CLICK HERE FOR MORE SXSW 2018 COVERAGE!
AUSTIN, TX- For most of our SXSW artist coverage, we’ll keep it relatively short and sweet. We have over 80 artists to cover, so cut us some slack! 😉 We’ll basically be formatting each post into two parts: (1) Why our contributor wanted to see this act and (2) what our contributor thought of the performance”. Easy peasy. If you want to learn more about the act, make sure you click through to their social media links to get in the know. You won’t be disappointed!
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Why I Wanted To See Tank and the Bangas: The night portion of my Day 3 SXSW experience led me to a showcase sponsored and run by NPR. In it, they were promoting the fourth annual “NPR Tiny Desk Contest” and as part of that promotion they had last year’s winner, Tank & The Bangas, perform a set. I learned about the band not too long before SXSW but was told only great things about how great they are to see live. That pretty much convinced me to put them on my list of acts to catch.
What I Thought Of Tank and the Bangas’ Performance: Honestly, I don’t think I saw a performance with more energy, sound and liveliness all week. Led by Tarriona “Tank” Bell, her along with the “Bangas” put on a hell of a show. She stormed on stage in all smiles and giddiness when the music queued her up and immediately started twerking to the beat. She’d continue dancing and twerking throughout the entire set, infecting the crowd with her happy and fun-loving demeanor.
It was easy to tell why Tank & The Bangas won the “Tiny Desk” concert. Their music uses a variety of sounds and techniques to make their live shows extra fun. Each instrument used ton of different pedals for each unique style that the songs displayed. They would transition from spoken word to funk, to soul, to hip-hop, and even rock. I loved how well each band member played their respective instrument. You don’t often get to experience a concert where literally every instrumental was exactly on point, but Tank & The Bangas accomplished that, in my opinion.
Unfortunately their set wasn’t very long because they have a pretty short discography which consists of an amazing album called Think Tank, and a few singles. Most recently they released a song called “Smoke, Netflix, and Chill” which came out in honor of the 4/20 “holiday.”
It’s a fun song that features Tank singing more than usual but also providing some pretty dope rap/spoken word bars. It kind of reminded me of a Chance the Rapper-esque song that’s very upbeat. I’m hoping they come out with a new album in the near future. I recommend catching them in your neck of the woods if they’re touring near you at some point in the future. I certainly had a blast watching them live with all of the energy they bring.
Follow Tank and the Bangas on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
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