SXSW is certainly a marathon, not a sprint. There are people that have been here since the film and interactive segments of the conference and somehow they’re still standing. I can only assume that those earlier portions are far more low-key than this music portion, since only one full day of SXSW has already worn me out a bit, and I’m as conference/festival ready as anyone. In any case, days are filled with various free shows and parties, with official SXSW shows at night. Day shows are the grand equalizer. Badges and wristbands mean nothing, and all are created equal. Never mind that though. Yesterday’s agenda (again, in bullet form) after the jump:

Pipettes - For all the discussion of hot guys here on Line Out, here's something to balance out that discussion. The Pipettes are hot. Their music is candy-sweet, the choreography is just flawed enough to be even more endearing, and the outfits are a great touch. They're coming through Seattle soon (right? Or am I hallucinating?), and you'd do well to catch them. The plan is to see them again today.

Dark Meat - This Athens, GA produces a very big sound, which is pretty unavoidable considering the 15 members on stage. Facepaint, band outfits, and beads make the band very reminiscent of the "weird" kids in college, only now they've got a record deal.

Matt and Kim - The stage looked empty after Dark Meat after Matt and Kim set up. They were just as fun and excited as they were in Seattle, but the show overall was a bit more low-key (which is to say I didn't take a shoe to the head from someone stage-diving).

Simian Mobile Disco/Girl Talk - Jonathan's already talked about these and he was right. Way too early for a dance party to break out. Great effort by both though (and both had pockets of people moving).

At this point I took advantage of "indie rock tea time," the time between the day and night shows to go get some excellent Southern comfort food.

The Rub - NYC DJ collective The Rub got the night started at the Beauty Bar with their Hollertronix-approved DJing. Things were pretty slow for much of their time slot, but things certainly picked up - the lineup for the night was a hipster's dream, with Flosstradamus/Kid Sister, Bonde de Role, A-trak, and a slew of other acts inside and on the patio.

Japan Nite - This tour comes through Seattle next week, so I checked this out as a preview. I have no idea who I saw, but they did an amazing take on punk. I'd love to read a take on Japanese rock and how in many cases bands just ape what they've seen before, but I'll have to look for that later. The fact that I long for that shouldn't be seen as too heavy a criticism however, since this show was incredible. I'm excited to see the whole show next week.

Bonde De Role - After a lull in the music intake, I braved the line at Beauty Bar to catch Brazil's Bonde de Role. I can technically say I heard them, but since the venue was at capacity, that was done from the luxury of the line outside. Those inside got down to baile funk, while I chatted with a guy about the state of hip-hop.

Yo Majesty - I got inside just after Bonde de Role was done. I knew nothing of Yo Majesty, but their set began with queries as to whether the crowd was "ready fo' some titties," an appropriate question since halfway through their set one of the three MCs unzipped her red jumper and ripped off her t-shirt. Did these ladies get crunk? Definitely.

KENNA - When Kenna was done, the crowd called for more. I don't know why. Nothing that I heard was a standout. It sounded like any generic college-town rock band that claims to incorporate funk. The sound was crap too (band in a DJ-oriented venue), so that wasn't helping. The upcoming album comes out on Star Trak, so Pharrell has heard something in this sound that I'm not just hearing yet.

Simian Mobile Disco/"SPCLGST" - SMD did more of the same for this later set, but the timing meant that people were more ready to dance (the venue helped there as well). They had to work the crowd up from ground zero, since the music during setup was incredibly chill, but they performed admirably, closing their set to a jumping, sweaty, hands-raised mass. Eric, I'd like to tell you it was just meh, but this was exactly what you would have wanted to see (out of a DJ set anyway). Around two they handed of the decks to "SPCLGST," a thinly veiled reference to MSTRKRFT. For a party knob already at eleven, MSTRKRFT made it "elevener." After all the bands, this was just the close to the night I needed.

Now, off to do it all over again. Today's agenda includes Tokyo Police Club, The Pipettes, and maybe The Stooges.