Editor’s Note: While this article is being published for the first time today, it features firsthand reporting written by our contributor immediately following his attendance at SXSW in March 2024. We are excited to open the archives and share this previously unreleased coverage with our readers.
South by Southwest (SXSW) is always an incredibly exciting event; the Music Festival at SXSW, in particular, is always a highlight of my year. This year one of the events I was most excited to attend was a showcase at a venue called Elysium on Friday night.
Elysium has a long history of hosting East Asia-themed events during SXSW’s Music Festival, having hosted showcases like Japan Nite, K-Pop Night Out, Taiwan Beats, and others in the past, and this year was no exception. This year, on Friday of Music Festival week, an East Asian music showcase curated by Friends from the East—an organization dedicated to bringing great Eastern music to North American audiences—was held at Elysium.
Two artists I most eagerly anticipated seeing at this SXSW were Kroi and Ako (a子), both based in Tokyo, Japan, and both appeared in the Friends from the East showcase.
Kroi Delivers an Eye-Catching and Energetic Set
Kroi performed near the middle of the showcase’s time block. I was not previously familiar with their music, but I had heard great things about them from friends. Although I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect, I was looking forward to their performance. When the band members came on stage, I immediately noticed their colorful and flashy costumes. Some members were even wearing cowboy hats and Western shirts; it was all quite eye-catching!
Full music video for Kroi – “Hyper” on YouTube
The band started their set with “Juden” and immediately got the audience caught up in the groovy vibe. Lead singer Leo Uchida’s dynamic performance and stage presence energized the audience, and guitarist Yuuki Hasebe, bassist Masanori Seki, drummer Hidetomo Masuda, and keyboardist Daiki Chiba all wowed the audience with their amazing instrumental skills and showmanship.
Next, Kroi slowed things down a bit and showed a hip-hop flair with “Funky GUNSLINGER,” before picking up the tempo again with “Page.” They went for a funky hip-hop vibe again with “Monster Play,” then dialed up the speed again for “HORN.” The talented musicians finished with “Fire Brain,” allowing Uchida and the other members to dazzle the audience a final time.
Midway through the set, guitarist Yuuki Hasebe removed his outer shirt to reveal a Dragon Ball shirt underneath, a tribute to recently departed legendary mangaka Akira Toriyama; the audience loved it and cheered wildly, as they did once again at the end of the set. Many audience members jumped at the opportunity to talk with the band members and take photos together afterward. For me, their set was one of the high points of SXSW 2024.
Ako Captivates with Mysterious Stage Presence
Ako (a子) performed a total of three sets at SXSW 2024. Her first set was held at Empire Garage on Friday afternoon at Jaded’s FRIENDS:FOREVER showcase, but, unfortunately, I was unable to attend because of a conflicting obligation. I made sure to attend her second set, though, which was held at Elysium on Friday night as part of the Friends from the East showcase.
Ako was the last artist of the night, starting her set at 1 AM. The crowd cheered enthusiastically when the members of her backing band appeared on stage, and even more loudly when Ako herself sauntered onto the stage wearing a striking black-and-fuchsia mini dress and tall black boots, her bright red hair up.
Full music video for Ako – “Twilight” on YouTube
Ako started off the 50-minute set with “taiyō,” mesmerizing the audience with her mysterious stage presence and peaceful
yet powerful vocals. Next, she got the audience grooving with “sinister” and “tenshi.” After a brief MC time, it was on to “racy,” the synthwavey “jealousy,” the disco-feeling “ai wa itsumo,” the subdued “bye,” and the hypnotic “hai.” After a final MC, she finished the night with the bouncy “trank” and the fusion-jazzy “samurai.” In keeping with her air of mystery, the singer slowly walked off stage as the band continued playing the last part of the song; when it ended, the crowd cheered and applauded wildly.
Crowds Brave Weather on Saturday
Ako’s final set of SXSW 2024 was held on Saturday afternoon at 1 o’clock at the International Day Stage, an outdoor stage located in the Registrant Lounge. In spite of a rainy weather forecast, a good number of people came out to see her last set of the festival.
Her hair was down this time, and she wore a stylish black dress and black boots. The set list was a bit shorter than Friday night’s because of the shorter time allotment, but the audience was moving and grooving to the music, some dancing quite enthusiastically. Despite some light rain, I had a great time at the show, and the rest of the audience loved it, too!
Both Kroi and Ako put on excellent and well-received performances at the Music Festival at SXSW 2024. I am grateful that I was able to attend their shows, and I would love to see them again at a future SXSW, another festival or event, or even on a USA tour!
(Archival coverage from SXSW 2024.)
