WONDER VILLAINS ROCK U.S. DEBUT AT SXSW FESTIVAL
(Wednesday, March 14th, 2012 – Austin, Texas) Derry’s electro-pop sensations, The Wonder Villains, have this week kicked off a string of American shows with a blinding debut at the SxSW festival in Austin, Texas.

The show, which was organised as part of the Northern Ireland trade mission to the festival, saw the Derry four-piece play in front of a capacity crowd on the same bill as established acts Cashier No 9, General Fiasco, Foy Vance and And So I Watch You From Afar. But it was the young group that created arguably the most buzz with passers-by literally dancing in the street during their infectious set.

Wonder Villains drummer, Kieran Coyle, said: “The show was unbelievable! The whole time we were on stage I just kept thinking how crazy it was to be playing in Texas. The venue was a really cool bar, it was packed and the crowd were really nice to us. It felt like something straight out of a movie!”

Rocky O’Reilly from the band’s management team added: “The band have enjoyed every second of travelling, rehearsing and preparing for this week. Watching them lock into their performance last night in a room packed with international Music, Interactive and Film delegates was a very special moment.  Being given the chance to represent Derry, together with the other acts and with the support of Digital Derry has been an inspirational opportunity for the guys. I hope Wonder Villains will have hundreds of career defining moments in the next twenty or thirty years. Last night definitely felt like one.”

Mark Nagurski from Digital Derry, who helped organise the event, said: “The Wonder Villains were absolutely brilliant. This entire trip has been about exposing Derry talent and Derry businesses to the world. The digital guys have spent a week networking hard and showcasing their work, and last night’s performance from The Wonder Villains really capped it off. They were simply brilliant.”

The band will continue to play showcasing events across and around the SxSW festival over the coming week, and, if their debut U.S. performance is anything to go by, this trip is unlikely to be the last.

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Notes:

1. The Wonder Villains are an electro-pop band from Derry, Northern Ireland. You can find out more about them on http://wondervillains.bandcamp.com/
2. SxSW is one of the world’s largest industry festivals, attracting tens of thousands of delegates across film, music and interactive media.