When fourteen Scottish artists made the transatlantic trip to showcase at the South By South West music festival and conference in March 2011, a crew from the BBC was there with them to chart their attempts to take the event by storm. The documentary screens tonight, Tuesday 5 July 2011, at 9.00pm on BBC 2 Scotland (Sky Channel 990 rest of UK).

South by South West (SXSW) is the world’s largest music industry festival. Every year 2000 bands from around the globe descend on Austin, Texas trying to make an impact.

Creative Scotland coordinates, produces and manages Scotland’s presence at SXSW crossing music, film and interactive technology, granted unprecedented access to the BBC team.

The full list of Scottish bands who performed at this year’s SXSW included: Admiral Fallow, Dam Mantle, Errors, Jackmaster, Kid Canaveral, Rachel Sermanni, The Twilight Sad, Unicorn Kid, Withered Hand, Bronto Skylift, Edwyn Collins, Jon Fratelli, King Creosote, Popup , Twin Atlantic

Featuring their trials and tribulations with selection, getting the money together, visas and attempting to make a splash at the event, this film is a fly-on-the wall look at what it takes to make it at the most important music event in the world and offers an inside guide to playing at the event.  

As a result of performing at SxSW Admiral Fallow have secured a deal with a US booking agent. Admiral Fallow's Louis Abbott says of the band's attendance at SxSW 2011;

‘It was everything we had hoped for and more...in the 4 days at Austin, we were lucky enough to have 2 showcases plus 4 other gigs, including in the Caritas Soup Kitchen, filmed by the BBC. It was at the Campfire Trails showcase on the Tuesday that Dave Zierler, MD of INgrooves, our now US Digital Distributor, saw us. Coldplay's US booking agent, Steve Ferguson of Paradigm caught our set at the Creative Scotland Showcase on the Wednesday and that resulted in us being taken on by him for the USA. Our album was released in the States last week and we are looking to tour there in the next few months.  All great....’

On attending the festival Rachel Sermanni, said; ‘Sxsw was an incredible first introduction to the USA. I couldn't believe how busy my shows were. From the many meetings we had we've started to piece together a team for when we go back and tour the whole of America which I hope isn't too long away!’