Papermag's down at SXSW this week, living in the very weird, veryfun HP Mobile Park at Red River and Cesar Chavez St. We're chroniclingall the fun at hpsxsw.com and hpsxsw.tumblr.com, and re-publishing some of the coverage here.

"We've got five minutes left," Dum Dum Girls lead singer Dee Dee toldthe crowd at Red 7, about 20 minutes into their set at the Sub Popshowcase Friday night, in yet another of this festival's breezy,punctual performances, which seem to all be organized by studious dudeswith watches hovering continually at the edge of the stage. Theaudience was, in the end, treated to a generous eight songs, owing tothe fact that few of the Dum Dum Girls' songs are longer than fourminutes, and some of them aren't even longer than three (their debutfull-length, 2010's I Will Be, is just 30 minutes long).

The crowd was also treated to a solid performance by one of thetightest, most mature-sounding bands around. Dee Dee, who is also aguitarist, is the centerpiece of the band, having founded the outfitand done the bulk of the songwriting, but bassist Bambi and guitaristJules are crucial to the vocal sound of the band: nearly every songfeatures their seamless three-part harmonizing, and it sounded flawlessduring Friday's gig, despite the rough-around-the-edges outdoor venue(previous act Papercuts spend a good half of their set justsoundchecking). There are no frills on the Red 7 patio, where smoke ofvarious kinds wafted through the air and one oddly-placed spotlightshone on Bambi, a pleasant distraction: she looks like a young MerylStreep, just with long red hair and a fringe.

The band stuck to some of the more upbeat, drum-driven songs from theiralbum, but sandwiched in there was the relative lullaby "Take Care ofMy Baby," more of a nod to '50s crooners than the punk-influenced pop ofa few decades later, and brought out a new song to cap off the night.Dum Dum Girls aren't breaking the mold with their music, but theireffortlessly precise and melodic songs and pro attitude has definitelyearned them a place among the biggest indie talents, and it will beexciting to see what they do next.

Video by Marc Brubaker