SXSW 2012

With Shuga it’s all in that name: saccharine and brutalized. They are essentially sweet; a simple, stripped-down, loved-up rock n roll combo, but like their spelling, they’re also fucked up. A rowdy London three-piece who make timelessly lovesick, grunge-slathered, punked-up pop songs, they also benefit from that special kind of alchemy that touches bands who are fronted by young and beautiful are-they-aren’t-they lovers. Emma Chitty (vocals, bass) and Luis Felber (vocals, guitar) have each other’s names tattooed on their arms. They’ve been inseparable since they were kids. They’re sweet on each other, and in Shuga they’ve given birth to a kind of aggy problem child. They’ve created a little monster.