Austinist Show Preview: Xiu Xiu at The Mohawk

Image from howrad’s flickr

Xiu Xiu at The Mohawk
Saturday, April 5
The Mohawk (912 Red River)
$11, All Ages, 10:00pm
[info] | [tickets]

Disturbing psycho-sexual lyricism, multifaceted percussion skills, quivering vocals, all combined with a curious extroversion and a skewed appreciation for cuteness? This can be none other than the damaged experimental rock outfit Xiu Xiu, who will play The Mohawk’s outside stage this Saturday. Xiu Xiu have a knack for combining whimsy and pain, and we recently called them out as “one of the most excellent and fascinating bands of the decade” in our review of their last record, Women as Lovers.

Xiu Xiu’s guests on this tour are Thao with The Get Down, Stay Down, a San Francisco band active since 2005. So far, this group led by Thao Nguyen (hence the name) has made some notable strides. For one, they’re managed by Kill Rock Stars’ Slim Moon and are signed to his label, and after this tour they have a stop at the Sasquatch Festival planned for late May. In contrast with their tourmates, Thao with The Get Down, Stay Down are much easier on ears, folkier (banjo appears every so often), and pen distinctly un-tragic lyrics.

Our resident freaks Weird Weeds are also on the bill, suitably. The band, which consists of Sandy Ewen, Nick Hennies and Aaron Russell, have recently put out their latest record I Miss This out on local label Autobus.

Xiu Xiu: [website] [myspace]
Thao with the Get Down, Stay Down: [website] [myspace]
Weird Weeds: [website] [myspace]