Live music review: Female fronted bands put “Power” in Empowerment Fest

A couple weeks ago I tweeted out to the world that I’m now contributing for The Cosmic Clash, and the first response I got was a recommendation to cover Empowerment Fest, an all-ages twelve-show lineup featuring womxn-led local bands. 

Empowerment Fest, sponsored by local label Dissent Records and benefiting Girls Rock Austin, promised a fine sampler of local music spanning multiple genres. As a music-loving feminist, how could I resist? So last Saturday I donned my Jackie Venson tank top, grabbed my eternally skeptical Gen Z daughter, and headed out to Far Out Lounge.

The show ran from 4pm-midnight but we could only stay a few hours so I showed up around 6:30pm just as Adrian Conner was shredding her guitar while writhing around on stage on her back. My daughter looked delighted. 

At that point the crowd was still sparse, but enthusiastic. Earlier that afternoon, all of Austin had received a series of texts about the recent spike in COVID-19 cases, and the need to be careful. Far Out Lounge is probably the most ideal venue for crowd-shy folks looking to enjoy live music. A couple acres of shady South Austin property with chairs and picnic tables scattered around, a nice selection of food trucks, and two stages set up to alternate between acts made for a relaxing scene.

After Adrian Conner wrapped up, we hopped over to the second stage where BÖNDBREAKR unleashed a powerful set of hardcore metal-punk fusion led by dynamic front woman Gerilyn Hayes a/k/a Hurricane G. Despite the warm afternoon, the band maintained high energy and their sound was relentless: hard driving rhythms overlaid by Hayes’ monster vocals kept us transfixed. 

Shifting musical gears dramatically, we headed back to the first stage where Christine Renner and her band were set up. Renner is young, fresh and energetic, chirping into the mic, “Thanks y’all! We’re so happy to be here!” But it was immediately clear that she’s no gimmicky guitar girl. The band was in their zone, with Renner’s guitar and vocals setting the pace. They launched into the single Sweet with such precision and power that no one in the crowd could keep themselves from moving.

We’d barely caught our breath following Christine Renner’s performance when Ladyfang took the stage and defied all expectations. In fact, this set was worth the price of admission alone. An eclectic sound, a karate-kicking front-woman, and the kind of chemistry that burns laboratories to the ground, Ladyfang is a band that obviously enjoys listening to each other as much as the audience does. With as much substance as style, they pounded out their signature chaos-infused glitter rock and raised the energy of the crowd to a whole new level.

The last performance we saw was Chief Cleopatra, who took to the stage just as the sun was going down. Cleo’s set was delayed for about fifteen minutes when the sound system malfunctioned, but once the band resumed their places and started up, we were treated to a blend of indie rock and soul that proved a perfect transition from day to evening.

On the way home I asked my daughter what she thought. She said, “You know, I realized today that there are a lot of bands that people don’t know who are actually better than the ones that get all the attention.” 

I completely agree, and once again I’m reminded how lucky we are to live in a city where, for the price of a movie ticket you can spend an entire evening reveling in live music that really, truly rocks.

All photos Michael Maly