SXSW 2010: Givers, Soundcheck Stage, Austin

take the stage here just about after all the chili got et up. Thus fueled it is no surprise that their enthusiastic sea of fans take this excellent opportunity for all it’s worth, and boop and bop along with the unclassifiable jump pop being dished out by this up-and-coming feel good act.

Their stage presence, though never more complicated than lead singer Taylor Guarisco’s zombifying roll eyes, is electric. Givers live up to their name and send out generous waves of energy to their fans. Turning up the bass until our tonsils wiggle also helps. Easily rolling their way through a short but potent set list, the band carry themselves well to the last.

Their sound, stylized by a healthy dose of xylophone and the increasingly ubiquitous tribal face paint, soars out of the Soundcheck Magazine tent and onto Red River Road where a healthy line of fans wait patiently for some room to free up inside. The heat only enhances the experience as the sun passes slowly overhead and the afternoon gives way to more acts and more music.