No surprise, SXSW 2018 was busy. With over 2000 acts from 63 countries performing this year, Austin was jam-packed with industry professionals and music fans all week. Downtown was a human ocean in the wee hours, the crowds were rowdy at venues like Dirty Dog and tamer at the Central Presbyterian Church. I waited in line for many of our favorite NYC artists at venues that were filled to capacity hours before they were meant to go on (I'm looking at you, Anna McClellan). Here's a short recap of my favorite performances from this year's SXSW. 

Beshken's Ben Shirken adeptly took us far away from the noise of 6th street and into an ethereal world of eclectic dance music with a nifty setup and bassist/guitarist Ian White at Burnside's Tavern on Wednesday. 

Jukebox the Ghost is currently based out of NYC recording their fifth album Off To The Races at Studio G in Brooklyn. The band put on a stunning show at the StubHub Stage on Wednesday night, playing old songs such as "Girl" and "Somebody," and also debuting "Fred Astaire" and "Everybody's Lonely," two singles from their upcoming record. Their final song of the night was a cover of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" that had everyone, sober and not-so-sober, singing along every word.

Soccer Mommy played songs from her acclaimed new album Clean in a great set at Cheer Up Charlie's on Friday, followed later that night at the same venue by Brooklyn's Topaz Jones, whose soulful, crowd-pleasing performance had us laughing and dancing alike. "Has anyone seen Stranger Things?" he asked, introducing his 2016 song "Winona."

Finally, my absolute favorite performance of this year's SXSW was Kitten's at Mohawk Outdoor (pictured above). Originally from LA, the band recently moved to NYC and enrolled local musicians BITS (Blu and Rex Detiger) in the live lineup. Kitten's frontwoman Chloe Chaidez was a delight to watch: an unusual burst of energy and incredibly agile gymnast, all without missing a note or a beat. She finished out the night with a 20-foot jump (more or less) into the audience and then sitting down at the drum kit, completely nailing the rhythm section of the last song and taking us all by surprise. -Geena Kloeppel

When it seems impossible to continue its climb, the new track from pop group Kitten just keeps going, creating a prolonged sensation of being lifted up, while band leader Chloe Chaidez sings with buoyant optimism over already anthemic backing instrumentals. “I Did It!” shows Kitten as a pop force with a handle for ‘80s glitz and modern production tricks. Though Chaidez sings of past mistakes, its done with poise and confidence, ready to move forward as the sheen of smiling synth-pop propels her on. It’s the group’s first release since 2016’s “Heaven Or Somewhere In Between” and teases a new self-produced album slated for later this year. Listen to “I Did It!” below. – Cameron Carr

Before the set started I was warned by a friend to get ready for the tiny fireball of energy that is Kitten’s front woman Chloe Chaidez, who’s 19 by the way. My inner monologue of “Oh yeah, ok whatever girl” was blown away by Chaidez’s sex charged hair whipping performance just a few songs in. Supported by a classic rock sound and a healthy dose of 80’s post punk and new wave, Chaidez was acrobatic to say the least, climbing on amps, monitors and at times doing handstands onto bandmates. - Richard Kim