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Dirty Projectors [Mohawk; 8 p.m.]

The Dirty Projectors' Dave Longstreth reconfigures his band for every tour and album. Here at Mohawks' tiny inside stage, he played with two women on bass and guitar, and a male drummer. Other shows have included orchestral instruments, or even Longstreth and a computer with backing tracks, so this was conventional by comparison. Longstreth (who held his guitar upside down), needed his small band to pull double duty. Each female singer chirped in precise harmonies to fit in the spaces between the other, while Longstreth crooned over and around the women. There were no drum machines or laptops on stage; but the band played and harmonized with computer-punch-card precision. Longstreth introduced "Police and a Troubled Vibe", with a story: He was out on a bike ride when a speeding cop car grazed him. Longstreth flipped off the cop, then was pulled over. It segued into "Fucked for Life" well.

New Violators [Emo's Jr.; 9 p.m.]

Earlier in the day we saw the New Violators lounging on the curb across the street from Emo's. Maybe it was the heat, which must have been pretty deadly for a bunch of guys from Norway. Or maybe it was the general malaise of SXSW-- the band had already played a show earlier, and the night before. Either way, they looked exhausted. But by the time their set came around, they were pumped. Lead singer Per Borten wore a shirt with built-in sugar glider wings (take that, Sufjan Stevens!), and a scarf on (take that, heat!).

The band rocked a set that sounded like David Bowie with wiggly, Yes-esque keyboard runs. This combination sounds noxious on screen, but the Violators pulled it off well. The audience grew as they played, but it looked like no one knew what they were seeing. "Who are you? Who are you?" yelled one desperate audience member. "We're the New Violators, thank you for asking!"

Rafter and Friends [Emo's IV Lounge; 10:30 p.m.]

Rafter Roberts, the nerdy, baby-fatted lead singer of Rafter, likes to trick people. "This song is about babies!" he said. But then he chanted "my baby's getting so big!" while suggestively spinning his hips and holding out the neck of his bass. Maybe it wasn't about babies. We hope it's not about babies. These were surprisingly sexual moves for an Asthmatic Kitty showcase. He introduced the rest of his set with the same deceptive cheer. "This song is about the fighting and then the sex!"-- we think that's called 'make up sex', but we heard him say something about burying bones.