PIAS Announce SXSW Label Showcase on March 15th
[PIAS], one of the world’s leading independent music companies, have announced a SXSW label showcase at Half Step in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday March 15 (8pm – 2am). The showcase will feature artists signed to both in-house and partner labels Bella Union, Heavenly Recordings, Lower Third and Mute, including:
Circa Waves - Critically-acclaimed UK-based indie-rock band; tipped at Rolling Stone, FLOOD, Clash, NME, Paste Magazine and more. Having recently released their Independent Chart-topping record, Never Going Under, the band are returning to North America for a full headline run including a stop at SXSW.
The Natural Lines - Bella Union-signed The Natural Lines (FKA as Matt Pond PA) are back with their gorgeous new self-titled record on March 17. Recorded with close collaborators and friends over a period that saw Pond make vital adjustments to his life, its stealth emergence reflects his desire to set a fresh pace for himself and come from somewhere new, somewhere more open.
Miss Grit - New York-based musician Margaret Sohn (they/she) created Miss Grit to function as an outlet for their own analysis and expression of self. Called a “polymath” by NME in early 2019, their process is introspective, their vision precise. Now signed to Mute with their debut LP, Follow the Cyborg out on Feb 24 – and already earning features at Rolling Stone, MTV, The Line of Best Fit and more – Miss Grit is sure to be a SXSW 2023 highlight.
Ladaniva - Franco-Armenian duo, Ladaniva draws on influences from around the world; from traditional Balkan music to maloya, jazz and reggae, with strong roots in Armenian folklore. Formed in 2019 in Lille, France by Jacklin Baghdasaryan and Louis Thomas, the award-winning project has played over 150 shows around the world including performances at Reeperbahn and Eurosonic festivals, while accruing over 40M streams.
Annie Hamilton - The Australian artist found support at The FADER, NPR (Bob Boilen), BBC 6 Music, Triple J, BBC Radio 1/6Music and more for her debut album, the future is here but it feels kinda like the past. She’s previously headlined tours in the UK and US, as well as opening for Lime Cordiale in Europe; she’s now set to bring her psych-pop-indebted indie-rock to SXSW for the first time.
Revival Season - Dub-inspired electronica signed to Heavenly Recordings from Atlanta, GA. Drawing on the sounds of King Tubby and Prince Paul, the project is made up of Mattiel founding member, Jonah Swilley (also produced records from Curtis Harding, Night Beats, etc), and rapper BEZ with Raf Rundell lending a hand on production.
The showcase further highlights the independent powerhouse’s 40th-anniversary celebrations this year. Kenny Gates and Michel Lambot launched [PIAS], then known as Play It Again Sam, from a Brussels basement in 1982. Originally an importer of vinyl records from UK independent labels the company grew into a prominent European marketing and distribution outlet for the independent music sector, with its own recordings division.
With an exciting live showing at SXSW on the books along with highly anticipated albums recently released and slated for the year ahead from the likes of Arlo Parks, Philip Selway, Circa Waves, Dropkick Murphys, The WAEVE, H.Hawkline, Jake Shears, Nation of Language and more, [PIAS] is poised to charge into the next 40 years and beyond.
ABOUT [PIAS]
Founded in Belgium in 1982 by Kenny Gates and Michel Lambot, [PIAS] is one of the world’s leading independent music companies with more than 280 employees over 16 offices in every major music market around the world. We champion and support artists from around the world across an unrivaled international network run by passionate music lovers.
[PIAS] has 2 core divisions: the [PIAS] Label Group and [Integral] Distribution Services.
[PIAS] Label Group, the Record Company Division, includes in-house labels Play It Again Sam, Different and harmonia mundi, as well as a roster of affiliated independent labels: Astral People, ATO Records, Bella Union, Blue Flowers, Don’t Sleep, Heavenly Recordings, Lower Third, Mute, Speedy Wunderground, Phantasy, Point of Departure, Transgressive.
[Integral] is the multiple award-winning services division providing worldwide digital and physical marketing and a range of distribution services for some of the most influential independent labels and artists including 4AD, Chemikal Underground, Chrysalis, Domino Recording Company, Epitaph, FatCat Records, Ipecac, LSO, Matador Records, New West, Ninja Tune, Partisan Records, Rough Trade Records, Secretly Canadian, Stones Throw, Sub Pop, Warp Records, XL Recordings and Young Turks among many others.