BULLETBALLET at SXSW 2026: “Our songs talk about our experiences in a city where there’s been a history of femicides, cartel violence and discrimination.”

How did I go from betting on Chicken Shit Bingo, waiting for a constipated chicken to defecate onto a plywood board with 54 numbered squares, to the week’s unrivalled alternative music showcase?

Bands from Mexico City, Juárez and El Paso playing the most trance inducing, avant-garde sets I’ve witnessed in years. My reality is shifted and that alteration definitely increased watching the Norte Shida showcase.

In the smoking area of Chess Club dive bar, I meet Analaura Fuentes and Hector Becerra. An independent music project named BULLETBALLET, from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. They’ve driven nine hours to be at South By Southwest. They’re singers and multi-instrumentalists, whose sound bounces between shoegaze to trip-hop to synth. I’m still absorbing their performance.

“At the last minute, we were hesitant to come,” confesses Analaura about her apprehension travelling to the United States.

“There are bad things in every industry. When you learn about that, you get in a conflict. I think the message we want to communicate is very important and we shouldn’t stop from making art. That’s why we decided to continue.”

The message BULLETBALLET’s spreading stems from Juárez, a city that’s been embroiled in decades of bloodshed due to the drug trade and the unprecedented levels of extreme violence against girls and women dating back to the early 1990s.

“Our songs talk about our experiences at home in a city where there’s a lot of violence,” she explains.

“There’s been a history of femicides, cartel violence and discrimination. Our message is a protest for political protesting. We are all involved, without wanting to be involved, in this violence. We also talk about guns and the political climate.

“The music scene in Juarez is kinda small. It is an industrial city. There’s not much space for the arts and culture. We want to open up to other spaces.”

In the days following our interview, at San Francisco airport, plainclothes ICE border agents detained a mother as her terrified young daughter watched. Homeland Security issued a statement claiming they were being deported to Guatemala.

Analaura discusses whether the Trump deportations have had an effect on people in her life.

“Yes, she’s not my direct friend, she is friends with some friends, she was detained by ICE,” reveals Analaura.

“She was in an ICE facility and we didn’t know anything about her. People were sharing information trying to get awareness and raise funds for lawyers. That’s one example, but I have many examples about it. You’re not really able to move your head to the other side, and not see stuff, it’s impossible to look away.”

In 2024, Irish artists and many other bands due to perform at South By Southwest boycotted because of the festival’s ties to the US military and the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Did BULLETBALLET consider boycotting SXSW because of the current political climate in America, or did they feel it was more important to share their voice?

“Yes, that’s the reason why we decided to come,” discloses Analaura.

“I can’t speak for all the bands, I can only speak for myself and Hector, when we saw SXSW is posting Capital Factory - a company that has links with Israel military, when we learned about that we were hesitant. But we are like, ‘I think that’s what these kind of people want in the long run for us to not express ourselves and not share what we think’. That’s why we decided to come cause the message is very important. And, I was also a little hesitant because I haven’t travelled much in Texas. I was a little bit scared, honestly.”

True bravery is feeling afraid, yet still having the courage and fortitude to stare down your oppressor and not let them dictate what happens with your life. All of the artists on the Norte Shida Showcase did this. They took a stand to come to a hostile and dangerous environment to make sure that their voices weren’t silenced. I felt honoured to be a part of that community on a Sunday night in Austin.

“Let’s try and live with each other in peace, proclaims Analura. “I think that’s what it’s all about.”

Stream BULLETBALLET on Spotify: