Every South By Southwest conference typically features more than a handful of bands whose ascent to the top of the pop charts seems potentially likely if not exactly a certainty.
Having seen the New Cassettes in full live-and-electric mode, I'm inclined to count the Northampton, England band among them.
A five-piece of young, enthusiastic rockers with a powerful live set and a crackling new album in Winterhead, New Cassettes have garnered significant critical acclaim in the homeland and have made significant Stateside inroads as well: there music has already been heard on Grey's Anatomy, Jersey Shore, I Just Wants My Pants Back and much more. And in 2012, those sort of breaks may be even more significant than limited play on radio's tired rock 'n' roll formats.
All this being said, here's a treat: An early morning private performance during Austin's SXSW conference by just two of the band's members, unusually in a raw acoustic performance. Though they were a tad nervous in this stripped-down format--because they really do pound it live--they were fully game and ready to go. And we're glad they did.