SXSW: Thrasher death match
Thrasher Death Match is an unofficial SXSW event that came to life in 2010 partly due to a partnership between Thrasher Magazine and Converse.
This year, it lasted for four sweaty, noisy and fun-filled days from March 18 to March 21 at the Gypsy Lounge on East Sixth.
The lineup featured up-and-coming musicians of varying genres, including hip-hop artist Leikeli47 (pronounced lah-kay-lee), punk rockers Title Fight as well as veterans of the music festival scene Earl Sweatshirt and The Dillinger Escape Plan.
Musically speaking, Thrasher typically supports punk and metal bands. Title Fight, an American punk rock band from Pennsylvania, headlined on Wednesday March 18, with an eccentric, energetic show that kept the crowd moving.
Most days of the event featured bands similar to Title Fight, though one of the most interesting performers was actually Leikeli47, the hip-hop artist mentioned earlier. Leikeli47 quickly made a name for herself in the music scene by dropping her explosive mixtape “Lk-47 pt.II” back in January. She’s known for draping herself in anonymity — she wears a mask in public and refuses to reveal her personal identity. She denies all interviews and still remains ageless.
Thrasher Death Match’s music lineup was unique to say the least.
And music was only half of it. Skateboarding is what made Thrasher’s Death Match complete.
A temporary mini-ramp was built for the event’s duration, and was placed near the entrance of the venue.
The ramp almost immediately became flooded with professional and amateur skateboarders alike. Showgoers would continually switch back and forth between viewing the bands and viewing the skaters, both of which were entertaining in their own particular ways.
The diversity within Thrasher Death Match’s lineup choice clearly works. The event managed to draw hundreds of music-hungry attendees every day.