G Flip bashes out one of Wednesday’s breakout SXSW sets

Outside the Sidewinder venue in Austin on Wednesday afternoon, the blocks-long line to get into the management firm Secret Sounds’ showcase wasn’t moving. One fan said she’d been stuck in her spot for upwards of two hours. But one gang of Australians, all dressed in identical shirts printed with little broken hearts, cut the crowds and walked in like they owned the place.

That had reason to. They were the extended family of G Flip, a Melbourne-based singer-songwriter who delivered one of the day’s breakout sets. A little bit of spiky indie rock, a little bit of blown-out arena-pop and a whole lot of charm announced a new talent already heralded at just the third solo show she said she’d ever played.

The singer, born Georgia Flipo, was in good company, too. The day’s showcase was bookended by the bewitching minimal rock of fast-rising newcomer Stella Donnelly and the beat-bolstered, throat-ripping folk of Dubliner Dermot Kennedy. Both of them are tipped as festival breakouts this year, and so far into the week, the crowds that have followed them around town would suggest it’s full steam ahead there.

G Flip’s set was so inviting and varied, so funny and meaningful, that it’s hard to not to see a star in the making. Some tracks, like “Killing My Time” and the single “About You,” had a strong electro-pop backbone and choruses so well-written they felt like longtime radio hits before they were even over.

Other times, she jogged behind the drum set and played with panache while also belting her lead vocals. Then she’d tell stories about getting hammered before a family function and bashing out a new single in the hour between.

She’s got a bunch more dates this week, and if you’re in Austin you’d be remiss not to check out one of them.

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