London’s Cousin Marnie gives us a picture diary of her SXSW experience.“Last week I had the almighty honour of being taken out to Austin, Texas for SXSW to play the BBC Introducing Showcase, courtesy of Steve Lamacq.Four humid days of shows and food ensued.

Playing SXSW was overwhelming, I almost cried walking to the venue, I almost cried on stage, I almost cried after playing. There is such a sense of destiny as a musician about getting to play that festival. It was my first festival ever, both as punter and performer. I made a pact with myself a couple of years ago that I wouldn’t go to a festival until I was playing it and I can’t think of a better one than SXSW to take the crown.

One evening I went to a super old fashioned cinema in the heart of the city, ordered a root beer float and watched a film called, The Winding Stream, about the Carter Family and the Cashes, I was made for SXSW 2014 and have a left a piece of my heart behind.

 ps. I also almost saw Debbie Harry as she walked straight past me, but I wasn’t wearing my glasses and had been awake for 26 hours at that point”.

Horse:

“There was a real horse nearby, with a real cowboy on top.. but I was too shy to ask for a turn”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mary:

“There wasn’t a real Virgin Mary nearby so, again, I made do with some Deep South graffiti”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heads:

“A little out of the city there was a mad old junk shop with little alcoves of treasure.. there was one full of infant coffins, this one was full of heads”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steve by two:

“Steve Lamacq and Steve my drummer, after playing the BBC Introducing show.. probably the highlight”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Body:

“The anatomy section of the junk shop”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Window:

“An old fashioned sweet shop and ice cream parlour out of town.. A lot of sickly salt water taffy inside with a little British homage Cadbury’s section”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sugar daddy:

“There was no calorie wheel of shame on this”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cowgirl:

“An amazing shop selling vintage cowboy boots, hats and belt buckles. There was a man singing inside the shop window about hell and other such loveliness..”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Milkshake:

“Homespun vanilla milkshake at Austin’s oldest and supposedly haunted hotel… definitely sporting a ghostly pallor myself..”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pre-show:

“Sitting in a window way way way up high over Austin just before plunging down to play on 6th Street”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jesus:

“Austin Grand Hotel… Wes Anderson vibes”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poster:

“My name. Stuck on a wall. In Austin. Thelma & Louise tribute scarf in tow”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Donut:

“First morning in Austin. Bag of cookies and donut compulsory”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hackney-raised 21 year old, Cousin Marnie grew up doused in country music from infancy and while attending a convent school run by nuns, began writing songs, assuming the pose of her country heroines, Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette, while articulating the sensibilities of the hip-hop music she later found as a teenager.

The ‘Cain‘ singer’s debut EP ‘Is Sleeping’, re-imagined four Carter Family tracks from the 1930s. Marrying her two musical lineages the EP is a ticking collection of throbbing beats, synth drones and wistful country sentiment.

Cousin Marnie swears allegiance to Loretta Lynn and Kanye West from her bedroom at the top of her mother’s house on an estate in Hackney, while at her live show you’ll see her stomping around her own woodland of neon white rabbits.

 

Check out more from Cousin Marnie.