Diamond Rings Rocks His Zebra-Print Leggings Off at SXSW

Posted on Mar 18th 2010 10:00AM by Charley Rogulewski
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John O'Regan, aka Toronto one-man show Diamond Rings, has one thing in common with legendary basketball player Michael Jordan: they're both 6'6". One thing the two don't have in common: O' Regan doesn't shy away from lipstick and zebra-print spandex. No stranger to SXSW, last year O'Regan made an appearance at the Austin festival with his indie-rock band the D'Urbervilles. "It's lonely," he tells Spinner of doing it solo in 2010, "but there is less to carry."

With only a 7" single to his name, O'Regan exemplifies the promise of this festival. With no financial backing, his budget keeps things lo-fi, allowing for him to only perform with a purple electric Stratocaster -- borrowed from some pals also playing the fest -- as he flip-flops between a Yamaha keyboard and a laptop that holds his backing tracks. No-frills it is, but take his dry baritone, unique look and his no-shame approach to rocking out -- that included high kicks during his mellow numbers -- and O'Regan is one of the most promising acts SXSW has to offer. In layman's terms, he's a male version of Lady Gaga or David Bowie 2.0, for the glitter-loving generation that has Ke$ha's 'Tik-Tok' playing non-stop on the radio. O'Regan's mass appeal is that he's a bona fide musician that can craft a catchy song that grabs your attention just as easily sans make-up and with an acoustic set, which he plays Friday at SXSW.

O'Regan played half a dozen songs during his official showcase at Austin's Beauty Bar Wednesday night, for the simple reason that he simply doesn't have any more in his solo repertoire -- yet. Among them were his indie-blog buzz-worthy 'All Yr Songs,' an easy sing-along, and then there's the shaman-like standout 'Wait & See,' one of his more layered compositions that' he's not afraid to cue up to some of his own original dance moves. Sure, O'Regan could use a backing live band and an expensive light rig to blow people away, but it doesn't seem like he's even in a rush to do so.

"I wanna sit on a patio, drink a margarita and watch the bats under the bridge," he says of his plans for the rest of the week, with a total of eight scheduled performances. "I'm one eighth of the way through. Only seven more."

Diamond Rings' 'Wait & See' Video