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The Secret Machines
New York via Dallas’ the Secret Machines have finally redeemed themselves in Austin.
During SXSW in March, the Machines —- bassist/vocalist Brandon Curtis, guitarist Ben Curtis and drummer Josh Garza —- had the unfortunate luck of going on late, at 1:45 a.m., and playing to a dwindling crowd of barely 100 die-hard fans.
At their 3:30 p.m. Heineken Stage set, the Machines finally pulled off a flawless Austin performance to thousands upon thousands of locals and out-of-towners alike.
Composed of former members of Tripping Daisy and UFOFU, the Machines have expanded on their prog rock-meets-psychedelic pop sound by reducing the running times of their songs. The band performed the majority of its 2006 release “Ten Silver Drops” with enthusiastic verve, including the single “Alone, Jealous and Stoned.”
Brandon Curtis seemed quite at ease as he rocked out by swinging in circles, even working in some Pete Townshend-esque guitar-versus-extended-arm theatrics.
“Lightning Blue Eyes” received a great reception from the sun-drenched audience. The song displayed what the Machines do best: It leaves their heavy Flaming Lips and British shoegazer influence behind and carves out more of a unique sonic landscape — one that is still sprawling but maintains a pop sensibility within the catchy choruses.
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