Twelve Bands at SXSW on Their Music, Their Style, and the Movie That s Banned from Every Tour Bus

There’s a relaxed vibe to Austin for SXSW, especially for the bands who are used to heavy-duty touring year round. London Grammar’s Hannah Reid declared, “This feels like a holiday!” as the trio slowed to a Texan pace while in town for the music festival. Last Thursday, Vogue invited its favorite bands and musicians to be part of a shoot where photographer Ben Rayner documented a day of Austin living. Setting up camp at the loft of the creative collective called Public School, on East 7th Street, and alongside colorful walls and cacti, we created a kind of unofficial clubhouse where everyone—friends and fellow musicians alike—stopped in throughout the day. New York City’s Skaters and Drowners kicked around a soccer ball in the parking lot, while a local bike club staged impromptu drinks promotion on the patio. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart frontman Kip Berman brought the band’s new lineup with him and stayed a while to chat, watching music videos on Public School s television and eating tacos on the couch. We weren’t sure if Macaulay Culkin’s Pizza Underground would be in town that day, but a Twitter search plus a few phone calls brought them directly to the shoot after a long drive from Dallas. Pagiins, who’d played their first-ever SX showcase the night before, dropped by before heading out to catch Coachwhips. In the slideshow below, a look at the headliners we captured in the Austin sun that day.

Grooming: Nico Guilis