Just as their name is a consonant away from that of an iconic British candy, Palma Violets's sound is just shades removed from the late 70's UK punk bands like The Clash and those who followed years later like The Libertines and Arctic Monkeys. The young rock quartet has already caused a scene in their native London but were playing to new audiences last month during the 2013 SXSW festival. Raw, shambling, unhinged -- critics aren't praising the band for tight, cerebral Radioheadesque meditations but rather forgiving their impetuousness for entertaining performances like wild bacchanals. During KEXP's broadcast from Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop in Austin, bassist Alexander "Chilli" Jesson nearly missed the show, the band's first of the festival, as he literally stepped out of the cab from the airport and onto our stage. Skipping the soundcheck and going straight to live, Jesson threw himself around the stage and at the mic as he bellowed "Best of Friends" and other hits from their debut, 180. While he and guitarist Samuel Thomas Fryer traded vocal howls among crunchy riffs, Jeffrey Mayhew (keyboards) and William Doyle (drums) tried to hold it together. Despite their psychedelic swirls and hammering beats, though, or maybe because of them, the set remained unbridled, raw and full of the youthful abandon at the heart of "rock 'n' roll". Check out their set below and be sure to catch them later this month as they perform in Seattle on Aprils 27th at Barboza.
Full Performance:
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