An A+ goes to the SXSW higher-up who scheduled Scottish singer/songwriter Sandi Thom [ tickets ] atop the city at the 18th Floor of the Hilton Garden Inn for her Wednesday night (3/18) showcase.

The quiet top-floor perch with views of downtown Austin felt like the perfect temporary escape from the ear-splitting madness on the streets below. Thom took the intimate stage right on time alongside a guitarist and a backup singer, a sonically great combination but visually distracting.

Lamenting the loss of her beloved cat Toots throughout the night, the heavily accented songstress discussed the songs' topics casually, as if the handful watching were friends sitting in her living room for an impromptu performance. Thom, dressed in a flowing white dress that reached the floor, looked as angelic as she sounded when she belted out upbeat tracks like "The Devil's Beat" or folk-y, downtrodden songs like "Lonely Girl."

"What If I'm Right," a sing-along song with a tinge of honky-tonk, could easily be a genre-spanning hit on country and pop charts, connecting with women especially with heart-breaking lyrics like "you'll be true and faithful too, but I've got my doubts and what if I'm right."

Thom has been on the radar since 2006, when she released "21 Nights from Tooting," a 21-night run recorded from the basement of her London flat and broadcast on the Internet.

Her easy, soulful voice and rebellious '60s style came through in her most recognizable song, "I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker." The anthemic number had the small audience entranced, clapping along and feeling the power of a socially motivated song.