The Revivalists played one of the shows of this young band’s life Friday night at SXSW. The crowd at the Holy Mountain backyard was packed with hardcore fans but also a large media contingent and talent scouts checking for the next big thing. The showcase nature of the gig forced the band into a tighter format which emphasized the intelligence of its song structures and arrangements and the compact interplay of the players. The Best of the Beat winners deserved the Best Rock Band award they took down in January. They are far more than the jam

The Revivalists impress at SxSW.

band too many dismiss them as — this is Crescent City Soul played with rock dynamics.