We came across this ad for SXSW in some 1989 Texan newspaper. The Austin based showcase festival started in 1987, so this would have been its third edition and it was already bigger than Left of the Dial. Which feels slightly discouraging, but then again, everything is always bigger in Texas.
We’ve attended SXSW many times, and in lots of ways it has been an undeniable inspiration for our festival. It was always so wonderful to walk the streets of a city that was buzzing with music loving people everywhere and we wanted nothing more than bring that vibe to Rotterdam. But the last few years we started to feel less and less at home there. Everything seemed about big brands promoting their stuff, about corporate meetups and making business deals. It simply didn’t feel like it was about the music anymore.
In a way, that was somewhat of an inspiration too. It made us decide that at Left of the Dial music always should come first. Sure, we need to sell tickets or find other funds to organise the festival and to pay the bands, but we promised ourselves that we’re never going to get involved with demanding sponsors and that we would always take care of our artists the best way we can.
It’s still our dream to turn Left of the Dial into the biggest showcase festival ever, for the simple reason that it would mean giving more bands a platform to promote their music. However, we don’t want to grow at any cost. Whether you buy a ticket, or if you’re on stage, Left of the Dial should always be about having the best time ever. And the same goes for us: the only reason we spend every waking hour on organising the festival, is because we have so much fun doing it. Putting fun first will probably never lead us to being the biggest showcase festival ever, but who cares? To quote one of our other favourite songs:
Never for money, always for love.
Stay safe and we wish you the best possible new year!
Lots of oliebollen-love from Left of the Dial
PS 1: To all the bands that have been confirmed to play SXSW in 2025, don’t worry… you’re going to have a great time in Austin. The weather is usually lovely, the breakfast tacos are insanely delicious and you will meet lots of Americans who all tell you your music is amaaaaaaaazing. Just go, have fun and make us proud!
PS 2: As you may have noticed, Alex Chilton was on the SXSW lineup in 1989. Coincidentally, he did background vocals on Left of the Dial, the Replacements song we named our festival after. Of course, that doesn’t really mean anything, but when we saw this ad, we took it as a sign that Left of the Dial is on its way to greatness. But then again, we take everything as a positive sign…
