Live music review: Oblivion Access Festival slayed Austin last weekend

Just when you think that there isn’t any room for another music festival in Austin that has the strength and originality to be taken seriously, enter Oblivion Access Festival. Formerly known as Austin Terror Fest, Oblivion Access Festival took over six venues in the downtown area over the course of four days last weekend and provided a diverse lineup that showcased some of the best artists of metal, hardcore, shoegaze, rap, electronica, punk, experimental and DJ.

While many of the artists performing at the fest might be considered fringe, obscure, and underground, ticket sales for the festival would suggest that demand has determined that there is a place for another music festival in the Live Music Capital. This is a festival featuring artists that, as loved as they may be on recorded mediums, the live experience is at the core of why they exist. Oblivion Access is a more-than-welcome festival from this perspective.

Highlights from the well-attended shows include the more recognizable acts that were slotted for headlining various nights, while the various support acts provided a multitude of opportunities for discovery and most delivered performances worthy of concertgoers attention. 

Deaf Club, a collective of musicians from various projects set the tone, and decibel level and established an early crowd for the night at Elysium with METZ slotted for top billing and Spotlights filling the middle slot. As expected, Toronto’s METZ proved worthy of their live reputation, grinding out a blistering set at a physical pace of a conditioned athlete, while testing the limits of earbuds necessary for safe listening. It was the perfect lineup to kick off the festival.

Plack Blague’s industrial-dance, gay, leather band electronica and N8NoFace’s lo-fi punk-meets -EDM were more than worth the day trip during the festival’s numerous day party offerings. 

 

Rapper Billy Woods’ growing fan base and reputation were an instant draw for a lineup headlined by established rapper/comedian Danny Brown but, New Jersey’s Ho99o9 performance may have been the highlight of the evening. The group’s hip-hop, punk fusion fueled by an energetic, thunderous performance pushed the limits of the enthusiasm and crowd barriers. 

Saturday afternoon held a witches brew of options at Empire Control Room with some traditional, classic metal on the outdoor stage, and a variety of old-school rap followed by some well established Japanese noise rock. You never know what to expect from the eccentric rapper Kool Keith and for this occasion Keith kept it casual, basic, and real. Japan’s Melt Banana was anything less than casual, performing a frenetic set of their unique blend of grindcore and noise music for a packed house of devoted fans physically committed to the intense set. 

Brooklyn’s self-proclaimed “loudest band in the world” A Place To Bury Strangers are no strangers to the Austin scene, with close ties to local psych darlings The Black Angels, and regular visits to the live music capital of the world, and each visit holds a unique experience. If you haven’t…words don’t do their live performance justice.  You should prioritize this live experience for the future if you haven’t seen this explosive act perform. 

And then there was Blonde Redhead. Perhaps a more palatable booking for the hard-core reluctant, mostly based on their later releases, but the band’s early history indicates their propensity to dabble in sonic exploration.

With their performance pushed late into the night, the trio wasted no time working through a set of fan favorites from their extensive catalog, pulling from their more critically acclaimed releases, “Misery Is A Butterfly”, “23”, and “Penny Sparkle”. Each song worked their ability to raise the sonic bar a notch as the evening progressed with front-woman Kazu Makino showcasing her multi-instrumental talents switching between guitar, bass, and keys while sharing vocal duties with guitarist Amedeo Pace. Twin brother to Amedeo, Simone Pace held down the drumming responsibilities with the precision and timing of a well trained drummer, bringing a variety of influences into his unconventional style. The band’s experience and range of style, uniquely their own, has only solidified their live performance as an experience that exceeds expectations based on recorded material.

This music festival last weekend proved that no matter the genre or sub-genre a music listener may be a fan of, there will be a fest that honors that preference. Oblivion Access Festival may not be on your radar yet but, here’s to hoping that in years to come we all find it to be a fertile landscape for discovery and rare appearances by some of the more talented in the obscure and unique side of rock music.