It became clear on Monday night that there were now two music festivals simultaneously happening. Typically at South By, there’s a mixture of official and unofficial showcases; but this year more artists have dropped out of their official SXSW shows in protest and have pushed to become unassociated with the festival. This is because of the controversy of South By sponsors and their affiliation with the Israel-Hamas conflict. The protest has caused a spike in unofficial showcases and a view of a possibly changing landscape for the festival and the music industry in general.
BODEGA made it clear that they weren’t here to play by the rules and showed how they can leverage their music and energetic performance to make a statement. They played at the Sahara Lounge, a charming intimate venue on the outskirts of the city, for the second annual Desert Showcase alongside La Sécurité, Frosty Palms, Balthvs, and more. BODEGA’s signature NYC punchy post-punk sound reverberated through the dimly lit room and gave everyone the feeling they were at the coolest underground punk show.
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