SXSW Last Night: Children at Mohawk

Last night I experienced something for the first time. I'm still in shock. I saw a metalhead -- we're talking long haired, guitar wielding metalhead -- in a tie-dyed T-shirt. On stage, no less. And, oddly, I kind of dug it. Seeing one of Children's guitarists in hippie wear instantly let us all know the band is not overly serious. With less distortion and more shredding, the metal band from New York is overwhelmingly influenced by '70s British metal (e.g. Iron Maiden). I'd put money on seeing the band at this afternoon's Motorhead show. The crowd was disappointingly small, especially as Children unveiled a new song, as yet untitled. And, in the vein of old school metal, the new song was more than 7 minutes long. Too long? No. Just 7 minutes of badassery. -- Chelsea Ide