The setting: Austin's Central Presbyterian Church, last week, during SXSW. The mood: somber, stately, reverent. The moment: just seconds before a performance by Fragile Rock, a rowdy local indie-rock band that performs emo songs, fronted by bickering puppets.
To say that Fragile Rock sent the evening hurtling sideways would be an understatement, as the band unleashed a torrent of faux-grim hilarity and chaos when it wasn't urging the audience to shout out its prescribed antidepressants or berating fans for grinning along. ("We don't appreciate your smiles," seethed Brently Heilbron, in the persona of wounded frontpuppet Milo S. "You wouldn't do that to Conor Oberst."
For "Smile More," the spotlight shifted to Emily Cawood (performing as Briex Cocteau) and Megan Thornton (aka Nic Hole), who spent two minutes savaging the patriarchy. "Don't tell me to smile more, don't tell me what my mouth is for, from a man who started every war," Thornton and her puppet shouted in unison. And, see, here's the secret to Fragile Rock's raucous, ridiculous charm: Subtract the puppets, the stage antics and the silliness of all, and you're still left with some pretty damned good songs.
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