the draw to thank his audience. Maybe it was the Holy presence or just his London charm. – Riley Clark

Sofia and the Antoinettes 

I don’t envy the position that Sofia and the Antoinettes were in on Thursday. As the third name on the lineup of Rolling Stone’s Future of Music Festival, the London-based singer and her three-piece band were facing a crowd in desperate need of a second wind after two acts had already played and Lola Young’s performance was still hours away. Within seconds, that second wind blew right through Sofia’s Old Hollywood hair and revived the crowd with haunting melodies and poetic lyricism. She charmed the crowd with cheeky anecdotes about past lovers and the internal inspirations behind her music. I felt the presence of Jeff Buckley, Phoebe Bridgers, and Nick Drake onstage beside her as existential bridges swelled and I found myself hoping the set would never end. – Sophia Rooksberry 

Gogol Bordello

Fresh off a connecting flight and the dreamy haze of sitting on a Florida beach, I was snapped right into the high-seed neon chase of SXSW by Gogol Bordello’s opening night performance. Listed as a “high sensory experience” online, the Lower East Side punk outfit’s performance delivered an encounter so steeped in flashing lights and mania, I thought I was being beamed up. Led by singer Eugene Hütz, the seven-piece band engaged and enraged through songs from their newest album, We Mean It, Man!

Deciding the crowd wasn’t living up to expectations, Hütz ordered the forming mosh pit to “Start swaying motherfuckers.” He was happily obliged when Puzzled Panther jumped on stage to perform a personal favorite off the album, “From Boyarka to Boyaca.” Fans new and old crowded the three-storied venue, jumping, pushing, and screaming the night away. The performance was capped in a delirious crowd and a spontaneous sidewalk performance outside the venue. After nearly 30 years under pressure, Gogol Bordello has burst forth as a gem of post-punk revolution. – Alexandra Hopkins

Geordie Greep

After the dogged pace of SXSW, the Tuesday night set from Geordie Greep was uniquely brain-melting. Greep’s jazz-influenced guitar freakouts and his impossibly tight band are almost maddeningly idiosyncratic. It was a smart choice to simply project Greenwich Mean Time on the screen behind him as he performed; never has such a bugged-out midnight showcase felt more like 5 a.m. – NH

Didjits

South By’s only scorching hot day, reaching a high of 99, required plenty of hydration. Rick Sims was having none of it. “It’s full of vodka,” he joked, holding up a full water bottle to the packed backyard at Hotel Vegas. Or not. Who knows. Who cares? The longtime Didjits frontman offered us a reprieve from the late afternoon sun, drawing in the crowd with his abrasive antics and thundering riffs. 

His Didjits journey dates back to the early ‘80s, but Sims seems energized by his much younger touring bandmates—who offered smirks and winks as they watched their fearless leader trade middle fingers with fans, heckle the crowd (“Austin bitches!”), and spunk off the neck of his guitar into the crowd mid solo on multiple tracks. Sims fed off the adoration of the punk-mad scene in Austin. And from the moment we saw him strut on stage—with a frilled blazer, puffed shoulder pads, dark, round glasses, and seductively shaking his old ass and wiggling his tongue, we gave it right back. Middle fingers up for a punk legend. – Chris Longo

Amor Vincit Omnia 

It’s 11:30 p.m. on Sunday. I’m bloated from barbeque, exhausted, and severely dehydrated, yet somehow still being pulled toward the stage at Low Down Lounge by two blond Icelanders asking, “Do you wantttt it?” Amor Vincit Omnia’s sound is compelling in a way that’s energetic enough to have you shaking your head, yet hazy and vibey in a way that makes you want to stretch your arms wide and just float. I saw their set completely sober, but their blend of folk textures and electronic noise still made me feel like I was on a cloud. 

Things took a turn from intriguing to unforgettable when the pair pulled out small egg shakers and moved across the stage in perfect sync. It was so specific and totally captivating. The set clicked into place during “Rvk Amour.” Before playing, they asked, “Who loves being in love?” and the room lit up. Amor Vincit Omnia may not deliver perfection, but they sure do deliver a feeling that got me excited for the rest of the night. Definitely an artist to watch. – DZ 

Grocery Bag

For some cruel reason, Texas temperatures dipped below 60 degrees on March 16 and 17. Leave it to Austin’s own Grocery Bag to bring the heat at a chilly outdoor performance at Zilker Brewing. Their staggering 10th performance of the festival didn’t show a hint of fatigue. Guitarist Dillon Aitala bounded across the stage in overalls while bassist Logan Kerman stood out with memorable riffs. Friends of the band packed the crowd and made it obvious that the formidable psych garage band could play 10 more shows and they’d all be as memorable and well-attended. – NH

Amie Blu

Amie Blu and band did nothing short of impress. There is no better sight than a female vocal lead standing foreground to a male band—a promise of a solid quintet dynamic. Billboard House welcomed Blu to Mohawk Outdoor where audience members ducked the beams of scorching sun like vampires. As soon as Blu took to the stage, a cool air swept through the venue and parted crowds merged into one. Was it magic or just the lullaby of music to my ears? The South East Londoner fits snugly into the Indie Pop category with a sound of the likes of Mk.gee and Faye Webster. The 23-year-old was wise beyond her years, serenading ye olde truths in her sung poetry and sporting loafers. Amie Blu, if you’re reading this, my deepest sorrows for the loss of your kitten. – RC

Mugger 

Hardcore punk band Mugger pummeled me into adorant submission. With a devil-may-care attitude and melodic yet brutally heavy riffs that would make Turnstile blush, they were by far Den of Geek’s collective favorite Austin-based act. Just when I thought the band couldn’t be any better, lead singer Anna Troxel donned a luchador mask halfway through their set and essentially transformed into a punk superhero. This band should be on everyone’s radar. – NH

Chalk 

I discovered Chalk while absentmindedly listening to my Discover Weekly playlist on Spotify a few months ago. Their song “Conditions” scratched my Irish alt-rock itch with a tinge of nostalgic new wave elements, and it became a regular feature in my rotating playlists. You can only imagine my surprise when I wandered into the British Music Embassy sometime around midnight to find the very same band dominating the stage. 

The trio was mostly playing tracks off their new album, Crystalpunk, which dropped two days prior to their first SXSW set. Chalk’s new album fuses my beloved dejected hardcore sound with techno dance beats and autotuned vocals. “It’s like if Charli XCX made punk music,” I screamed in my friend’s ear as “Béal Feirste” washed over the crowd, another track off the debut album that turned me from a fair-weather Discover Weekly fan into a diehard daily listener. If my ear is correct, Chalk is on its way to becoming the biggest musical name out of Ireland since Fontaines D.C. – SR

Gus Baldwin and The Sketch

Another Austin punk band? Look, I promise, we checked out other genres, but something is fucking happening in the scene here! Gus Baldwin and The Sketch are so powerful that a cowboy hat just materialized on my head. The Sketch are like if Parquet Courts listened to more AC/DC. And out of every band we caught at SXSW, Gus Baldwin is the best frontman, full stop. – NH 

Cashier

Hat tip to the official SXSW playlist for putting me on to the Lafayette, Louisiana four-piece Cashier. Leading into the festival I had tracks “Part From Me” and “Maybe I Was Wrong” on repeat so aggressively you’d think there was a monetary prize for landing in the top one percent of an artist’s Spotify Wrapped. I was both thrilled for the band yet dismayed for my newfound fandom to see a line out the door of Chess Club for their gig. 

Eventually we pushed through and were met with a wall of bodies and crunchy, swirling riffs. In their recent EP release, the band is quoted as saying their work is a celebration of rock guitar. A no frills stage presence led by vocalist and guitarist Kylie Gaspard allows you to ruminate on any range of influences from grunge and hardcore, to pop punk and ‘00 alternative. It feels less celebratory and more like a coronation: the Southern rock revival has indeed spread from Asheville to Lafayette, and westward to Austin. – CL 

Elijah Johnston

At the legendary Continental Club, Elijah Johnston was lucky he wasn’t pulled from the stage. Not because he wasn’t up to performing or captivating the crowd. On the contrary, the whip-smart lyricist was dropping winning, earworm choruses left and right. However, it was Athens in Austin night at the Continental, a showcase for Athens, Georgias’s ever-lively music scene, and Johnston confessed that he actually had been living in Atlanta for quite some time. Shhhh, Elijah — we won’t tell if you don’t. – NH

Slomo Drags

You’ll never know who you might meet when you’re catching a breather. “I like your hat,” was all it took to get me to talk to Ty, whose partner’s band was playing inside. I was asked if I had seen any Austin bands. I sure did, hence why I was very interested in hearing more. Ty says lead singer Jackson Albrachtis a mixologist in town and crafts some of the best cocktails you can imagine. I would love to fact-check this, but I’m gonna go out on a limb and say I think he might actually craft better songs! 

According to Albracht, SXSW is dead, but thank God he and his band are here to resuscitate it. They make top shelf indie rock filled with funk and hooks galore. Adam Mason is one of Austin’s best guitar players and all-around Swiss Army Knives, even mixing it up in Ben Kweller’s band alongside Superbad star Christoper Mintz-Plasse, but here, he’s holding it down on bass. During their performance, I wondered where the glorious keyboard licks were coming from; the Chess Club stage necessitated that Ty’s partner, Bowman Maze (of Sometimes a Legend), sit criss-cross applesauce in the corner of the stage. These guys don’t suffer drunk repeaters or fools, but they love anyone who sings along. – NH 

CDSM

Remember Adult DVD? From above? Surely you’ve listened to them by now. For this band, think moodier, but every bit as dancey, with 100 percent more saxophone. Kinda reminds us of the Voidz. Remember when we said Adult DVD’s Tuesday night show popped the fuck off? Afterward, a buzzed-up group of attendees spilled out into the street, and we met Tyler, who told us about his band, CDSM from Atlanta. It was serendipity; when the Adult DVD gang was asked about their favorite set that they caught at SXSW, they didn’t hesitate to say CDSM. Listen to Adult DVD’s advice — these guys rule. Buy their shirts, records, and stickers. They played 14 shows in eight days; they deserve it. – NH

The post Adult DVD, Gogol Bordello, Amie Blu: The Best Music We Caught at SXSW 2026 appeared first on Den of Geek.

Taking in all the music at South by Southwest is a bit of a marathon. You find yourself waking up thinking, “I couldn’t possibly drink again tonight. My ears are still ringing; how can I be expected to step foot in another loud club? My voice is gone — I couldn’t hoot and holler for […]

The post Adult DVD, Gogol Bordello, Amie Blu: The Best Music We Caught at SXSW 2026 appeared first on Den of Geek.

Taking in all the music at South by Southwest is a bit of a marathon. You find yourself waking up thinking, “I couldn’t possibly drink again tonight. My ears are still ringing; how can I be expected to step foot in another loud club? My voice is gone — I couldn’t hoot and holler for another band if I tried.” But then you catch a second wind. And a third. A well-timed Celsius and an Arrachera taco from the strategically placed TacoWëy food stands get you feeling right as rain. The combination of electrifying talent and FOMO propels you from one set to another until you find yourself at closing time, knowing it will hurt again in the morning, but soldiering on all the same

I cannot lie; the common refrain amongst locals and longtime attendees is that attendance is down. The literal gaping hole where a centralized convention center once stood/will stand is a reminder that SXSW is missing a centrifugal force. Meanwhile, the film, television, and technology sectors of SXSW feel like they’re taking up more of the oxygen. That said, we didn’t let that prevent us from traversing downtown, 6th Street, South Congress, and East Austin in search of familiar favorites and fresh finds. 

Here are the most notable acts that the Den of Geek staff enjoyed at South By Southwest 2026.

Adult DVD

When I chatted with the Leeds-based dance punk band Adult DVD on Monday afternoon, they had been awake for over 24 hours. After their gig the night before, the lads had spent the wee hours riding mechanical bulls at Buck Wild. I was chuffed when they happened to saddle up next to our group at Casino El Camino for some pints (OK, I’ll stop with the Brit speak) and cigarettes after we had just caught their second show of the festival at the British Music Embassy. Their laid-back charm was particularly endearing after an afternoon set plagued by in-ear and monitor issues, which momentarily frustrated the band even if it ultimately didn’t affect their sound. It’s par the course for the tight stage turnovers at SXSW, and they rose above it.

Still, it was a relief when everything came together for Adult DVD Monday night at Swan Dive; their infectious, funny rave-ups finally popped the audience. Sweat dripped, bodies bumped up against each other. Moves were busted. For a kid who longed to experience a prime house set at the Haçienda in Manchester in the late ‘80s, or a DFA dance night on the Lower East Side in the early 2000s, this might be as close as I’ll get. 

If I were a writer for the NME, my hyperbolic headline would be “I’ve seen the future of indie sleaze, and its name is Adult DVD.” And look, I realize it can be intoxicating to rub shoulders with bands you admire, but I promise this isn’t that; this was Den of Geek’s unanimous favorite band of the festival. The band is working on their debut album with Fat Possum Records as I type and I’m smashing the preorder button first chance I get. I’ve been walking around singing “BILL MURRAY, BILL MURRAY IS LOST IN JAPAN/TOM HANKS, TOM HANKS SAYING CATCH ME IF YOU CAN” into strangers’ faces. Look it up and you will be too. – Nick Harley

2charm 

Sometimes you have to take a risk and tell your millennial bosses that the must-see artists at SXSW are two shirtless guys from Melbourne doing pushups onstage in Ugg boots. I’m talking, of course, about 2charm, the indie sleaze “gooner pop” duo. We caught them at Seven Grand Whiskey Bar on Sunday night, and their 1 a.m. set delivered exactly the second wind we needed. I first discovered 2charm back in October with their single “boyfriend,” and they followed it up with their debut album star scum city in February. What I didn’t realize before seeing them live is just how choreographed their performances are. Every song has its own set of moves, and at times it felt like I was playing Just Dance Sweat Mode, trying to keep up during my favorite track, “girls.”

Yes, it really is all about girls, but the men of Den of Geek were just as into the set. I don’t know if I can definitively say they were the best act we saw at SXSW as a group, but I can say with complete confidence that they were my favorite of the festival. Consider me charmed. – Darcie Zudell

Merrick Winter

I saunter into a scene I don’t feel quite cut out for, my first time in a church in 10 years and it’s arguably the most beautiful music venue in all of Austin. With nothing but an artist title, two ears, and a dream, I sit second pew. Central Presbyterian Church has walls 70 feet high built out for the echoing melodies of Merrick Winter. 

Winter combined vocals akin to Caamp (Ohio mentioned!), and Elliott Smith adjacent songbooks to take this audience on a train ride. No, seriously, he beckoned us to take the California Zephyr if we hadn’t already in the title track of their latest full body of work, The California Zephyr. His stance on flying: “Hell no. Sorry…God.” Winter was quick on the draw to thank his audience. Maybe it was the Holy presence or just his London charm. – Riley Clark

Sofia and the Antoinettes 

I don’t envy the position that Sofia and the Antoinettes were in on Thursday. As the third name on the lineup of Rolling Stone’s Future of Music Festival, the London-based singer and her three-piece band were facing a crowd in desperate need of a second wind after two acts had already played and Lola Young’s performance was still hours away. Within seconds, that second wind blew right through Sofia’s Old Hollywood hair and revived the crowd with haunting melodies and poetic lyricism. She charmed the crowd with cheeky anecdotes about past lovers and the internal inspirations behind her music. I felt the presence of Jeff Buckley, Phoebe Bridgers, and Nick Drake onstage beside her as existential bridges swelled and I found myself hoping the set would never end. – Sophia Rooksberry 

Gogol Bordello

Fresh off a connecting flight and the dreamy haze of sitting on a Florida beach, I was snapped right into the high-seed neon chase of SXSW by Gogol Bordello’s opening night performance. Listed as a “high sensory experience” online, the Lower East Side punk outfit’s performance delivered an encounter so steeped in flashing lights and mania, I thought I was being beamed up. Led by singer Eugene Hütz, the seven-piece band engaged and enraged through songs from their newest album, We Mean It, Man!

Deciding the crowd wasn’t living up to expectations, Hütz ordered the forming mosh pit to “Start swaying motherfuckers.” He was happily obliged when Puzzled Panther jumped on stage to perform a personal favorite off the album, “From Boyarka to Boyaca.” Fans new and old crowded the three-storied venue, jumping, pushing, and screaming the night away. The performance was capped in a delirious crowd and a spontaneous sidewalk performance outside the venue. After nearly 30 years under pressure, Gogol Bordello has burst forth as a gem of post-punk revolution. – Alexandra Hopkins

Geordie Greep

After the dogged pace of SXSW, the Tuesday night set from Geordie Greep was uniquely brain-melting. Greep’s jazz-influenced guitar freakouts and his impossibly tight band are almost maddeningly idiosyncratic. It was a smart choice to simply project Greenwich Mean Time on the screen behind him as he performed; never has such a bugged-out midnight showcase felt more like 5 a.m. – NH

Didjits

South By’s only scorching hot day, reaching a high of 99, required plenty of hydration. Rick Sims was having none of it. “It’s full of vodka,” he joked, holding up a full water bottle to the packed backyard at Hotel Vegas. Or not. Who knows. Who cares? The longtime Didjits frontman offered us a reprieve from the late afternoon sun, drawing in the crowd with his abrasive antics and thundering riffs. 

His Didjits journey dates back to the early ‘80s, but Sims seems energized by his much younger touring bandmates—who offered smirks and winks as they watched their fearless leader trade middle fingers with fans, heckle the crowd (“Austin bitches!”), and spunk off the neck of his guitar into the crowd mid solo on multiple tracks. Sims fed off the adoration of the punk-mad scene in Austin. And from the moment we saw him strut on stage—with a frilled blazer, puffed shoulder pads, dark, round glasses, and seductively shaking his old ass and wiggling his tongue, we gave it right back. Middle fingers up for a punk legend. – Chris Longo

Amor Vincit Omnia 

It’s 11:30 p.m. on Sunday. I’m bloated from barbeque, exhausted, and severely dehydrated, yet somehow still being pulled toward the stage at Low Down Lounge by two blond Icelanders asking, “Do you wantttt it?” Amor Vincit Omnia’s sound is compelling in a way that’s energetic enough to have you shaking your head, yet hazy and vibey in a way that makes you want to stretch your arms wide and just float. I saw their set completely sober, but their blend of folk textures and electronic noise still made me feel like I was on a cloud. 

Things took a turn from intriguing to unforgettable when the pair pulled out small egg shakers and moved across the stage in perfect sync. It was so specific and totally captivating. The set clicked into place during “Rvk Amour.” Before playing, they asked, “Who loves being in love?” and the room lit up. Amor Vincit Omnia may not deliver perfection, but they sure do deliver a feeling that got me excited for the rest of the night. Definitely an artist to watch. – DZ 

Grocery Bag

For some cruel reason, Texas temperatures dipped below 60 degrees on March 16 and 17. Leave it to Austin’s own Grocery Bag to bring the heat at a chilly outdoor performance at Zilker Brewing. Their staggering 10th performance of the festival didn’t show a hint of fatigue. Guitarist Dillon Aitala bounded across the stage in overalls while bassist Logan Kerman stood out with memorable riffs. Friends of the band packed the crowd and made it obvious that the formidable psych garage band could play 10 more shows and they’d all be as memorable and well-attended. – NH

Amie Blu

Amie Blu and band did nothing short of impress. There is no better sight than a female vocal lead standing foreground to a male band—a promise of a solid quintet dynamic. Billboard House welcomed Blu to Mohawk Outdoor where audience members ducked the beams of scorching sun like vampires. As soon as Blu took to the stage, a cool air swept through the venue and parted crowds merged into one. Was it magic or just the lullaby of music to my ears? The South East Londoner fits snugly into the Indie Pop category with a sound of the likes of Mk.gee and Faye Webster. The 23-year-old was wise beyond her years, serenading ye olde truths in her sung poetry and sporting loafers. Amie Blu, if you’re reading this, my deepest sorrows for the loss of your kitten. – RC

Mugger 

Hardcore punk band Mugger pummeled me into adorant submission. With a devil-may-care attitude and melodic yet brutally heavy riffs that would make Turnstile blush, they were by far Den of Geek’s collective favorite Austin-based act. Just when I thought the band couldn’t be any better, lead singer Anna Troxel donned a luchador mask halfway through their set and essentially transformed into a punk superhero. This band should be on everyone’s radar. – NH

Chalk 

I discovered Chalk while absentmindedly listening to my Discover Weekly playlist on Spotify a few months ago. Their song “Conditions” scratched my Irish alt-rock itch with a tinge of nostalgic new wave elements, and it became a regular feature in my rotating playlists. You can only imagine my surprise when I wandered into the British Music Embassy sometime around midnight to find the very same band dominating the stage. 

The trio was mostly playing tracks off their new album, Crystalpunk, which dropped two days prior to their first SXSW set. Chalk’s new album fuses my beloved dejected hardcore sound with techno dance beats and autotuned vocals. “It’s like if Charli XCX made punk music,” I screamed in my friend’s ear as “Béal Feirste” washed over the crowd, another track off the debut album that turned me from a fair-weather Discover Weekly fan into a diehard daily listener. If my ear is correct, Chalk is on its way to becoming the biggest musical name out of Ireland since Fontaines D.C. – SR

Gus Baldwin and The Sketch

Another Austin punk band? Look, I promise, we checked out other genres, but something is fucking happening in the scene here! Gus Baldwin and The Sketch are so powerful that a cowboy hat just materialized on my head. The Sketch are like if Parquet Courts listened to more AC/DC. And out of every band we caught at SXSW, Gus Baldwin is the best frontman, full stop. – NH 

Cashier

Hat tip to the official SXSW playlist for putting me on to the Lafayette, Louisiana four-piece Cashier. Leading into the festival I had tracks “Part From Me” and “Maybe I Was Wrong” on repeat so aggressively you’d think there was a monetary prize for landing in the top one percent of an artist’s Spotify Wrapped. I was both thrilled for the band yet dismayed for my newfound fandom to see a line out the door of Chess Club for their gig. 

Eventually we pushed through and were met with a wall of bodies and crunchy, swirling riffs. In their recent EP release, the band is quoted as saying their work is a celebration of rock guitar. A no frills stage presence led by vocalist and guitarist Kylie Gaspard allows you to ruminate on any range of influences from grunge and hardcore, to pop punk and ‘00 alternative. It feels less celebratory and more like a coronation: the Southern rock revival has indeed spread from Asheville to Lafayette, and westward to Austin. – CL 

Elijah Johnston

At the legendary Continental Club, Elijah Johnston was lucky he wasn’t pulled from the stage. Not because he wasn’t up to performing or captivating the crowd. On the contrary, the whip-smart lyricist was dropping winning, earworm choruses left and right. However, it was Athens in Austin night at the Continental, a showcase for Athens, Georgias’s ever-lively music scene, and Johnston confessed that he actually had been living in Atlanta for quite some time. Shhhh, Elijah — we won’t tell if you don’t. – NH

Slomo Drags

You’ll never know who you might meet when you’re catching a breather. “I like your hat,” was all it took to get me to talk to Ty, whose partner’s band was playing inside. I was asked if I had seen any Austin bands. I sure did, hence why I was very interested in hearing more. Ty says lead singer Jackson Albrachtis a mixologist in town and crafts some of the best cocktails you can imagine. I would love to fact-check this, but I’m gonna go out on a limb and say I think he might actually craft better songs! 

According to Albracht, SXSW is dead, but thank God he and his band are here to resuscitate it. They make top shelf indie rock filled with funk and hooks galore. Adam Mason is one of Austin’s best guitar players and all-around Swiss Army Knives, even mixing it up in Ben Kweller’s band alongside Superbad star Christoper Mintz-Plasse, but here, he’s holding it down on bass. During their performance, I wondered where the glorious keyboard licks were coming from; the Chess Club stage necessitated that Ty’s partner, Bowman Maze (of Sometimes a Legend), sit criss-cross applesauce in the corner of the stage. These guys don’t suffer drunk repeaters or fools, but they love anyone who sings along. – NH 

CDSM

Remember Adult DVD? From above? Surely you’ve listened to them by now. For this band, think moodier, but every bit as dancey, with 100 percent more saxophone. Kinda reminds us of the Voidz. Remember when we said Adult DVD’s Tuesday night show popped the fuck off? Afterward, a buzzed-up group of attendees spilled out into the street, and we met Tyler, who told us about his band, CDSM from Atlanta. It was serendipity; when the Adult DVD gang was asked about their favorite set that they caught at SXSW, they didn’t hesitate to say CDSM. Listen to Adult DVD’s advice — these guys rule. Buy their shirts, records, and stickers. They played 14 shows in eight days; they deserve it. – NH

The post Adult DVD, Gogol Bordello, Amie Blu: The Best Music We Caught at SXSW 2026 appeared first on Den of Geek.

I’m not sure when I first heard this quote, but it’s something that has stayed with me over the years. How do you create services for situations you can’t imagine? Or design products that work on devices yet to be invented?

Flash, Photoshop, and responsive design

When I first started designing websites, my go-to software was Photoshop. I created a 960px canvas and set about creating a layout that I would later drop content in. The development phase was about attaining pixel-perfect accuracy using fixed widths, fixed heights, and absolute positioning.

Ethan Marcotte’s talk at An Event Apart and subsequent article “Responsive Web Design” in A List Apart in 2010 changed all this. I was sold on responsive design as soon as I heard about it, but I was also terrified. The pixel-perfect designs full of magic numbers that I had previously prided myself on producing were no longer good enough.

The fear wasn’t helped by my first experience with responsive design. My first project was to take an existing fixed-width website and make it responsive. What I learned the hard way was that you can’t just add responsiveness at the end of a project. To create fluid layouts, you need to plan throughout the design phase.

A new way to design

Designing responsive or fluid sites has always been about removing limitations, producing content that can be viewed on any device. It relies on the use of percentage-based layouts, which I initially achieved with native CSS and utility classes:

.column-span-6 {
  width: 49%;
  float: left;
  margin-right: 0.5%;
  margin-left: 0.5%;
}


.column-span-4 {
  width: 32%;
  float: left;
  margin-right: 0.5%;
  margin-left: 0.5%;
}

.column-span-3 {
  width: 24%;
  float: left;
  margin-right: 0.5%;
  margin-left: 0.5%;
}

Then with Sass so I could take advantage of @includes to re-use repeated blocks of code and move back to more semantic markup:

.logo {
  @include colSpan(6);
}

.search {
  @include colSpan(3);
}

.social-share {
  @include colSpan(3);
}

Media queries

The second ingredient for responsive design is media queries. Without them, content would shrink to fit the available space regardless of whether that content remained readable (The exact opposite problem occurred with the introduction of a mobile-first approach).

Media queries prevented this by allowing us to add breakpoints where the design could adapt. Like most people, I started out with three breakpoints: one for desktop, one for tablets, and one for mobile. Over the years, I added more and more for phablets, wide screens, and so on. 

For years, I happily worked this way and improved both my design and front-end skills in the process. The only problem I encountered was making changes to content, since with our Sass grid system in place, there was no way for the site owners to add content without amending the markup—something a small business owner might struggle with. This is because each row in the grid was defined using a div as a container. Adding content meant creating new row markup, which requires a level of HTML knowledge.

Row markup was a staple of early responsive design, present in all the widely used frameworks like Bootstrap and Skeleton.

  
1 of 7
  
2 of 7
  
3 of 7



  
4 of 7
  
5 of 7
  
6 of 7



  
7 of 7

Another problem arose as I moved from a design agency building websites for small- to medium-sized businesses, to larger in-house teams where I worked across a suite of related sites. In those roles I started to work much more with reusable components. 

Our reliance on media queries resulted in components that were tied to common viewport sizes. If the goal of component libraries is reuse, then this is a real problem because you can only use these components if the devices you’re designing for correspond to the viewport sizes used in the pattern library—in the process not really hitting that “devices that don’t yet exist”  goal.

Then there’s the problem of space. Media queries allow components to adapt based on the viewport size, but what if I put a component into a sidebar, like in the figure below?

Container queries: our savior or a false dawn?

Container queries have long been touted as an improvement upon media queries, but at the time of writing are unsupported in most browsers. There are JavaScript workarounds, but they can create dependency and compatibility issues. The basic theory underlying container queries is that elements should change based on the size of their parent container and not the viewport width, as seen in the following illustrations.

One of the biggest arguments in favor of container queries is that they help us create components or design patterns that are truly reusable because they can be picked up and placed anywhere in a layout. This is an important step in moving toward a form of component-based design that works at any size on any device.

In other words, responsive components to replace responsive layouts.

Container queries will help us move from designing pages that respond to the browser or device size to designing components that can be placed in a sidebar or in the main content, and respond accordingly.

My concern is that we are still using layout to determine when a design needs to adapt. This approach will always be restrictive, as we will still need pre-defined breakpoints. For this reason, my main question with container queries is, How would we decide when to change the CSS used by a component? 

A component library removed from context and real content is probably not the best place for that decision. 

As the diagrams below illustrate, we can use container queries to create designs for specific container widths, but what if I want to change the design based on the image size or ratio?

In this example, the dimensions of the container are not what should dictate the design; rather, the image is.

It’s hard to say for sure whether container queries will be a success story until we have solid cross-browser support for them. Responsive component libraries would definitely evolve how we design and would improve the possibilities for reuse and design at scale. But maybe we will always need to adjust these components to suit our content.

CSS is changing

Whilst the container query debate rumbles on, there have been numerous advances in CSS that change the way we think about design. The days of fixed-width elements measured in pixels and floated div elements used to cobble layouts together are long gone, consigned to history along with table layouts. Flexbox and CSS Grid have revolutionized layouts for the web. We can now create elements that wrap onto new rows when they run out of space, not when the device changes.

.wrapper {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fit, 450px);
  gap: 10px;
}

The repeat() function paired with auto-fit or auto-fill allows us to specify how much space each column should use while leaving it up to the browser to decide when to spill the columns onto a new line. Similar things can be achieved with Flexbox, as elements can wrap over multiple rows and “flex” to fill available space. 

.wrapper {
  display: flex;
  flex-wrap: wrap;
  justify-content: space-between;
}

.child {
  flex-basis: 32%;
  margin-bottom: 20px;
}

The biggest benefit of all this is you don’t need to wrap elements in container rows. Without rows, content isn’t tied to page markup in quite the same way, allowing for removals or additions of content without additional development.

This is a big step forward when it comes to creating designs that allow for evolving content, but the real game changer for flexible designs is CSS Subgrid. 

Remember the days of crafting perfectly aligned interfaces, only for the customer to add an unbelievably long header almost as soon as they’re given CMS access, like the illustration below?

Subgrid allows elements to respond to adjustments in their own content and in the content of sibling elements, helping us create designs more resilient to change.

.wrapper {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fit, minmax(150px, 1fr));
     grid-template-rows: auto 1fr auto;
  gap: 10px;
}

.sub-grid {
  display: grid;
  grid-row: span 3;
  grid-template-rows: subgrid; /* sets rows to parent grid */
}

CSS Grid allows us to separate layout and content, thereby enabling flexible designs. Meanwhile, Subgrid allows us to create designs that can adapt in order to suit morphing content. Subgrid at the time of writing is only supported in Firefox but the above code can be implemented behind an @supports feature query. 

Intrinsic layouts 

I’d be remiss not to mention intrinsic layouts, the term created by Jen Simmons to describe a mixture of new and old CSS features used to create layouts that respond to available space. 

Responsive layouts have flexible columns using percentages. Intrinsic layouts, on the other hand, use the fr unit to create flexible columns that won’t ever shrink so much that they render the content illegible.

fr units is a way to say I want you to distribute the extra space in this way, but…don’t ever make it smaller than the content that’s inside of it.

—Jen Simmons, “Designing Intrinsic Layouts”

Intrinsic layouts can also utilize a mixture of fixed and flexible units, allowing the content to dictate the space it takes up.

What makes intrinsic design stand out is that it not only creates designs that can withstand future devices but also helps scale design without losing flexibility. Components and patterns can be lifted and reused without the prerequisite of having the same breakpoints or the same amount of content as in the previous implementation. 

We can now create designs that adapt to the space they have, the content within them, and the content around them. With an intrinsic approach, we can construct responsive components without depending on container queries.

Another 2010 moment?

This intrinsic approach should in my view be every bit as groundbreaking as responsive web design was ten years ago. For me, it’s another “everything changed” moment. 

But it doesn’t seem to be moving quite as fast; I haven’t yet had that same career-changing moment I had with responsive design, despite the widely shared and brilliant talk that brought it to my attention. 

One reason for that could be that I now work in a large organization, which is quite different from the design agency role I had in 2010. In my agency days, every new project was a clean slate, a chance to try something new. Nowadays, projects use existing tools and frameworks and are often improvements to existing websites with an existing codebase. 

Another could be that I feel more prepared for change now. In 2010 I was new to design in general; the shift was frightening and required a lot of learning. Also, an intrinsic approach isn’t exactly all-new; it’s about using existing skills and existing CSS knowledge in a different way. 

You can’t framework your way out of a content problem

Another reason for the slightly slower adoption of intrinsic design could be the lack of quick-fix framework solutions available to kick-start the change. 

Responsive grid systems were all over the place ten years ago. With a framework like Bootstrap or Skeleton, you had a responsive design template at your fingertips.

Intrinsic design and frameworks do not go hand in hand quite so well because the benefit of having a selection of units is a hindrance when it comes to creating layout templates. The beauty of intrinsic design is combining different units and experimenting with techniques to get the best for your content.

And then there are design tools. We probably all, at some point in our careers, used Photoshop templates for desktop, tablet, and mobile devices to drop designs in and show how the site would look at all three stages.

How do you do that now, with each component responding to content and layouts flexing as and when they need to? This type of design must happen in the browser, which personally I’m a big fan of. 

The debate about “whether designers should code” is another that has rumbled on for years. When designing a digital product, we should, at the very least, design for a best- and worst-case scenario when it comes to content. To do this in a graphics-based software package is far from ideal. In code, we can add longer sentences, more radio buttons, and extra tabs, and watch in real time as the design adapts. Does it still work? Is the design too reliant on the current content?

Personally, I look forward to the day intrinsic design is the standard for design, when a design component can be truly flexible and adapt to both its space and content with no reliance on device or container dimensions.

Content first 

Content is not constant. After all, to design for the unknown or unexpected we need to account for content changes like our earlier Subgrid card example that allowed the cards to respond to adjustments to their own content and the content of sibling elements.

Thankfully, there’s more to CSS than layout, and plenty of properties and values can help us put content first. Subgrid and pseudo-elements like ::first-line and ::first-letter help to separate design from markup so we can create designs that allow for changes.

Instead of old markup hacks like this—

  First line of text with different styling...

—we can target content based on where it appears.

.element::first-line {
  font-size: 1.4em;
}

.element::first-letter {
  color: red;
}

Much bigger additions to CSS include logical properties, which change the way we construct designs using logical dimensions (start and end) instead of physical ones (left and right), something CSS Grid also does with functions like min(), max(), and clamp().

This flexibility allows for directional changes according to content, a common requirement when we need to present content in multiple languages. In the past, this was often achieved with Sass mixins but was often limited to switching from left-to-right to right-to-left orientation.

In the Sass version, directional variables need to be set.

$direction: rtl;
$opposite-direction: ltr;

$start-direction: right;
$end-direction: left;

These variables can be used as values—

body {
  direction: $direction;
  text-align: $start-direction;
}

—or as properties.

margin-#{$end-direction}: 10px;
padding-#{$start-direction}: 10px;

However, now we have native logical properties, removing the reliance on both Sass (or a similar tool) and pre-planning that necessitated using variables throughout a codebase. These properties also start to break apart the tight coupling between a design and strict physical dimensions, creating more flexibility for changes in language and in direction.

margin-block-end: 10px;
padding-block-start: 10px;

There are also native start and end values for properties like text-align, which means we can replace text-align: right with text-align: start.

Like the earlier examples, these properties help to build out designs that aren’t constrained to one language; the design will reflect the content’s needs.

Fixed and fluid 

We briefly covered the power of combining fixed widths with fluid widths with intrinsic layouts. The min() and max() functions are a similar concept, allowing you to specify a fixed value with a flexible alternative. 

For min() this means setting a fluid minimum value and a maximum fixed value.

.element {
  width: min(50%, 300px);
}

The element in the figure above will be 50% of its container as long as the element’s width doesn’t exceed 300px.

For max() we can set a flexible max value and a minimum fixed value.

.element {
  width: max(50%, 300px);
}

Now the element will be 50% of its container as long as the element’s width is at least 300px. This means we can set limits but allow content to react to the available space. 

The clamp() function builds on this by allowing us to set a preferred value with a third parameter. Now we can allow the element to shrink or grow if it needs to without getting to a point where it becomes unusable.

.element {
  width: clamp(300px, 50%, 600px);
}

This time, the element’s width will be 50% (the preferred value) of its container but never less than 300px and never more than 600px.

With these techniques, we have a content-first approach to responsive design. We can separate content from markup, meaning the changes users make will not affect the design. We can start to future-proof designs by planning for unexpected changes in language or direction. And we can increase flexibility by setting desired dimensions alongside flexible alternatives, allowing for more or less content to be displayed correctly.

Situation first

Thanks to what we’ve discussed so far, we can cover device flexibility by changing our approach, designing around content and space instead of catering to devices. But what about that last bit of Jeffrey Zeldman’s quote, “…situations you haven’t imagined”?

It’s a very different thing to design for someone seated at a desktop computer as opposed to someone using a mobile phone and moving through a crowded street in glaring sunshine. Situations and environments are hard to plan for or predict because they change as people react to their own unique challenges and tasks.

This is why choice is so important. One size never fits all, so we need to design for multiple scenarios to create equal experiences for all our users.

Thankfully, there is a lot we can do to provide choice.

Responsible design 

“There are parts of the world where mobile data is prohibitively expensive, and where there is little or no broadband infrastructure.”

“I Used the Web for a Day on a 50 MB Budget”

Chris Ashton

One of the biggest assumptions we make is that people interacting with our designs have a good wifi connection and a wide screen monitor. But in the real world, our users may be commuters traveling on trains or other forms of transport using smaller mobile devices that can experience drops in connectivity. There is nothing more frustrating than a web page that won’t load, but there are ways we can help users use less data or deal with sporadic connectivity.

The srcset attribute allows the browser to decide which image to serve. This means we can create smaller ‘cropped’ images to display on mobile devices in turn using less bandwidth and less data.

The preload attribute can also help us to think about how and when media is downloaded. It can be used to tell a browser about any critical assets that need to be downloaded with high priority, improving perceived performance and the user experience. 

There’s also native lazy loading, which indicates assets that should only be downloaded when they are needed.

With srcset, preload, and lazy loading, we can start to tailor a user’s experience based on the situation they find themselves in. What none of this does, however, is allow the user themselves to decide what they want downloaded, as the decision is usually the browser’s to make. 

So how can we put users in control?

The return of media queries 

Media queries have always been about much more than device sizes. They allow content to adapt to different situations, with screen size being just one of them.

We’ve long been able to check for media types like print and speech and features such as hover, resolution, and color. These checks allow us to provide options that suit more than one scenario; it’s less about one-size-fits-all and more about serving adaptable content. 

As of this writing, the Media Queries Level 5 spec is still under development. It introduces some really exciting queries that in the future will help us design for multiple other unexpected situations.

For example, there’s a light-level feature that allows you to modify styles if a user is in sunlight or darkness. Paired with custom properties, these features allow us to quickly create designs or themes for specific environments.

@media (light-level: normal) {
  --background-color: #fff;
  --text-color: #0b0c0c;  
}

@media (light-level: dim) {
  --background-color: #efd226;
  --text-color: #0b0c0c;
}

Another key feature of the Level 5 spec is personalization. Instead of creating designs that are the same for everyone, users can choose what works for them. This is achieved by using features like prefers-reduced-data, prefers-color-scheme, and prefers-reduced-motion, the latter two of which already enjoy broad browser support. These features tap into preferences set via the operating system or browser so people don’t have to spend time making each site they visit more usable. 

Media queries like this go beyond choices made by a browser to grant more control to the user.

Expect the unexpected

In the end, the one thing we should always expect is for things to change. Devices in particular change faster than we can keep up, with foldable screens already on the market.

We can’t design the same way we have for this ever-changing landscape, but we can design for content. By putting content first and allowing that content to adapt to whatever space surrounds it, we can create more robust, flexible designs that increase the longevity of our products. 

A lot of the CSS discussed here is about moving away from layouts and putting content at the heart of design. From responsive components to fixed and fluid units, there is so much more we can do to take a more intrinsic approach. Even better, we can test these techniques during the design phase by designing in-browser and watching how our designs adapt in real-time.

When it comes to unexpected situations, we need to make sure our products are usable when people need them, whenever and wherever that might be. We can move closer to achieving this by involving users in our design decisions, by creating choice via browsers, and by giving control to our users with user-preference-based media queries. 

Good design for the unexpected should allow for change, provide choice, and give control to those we serve: our users themselves.

We’ve been having conversations for thousands of years. Whether to convey information, conduct transactions, or simply to check in on one another, people have yammered away, chattering and gesticulating, through spoken conversation for countless generations. Only in the last few millennia have we begun to commit our conversations to writing, and only in the last few decades have we begun to outsource them to the computer, a machine that shows much more affinity for written correspondence than for the slangy vagaries of spoken language.

Computers have trouble because between spoken and written language, speech is more primordial. To have successful conversations with us, machines must grapple with the messiness of human speech: the disfluencies and pauses, the gestures and body language, and the variations in word choice and spoken dialect that can stymie even the most carefully crafted human-computer interaction. In the human-to-human scenario, spoken language also has the privilege of face-to-face contact, where we can readily interpret nonverbal social cues.

In contrast, written language immediately concretizes as we commit it to record and retains usages long after they become obsolete in spoken communication (the salutation “To whom it may concern,” for example), generating its own fossil record of outdated terms and phrases. Because it tends to be more consistent, polished, and formal, written text is fundamentally much easier for machines to parse and understand.

Spoken language has no such luxury. Besides the nonverbal cues that decorate conversations with emphasis and emotional context, there are also verbal cues and vocal behaviors that modulate conversation in nuanced ways: how something is said, not what. Whether rapid-fire, low-pitched, or high-decibel, whether sarcastic, stilted, or sighing, our spoken language conveys much more than the written word could ever muster. So when it comes to voice interfaces—the machines we conduct spoken conversations with—we face exciting challenges as designers and content strategists.

Voice Interactions

We interact with voice interfaces for a variety of reasons, but according to Michael McTear, Zoraida Callejas, and David Griol in The Conversational Interface, those motivations by and large mirror the reasons we initiate conversations with other people, too (). Generally, we start up a conversation because:

• we need something done (such as a transaction),
• we want to know something (information of some sort), or
• we are social beings and want someone to talk to (conversation for conversation’s sake).

These three categories—which I call transactional, informational, and prosocial—also characterize essentially every voice interaction: a single conversation from beginning to end that realizes some outcome for the user, starting with the voice interface’s first greeting and ending with the user exiting the interface. Note here that a conversation in our human sense—a chat between people that leads to some result and lasts an arbitrary length of time—could encompass multiple transactional, informational, and prosocial voice interactions in succession. In other words, a voice interaction is a conversation, but a conversation is not necessarily a single voice interaction.

Purely prosocial conversations are more gimmicky than captivating in most voice interfaces, because machines don’t yet have the capacity to really want to know how we’re doing and to do the sort of glad-handing humans crave. There’s also ongoing debate as to whether users actually prefer the sort of organic human conversation that begins with a prosocial voice interaction and shifts seamlessly into other types. In fact, in Voice User Interface Design, Michael Cohen, James Giangola, and Jennifer Balogh recommend sticking to users’ expectations by mimicking how they interact with other voice interfaces rather than trying too hard to be human—potentially alienating them in the process ().

That leaves two genres of conversations we can have with one another that a voice interface can easily have with us, too: a transactional voice interaction realizing some outcome (“buy iced tea”) and an informational voice interaction teaching us something new (“discuss a musical”).

Transactional voice interactions

Unless you’re tapping buttons on a food delivery app, you’re generally having a conversation—and therefore a voice interaction—when you order a Hawaiian pizza with extra pineapple. Even when we walk up to the counter and place an order, the conversation quickly pivots from an initial smattering of neighborly small talk to the real mission at hand: ordering a pizza (generously topped with pineapple, as it should be).

Alison: Hey, how’s it going?

Burhan: Hi, welcome to Crust Deluxe! It’s cold out there. How can I help you?

Alison: Can I get a Hawaiian pizza with extra pineapple?

Burhan: Sure, what size?

Alison: Large.

Burhan: Anything else?

Alison: No thanks, that’s it.

Burhan: Something to drink?

Alison: I’ll have a bottle of Coke.

Burhan: You got it. That’ll be $13.55 and about fifteen minutes.

Each progressive disclosure in this transactional conversation reveals more and more of the desired outcome of the transaction: a service rendered or a product delivered. Transactional conversations have certain key traits: they’re direct, to the point, and economical. They quickly dispense with pleasantries.

Informational voice interactions

Meanwhile, some conversations are primarily about obtaining information. Though Alison might visit Crust Deluxe with the sole purpose of placing an order, she might not actually want to walk out with a pizza at all. She might be just as interested in whether they serve halal or kosher dishes, gluten-free options, or something else. Here, though we again have a prosocial mini-conversation at the beginning to establish politeness, we’re after much more.

Alison: Hey, how’s it going?

Burhan: Hi, welcome to Crust Deluxe! It’s cold out there. How can I help you?

Alison: Can I ask a few questions?

Burhan: Of course! Go right ahead.

Alison: Do you have any halal options on the menu?

Burhan: Absolutely! We can make any pie halal by request. We also have lots of vegetarian, ovo-lacto, and vegan options. Are you thinking about any other dietary restrictions?

Alison: What about gluten-free pizzas?

Burhan: We can definitely do a gluten-free crust for you, no problem, for both our deep-dish and thin-crust pizzas. Anything else I can answer for you?

Alison: That’s it for now. Good to know. Thanks!

Burhan: Anytime, come back soon!

This is a very different dialogue. Here, the goal is to get a certain set of facts. Informational conversations are investigative quests for the truth—research expeditions to gather data, news, or facts. Voice interactions that are informational might be more long-winded than transactional conversations by necessity. Responses tend to be lengthier, more informative, and carefully communicated so the customer understands the key takeaways.

Voice Interfaces

At their core, voice interfaces employ speech to support users in reaching their goals. But simply because an interface has a voice component doesn’t mean that every user interaction with it is mediated through voice. Because multimodal voice interfaces can lean on visual components like screens as crutches, we’re most concerned in this book with pure voice interfaces, which depend entirely on spoken conversation, lack any visual component whatsoever, and are therefore much more nuanced and challenging to tackle.

Though voice interfaces have long been integral to the imagined future of humanity in science fiction, only recently have those lofty visions become fully realized in genuine voice interfaces.

Interactive voice response (IVR) systems

Though written conversational interfaces have been fixtures of computing for many decades, voice interfaces first emerged in the early 1990s with text-to-speech (TTS) dictation programs that recited written text aloud, as well as speech-enabled in-car systems that gave directions to a user-provided address. With the advent of interactive voice response (IVR) systems, intended as an alternative to overburdened customer service representatives, we became acquainted with the first true voice interfaces that engaged in authentic conversation.

IVR systems allowed organizations to reduce their reliance on call centers but soon became notorious for their clunkiness. Commonplace in the corporate world, these systems were primarily designed as metaphorical switchboards to guide customers to a real phone agent (“Say Reservations to book a flight or check an itinerary”); chances are you will enter a conversation with one when you call an airline or hotel conglomerate. Despite their functional issues and users’ frustration with their inability to speak to an actual human right away, IVR systems proliferated in the early 1990s across a variety of industries (, PDF).

While IVR systems are great for highly repetitive, monotonous conversations that generally don’t veer from a single format, they have a reputation for less scintillating conversation than we’re used to in real life (or even in science fiction).

Screen readers

Parallel to the evolution of IVR systems was the invention of the screen reader, a tool that transcribes visual content into synthesized speech. For Blind or visually impaired website users, it’s the predominant method of interacting with text, multimedia, or form elements. Screen readers represent perhaps the closest equivalent we have today to an out-of-the-box implementation of content delivered through voice.

Among the first screen readers known by that moniker was the Screen Reader for the BBC Micro and NEEC Portable developed by the Research Centre for the Education of the Visually Handicapped (RCEVH) at the University of Birmingham in 1986 (). That same year, Jim Thatcher created the first IBM Screen Reader for text-based computers, later recreated for computers with graphical user interfaces (GUIs) ().

With the rapid growth of the web in the 1990s, the demand for accessible tools for websites exploded. Thanks to the introduction of semantic HTML and especially ARIA roles beginning in 2008, screen readers started facilitating speedy interactions with web pages that ostensibly allow disabled users to traverse the page as an aural and temporal space rather than a visual and physical one. In other words, screen readers for the web “provide mechanisms that translate visual design constructs—proximity, proportion, etc.—into useful information,” writes Aaron Gustafson in A List Apart. “At least they do when documents are authored thoughtfully” ().

Though deeply instructive for voice interface designers, there’s one significant problem with screen readers: they’re difficult to use and unremittingly verbose. The visual structures of websites and web navigation don’t translate well to screen readers, sometimes resulting in unwieldy pronouncements that name every manipulable HTML element and announce every formatting change. For many screen reader users, working with web-based interfaces exacts a cognitive toll.

In Wired, accessibility advocate and voice engineer Chris Maury considers why the screen reader experience is ill-suited to users relying on voice:

From the beginning, I hated the way that Screen Readers work. Why are they designed the way they are? It makes no sense to present information visually and then, and only then, translate that into audio. All of the time and energy that goes into creating the perfect user experience for an app is wasted, or even worse, adversely impacting the experience for blind users. ()

In many cases, well-designed voice interfaces can speed users to their destination better than long-winded screen reader monologues. After all, visual interface users have the benefit of darting around the viewport freely to find information, ignoring areas irrelevant to them. Blind users, meanwhile, are obligated to listen to every utterance synthesized into speech and therefore prize brevity and efficiency. Disabled users who have long had no choice but to employ clunky screen readers may find that voice interfaces, particularly more modern voice assistants, offer a more streamlined experience.

Voice assistants

When we think of voice assistants (the subset of voice interfaces now commonplace in living rooms, smart homes, and offices), many of us immediately picture HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey or hear Majel Barrett’s voice as the omniscient computer in Star Trek. Voice assistants are akin to personal concierges that can answer questions, schedule appointments, conduct searches, and perform other common day-to-day tasks. And they’re rapidly gaining more attention from accessibility advocates for their assistive potential.

Before the earliest IVR systems found success in the enterprise, Apple published a demonstration video in 1987 depicting the Knowledge Navigator, a voice assistant that could transcribe spoken words and recognize human speech to a great degree of accuracy. Then, in 2001, Tim Berners-Lee and others formulated their vision for a Semantic Web “agent” that would perform typical errands like “checking calendars, making appointments, and finding locations” (, behind paywall). It wasn’t until 2011 that Apple’s Siri finally entered the picture, making voice assistants a tangible reality for consumers.

Thanks to the plethora of voice assistants available today, there is considerable variation in how programmable and customizable certain voice assistants are over others (Fig 1.1). At one extreme, everything except vendor-provided features is locked down; for example, at the time of their release, the core functionality of Apple’s Siri and Microsoft’s Cortana couldn’t be extended beyond their existing capabilities. Even today, it isn’t possible to program Siri to perform arbitrary functions, because there’s no means by which developers can interact with Siri at a low level, apart from predefined categories of tasks like sending messages, hailing rideshares, making restaurant reservations, and certain others.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, voice assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Home offer a core foundation on which developers can build custom voice interfaces. For this reason, programmable voice assistants that lend themselves to customization and extensibility are becoming increasingly popular for developers who feel stifled by the limitations of Siri and Cortana. Amazon offers the Alexa Skills Kit, a developer framework for building custom voice interfaces for Amazon Alexa, while Google Home offers the ability to program arbitrary Google Assistant skills. Today, users can choose from among thousands of custom-built skills within both the Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant ecosystems.

As corporations like Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and Google continue to stake their territory, they’re also selling and open-sourcing an unprecedented array of tools and frameworks for designers and developers that aim to make building voice interfaces as easy as possible, even without code.

Often by necessity, voice assistants like Amazon Alexa tend to be monochannel—they’re tightly coupled to a device and can’t be accessed on a computer or smartphone instead. By contrast, many development platforms like Google’s Dialogflow have introduced omnichannel capabilities so users can build a single conversational interface that then manifests as a voice interface, textual chatbot, and IVR system upon deployment. I don’t prescribe any specific implementation approaches in this design-focused book, but in Chapter 4 we’ll get into some of the implications these variables might have on the way you build out your design artifacts.

Voice Content

Simply put, voice content is content delivered through voice. To preserve what makes human conversation so compelling in the first place, voice content needs to be free-flowing and organic, contextless and concise—everything written content isn’t.

Our world is replete with voice content in various forms: screen readers reciting website content, voice assistants rattling off a weather forecast, and automated phone hotline responses governed by IVR systems. In this book, we’re most concerned with content delivered auditorily—not as an option, but as a necessity.

For many of us, our first foray into informational voice interfaces will be to deliver content to users. There’s only one problem: any content we already have isn’t in any way ready for this new habitat. So how do we make the content trapped on our websites more conversational? And how do we write new copy that lends itself to voice interactions?

Lately, we’ve begun slicing and dicing our content in unprecedented ways. Websites are, in many respects, colossal vaults of what I call macrocontent: lengthy prose that can extend for infinitely scrollable miles in a browser window, like microfilm viewers of newspaper archives. Back in 2002, well before the present-day ubiquity of voice assistants, technologist Anil Dash defined microcontent as permalinked pieces of content that stay legible regardless of environment, such as email or text messages:

A day’s weather forcast [sic], the arrival and departure times for an airplane flight, an abstract from a long publication, or a single instant message can all be examples of microcontent. ()

I’d update Dash’s definition of microcontent to include all examples of bite-sized content that go well beyond written communiqués. After all, today we encounter microcontent in interfaces where a small snippet of copy is displayed alone, unmoored from the browser, like a textbot confirmation of a restaurant reservation. Microcontent offers the best opportunity to gauge how your content can be stretched to the very edges of its capabilities, informing delivery channels both established and novel.

As microcontent, voice content is unique because it’s an example of how content is experienced in time rather than in space. We can glance at a digital sign underground for an instant and know when the next train is arriving, but voice interfaces hold our attention captive for periods of time that we can’t easily escape or skip, something screen reader users are all too familiar with.

Because microcontent is fundamentally made up of isolated blobs with no relation to the channels where they’ll eventually end up, we need to ensure that our microcontent truly performs well as voice content—and that means focusing on the two most important traits of robust voice content: voice content legibility and voice content discoverability.

Fundamentally, the legibility and discoverability of our voice content both have to do with how voice content manifests in perceived time and space.

In the 1950s, many in the elite running community had begun to believe it wasn’t possible to run a mile in less than four minutes. Runners had been attempting it since the late 19th century and were beginning to draw the conclusion that the human body simply wasn’t built for the task. 

But on May 6, 1956, Roger Bannister took everyone by surprise. It was a cold, wet day in Oxford, England—conditions no one expected to lend themselves to record-setting—and yet Bannister did just that, running a mile in 3:59.4 and becoming the first person in the record books to run a mile in under four minutes. 

This shift in the benchmark had profound effects; the world now knew that the four-minute mile was possible. Bannister’s record lasted only forty-six days, when it was snatched away by Australian runner John Landy. Then a year later, three runners all beat the four-minute barrier together in the same race. Since then, over 1,400 runners have officially run a mile in under four minutes; the current record is 3:43.13, held by Moroccan athlete Hicham El Guerrouj.

We achieve far more when we believe that something is possible, and we will believe it’s possible only when we see someone else has already done it—and as with human running speed, so it is with what we believe are the hard limits for how a website needs to perform.

Establishing standards for a sustainable web

In most major industries, the key metrics of environmental performance are fairly well established, such as miles per gallon for cars or energy per square meter for homes. The tools and methods for calculating those metrics are standardized as well, which keeps everyone on the same page when doing environmental assessments. In the world of websites and apps, however, we aren’t held to any particular environmental standards, and only recently have gained the tools and methods we need to even make an environmental assessment.

The primary goal in sustainable web design is to reduce carbon emissions. However, it’s almost impossible to actually measure the amount of CO₂ produced by a web product. We can’t measure the fumes coming out of the exhaust pipes on our laptops. The emissions of our websites are far away, out of sight and out of mind, coming out of power stations burning coal and gas. We have no way to trace the electrons from a website or app back to the power station where the electricity is being generated and actually know the exact amount of greenhouse gas produced. So what do we do? 

If we can’t measure the actual carbon emissions, then we need to find what we can measure. The primary factors that could be used as indicators of carbon emissions are:

1. Data transfer 
2. Carbon intensity of electricity

Let’s take a look at how we can use these metrics to quantify the energy consumption, and in turn the carbon footprint, of the websites and web apps we create.

Data transfer

Most researchers use kilowatt-hours per gigabyte (kWh/GB) as a metric of energy efficiency when measuring the amount of data transferred over the internet when a website or application is used. This provides a great reference point for energy consumption and carbon emissions. As a rule of thumb, the more data transferred, the more energy used in the data center, telecoms networks, and end user devices.

For web pages, data transfer for a single visit can be most easily estimated by measuring the page weight, meaning the transfer size of the page in kilobytes the first time someone visits the page. It’s fairly easy to measure using the developer tools in any modern web browser. Often your web hosting account will include statistics for the total data transfer of any web application (Fig 2.1).

The nice thing about page weight as a metric is that it allows us to compare the efficiency of web pages on a level playing field without confusing the issue with constantly changing traffic volumes. 

Reducing page weight requires a large scope. By early 2020, the median page weight was 1.97 MB for setups the HTTP Archive classifies as “desktop” and 1.77 MB for “mobile,” with desktop increasing 36 percent since January 2016 and mobile page weights nearly doubling in the same period (Fig 2.2). Roughly half of this data transfer is image files, making images the single biggest source of carbon emissions on the average website. 

History clearly shows us that our web pages can be smaller, if only we set our minds to it. While most technologies become ever more energy efficient, including the underlying technology of the web such as data centers and transmission networks, websites themselves are a technology that becomes less efficient as time goes on.

You might be familiar with the concept of performance budgeting as a way of focusing a project team on creating faster user experiences. For example, we might specify that the website must load in a maximum of one second on a broadband connection and three seconds on a 3G connection. Much like speed limits while driving, performance budgets are upper limits rather than vague suggestions, so the goal should always be to come in under budget.

Designing for fast performance does often lead to reduced data transfer and emissions, but it isn’t always the case. Web performance is often more about the subjective perception of load times than it is about the true efficiency of the underlying system, whereas page weight and transfer size are more objective measures and more reliable benchmarks for sustainable web design. 

We can set a page weight budget in reference to a benchmark of industry averages, using data from sources like HTTP Archive. We can also benchmark page weight against competitors or the old version of the website we’re replacing. For example, we might set a maximum page weight budget as equal to our most efficient competitor, or we could set the benchmark lower to guarantee we are best in class. 

If we want to take it to the next level, then we could also start looking at the transfer size of our web pages for repeat visitors. Although page weight for the first time someone visits is the easiest thing to measure, and easy to compare on a like-for-like basis, we can learn even more if we start looking at transfer size in other scenarios too. For example, visitors who load the same page multiple times will likely have a high percentage of the files cached in their browser, meaning they don’t need to transfer all of the files on subsequent visits. Likewise, a visitor who navigates to new pages on the same website will likely not need to load the full page each time, as some global assets from areas like the header and footer may already be cached in their browser. Measuring transfer size at this next level of detail can help us learn even more about how we can optimize efficiency for users who regularly visit our pages, and enable us to set page weight budgets for additional scenarios beyond the first visit.

Page weight budgets are easy to track throughout a design and development process. Although they don’t actually tell us carbon emission and energy consumption analytics directly, they give us a clear indication of efficiency relative to other websites. And as transfer size is an effective analog for energy consumption, we can actually use it to estimate energy consumption too.

In summary, reduced data transfer translates to energy efficiency, a key factor to reducing carbon emissions of web products. The more efficient our products, the less electricity they use, and the less fossil fuels need to be burned to produce the electricity to power them. But as we’ll see next, since all web products demand some power, it’s important to consider the source of that electricity, too.

Carbon intensity of electricity

Regardless of energy efficiency, the level of pollution caused by digital products depends on the carbon intensity of the energy being used to power them. Carbon intensity is a term used to define the grams of CO₂ produced for every kilowatt-hour of electricity (gCO₂/kWh). This varies widely, with renewable energy sources and nuclear having an extremely low carbon intensity of less than 10 gCO₂/kWh (even when factoring in their construction); whereas fossil fuels have very high carbon intensity of approximately 200–400 gCO₂/kWh. 

Most electricity comes from national or state grids, where energy from a variety of different sources is mixed together with varying levels of carbon intensity. The distributed nature of the internet means that a single user of a website or app might be using energy from multiple different grids simultaneously; a website user in Paris uses electricity from the French national grid to power their home internet and devices, but the website’s data center could be in Dallas, USA, pulling electricity from the Texas grid, while the telecoms networks use energy from everywhere between Dallas and Paris.

We don’t have control over the full energy supply of web services, but we do have some control over where we host our projects. With a data center using a significant proportion of the energy of any website, locating the data center in an area with low carbon energy will tangibly reduce its carbon emissions. Danish startup Tomorrow reports and maps this user-contributed data, and a glance at their map shows how, for example, choosing a data center in France will have significantly lower carbon emissions than a data center in the Netherlands (Fig 2.3).

That said, we don’t want to locate our servers too far away from our users; it takes energy to transmit data through the telecom’s networks, and the further the data travels, the more energy is consumed. Just like food miles, we can think of the distance from the data center to the website’s core user base as “megabyte miles”—and we want it to be as small as possible.

Using the distance itself as a benchmark, we can use website analytics to identify the country, state, or even city where our core user group is located and measure the distance from that location to the data center used by our hosting company. This will be a somewhat fuzzy metric as we don’t know the precise center of mass of our users or the exact location of a data center, but we can at least get a rough idea. 

For example, if a website is hosted in London but the primary user base is on the West Coast of the USA, then we could look up the distance from London to San Francisco, which is 5,300 miles. That’s a long way! We can see that hosting it somewhere in North America, ideally on the West Coast, would significantly reduce the distance and thus the energy used to transmit the data. In addition, locating our servers closer to our visitors helps reduce latency and delivers better user experience, so it’s a win-win.

Converting it back to carbon emissions

If we combine carbon intensity with a calculation for energy consumption, we can calculate the carbon emissions of our websites and apps. A tool my team created does this by measuring the data transfer over the wire when loading a web page, calculating the amount of electricity associated, and then converting that into a figure for CO₂ (Fig 2.4). It also factors in whether or not the web hosting is powered by renewable energy.

If you want to take it to the next level and tailor the data more accurately to the unique aspects of your project, the Energy and Emissions Worksheet accompanying this book shows you how.

With the ability to calculate carbon emissions for our projects, we could actually take a page weight budget one step further and set carbon budgets as well. CO₂ is not a metric commonly used in web projects; we’re more familiar with kilobytes and megabytes, and can fairly easily look at design options and files to assess how big they are. Translating that into carbon adds a layer of abstraction that isn’t as intuitive—but carbon budgets do focus our minds on the primary thing we’re trying to reduce, and support the core objective of sustainable web design: reducing carbon emissions.

Browser Energy

Data transfer might be the simplest and most complete analog for energy consumption in our digital projects, but by giving us one number to represent the energy used in the data center, the telecoms networks, and the end user’s devices, it can’t offer us insights into the efficiency in any specific part of the system.

One part of the system we can look at in more detail is the energy used by end users’ devices. As front-end web technologies become more advanced, the computational load is increasingly moving from the data center to users’ devices, whether they be phones, tablets, laptops, desktops, or even smart TVs. Modern web browsers allow us to implement more complex styling and animation on the fly using CSS and JavaScript. Furthermore, JavaScript libraries such as Angular and React allow us to create applications where the “thinking” work is done partly or entirely in the browser. 

All of these advances are exciting and open up new possibilities for what the web can do to serve society and create positive experiences. However, more computation in the user’s web browser means more energy used by their devices. This has implications not just environmentally, but also for user experience and inclusivity. Applications that put a heavy processing load on the user’s device can inadvertently exclude users with older, slower devices and cause batteries on phones and laptops to drain faster. Furthermore, if we build web applications that require the user to have up-to-date, powerful devices, people throw away old devices much more frequently. This isn’t just bad for the environment, but it puts a disproportionate financial burden on the poorest in society.

In part because the tools are limited, and partly because there are so many different models of devices, it’s difficult to measure website energy consumption on end users’ devices. One tool we do currently have is the Energy Impact monitor inside the developer console of the Safari browser (Fig 2.5).

You know when you load a website and your computer’s cooling fans start spinning so frantically you think it might actually take off? That’s essentially what this tool is measuring. 

It shows us the percentage of CPU used and the duration of CPU usage when loading the web page, and uses these figures to generate an energy impact rating. It doesn’t give us precise data for the amount of electricity used in kilowatts, but the information it does provide can be used to benchmark how efficiently your websites use energy and set targets for improvement.