Live music review: Wavves brought their Summer shenanigans to Mohawk
Los Angeles surf punks Wavves are no strangers to Austin. With numerous South By Southwest (SXSW) appearances and venues around the area under their belt, Wavves has always seemed to prefer the Red River District staple, Mohawk. During a SXSW day party in 2018, many waited in line to see the Los Angeles act headline a weekend showcase that still had a long line of people when Wavves began their set. I was fortunate enough to plead my case with a club bouncer and was let in seconds before Wavves came on stage. Since seeing frontman Nathan Williams’ strong attachment to the venue, he likes to end each Mohawk appearance with a backflip into the crowd from the venue’s 2nd level overlooking the stage left, I was sure never to miss another show, including last week’s tour stop at Mohawk.
Ultra Q kicked things off to celebrate the release of their new album, My Guardian Angel which dropped just two weeks before the Austin stop. Bandleader Jakob Armstrong’s vocal howl did give off the vibe that he’s cut from the same cloth as his father, who is no other than Billie Joe Armstrong of California pop-punk legends Green Day. Ultra Q takes a variety of synth and new wave-driven influences to heart for their sound, but the quintessential California rock ‘n roll style still reigns true for what the Oakland act brings to the table for their live sets. The group is ideal for warming up for a band with as catchy songs as Wavves.
Cleveland’s Cloud Nothings took the stage next in pummeling punk-rock fashion. The Ohio natives last toured in spirit of the 10th anniversary of fan-favorite Attack on Memory. Cloud Nothings tore through a career-spanning set, allowing each member to shine in their unique respects. Drummer Jayson Gerycz dominated the performance, letting all of his hefty fills do the talking. Guitarist Dylan Baldi and bassist Chris Brown interweaved their parts with brute force, making for a glorious punk rock adventure that wasn’t stopping for anything. The Cloud Nothings fanaticals showed their excitement throughout the set, singing every word of fan favorites such as “Stay Useless” and “I’m Not Part of Me.”
The biggest surprise of the Cloud Nothings set for us was the ending number “Wasted Days.” The studio version is nearly 10 minutes, making the live rendition a fuzzed-out catharsis on colossal levels. I thought one of the sections was the end of the set, making a trip to the bathroom to return to the latter half’s beautifully drawn-out chaos. Cloud Nothings had us floored, and the show had us eagerly awaiting the modern punks’ next visit.
When Wavves time came around, the crowd was primed for it. It’s been increasingly unlikely that many in a Wavves crowd hadn’t seen them before, as Williams once suggested show-by-show punch cards for fans in the cities the Los Angeles band frequents year after year. The standards were high, with Wavves’ previous Austin appearance being an anniversary tour stop for classic record King of the Beach.
Wavves kicked the night off with mosh-pit starter “Way Too Much.” While Wavves has used this number to kick off their shows in the past, this one always hits. The crowd started pogoing all over the Austin venue, making the set begin to an ecstatic start. “Idiot” and “King of The Beach” followed, allowing crowd surfers and sacrificed alcoholic beverages to infest the crowd as the set progressed. As the gig continued, Williams pulled from almost all of the Wavves releases, sans the first two lo-fi releases and even Wavves’ most recent release, Hideaway. A highlight came as a new cut “Busy Sleeping.” The new song brought promise for an upcoming Wavves release, as the new music felt energetic as to move the crowd around like the King of the Beach entries. During the set, Williams took the time to toss cans of water into the sweating audience, a tradition continued from Wavves’ last Austin gig. It was a hot one outside and Williams helped the audience make it through the sweaty gig.
Honoring another tradition, Wavves ended their set with fan-favorite singalong “Green Eyes.” Williams tuned his guitar one last time, along with a request, “If I jump off that balcony, please catch me.” Speaking for myself, there are few other concert moments as cathartic as the performance of this track. Screaming “My own friends hate my guts” with an adoring crowd feels like one of the purest forms of community Wavves provides. The crowd surfers turned up to 11 for the ending, drinks, and fans face-planting on the pavement galore. When Williams sprinted up the venue stairs for his fabled stage dive, the crowd gathered near the drop zone and awaited his arrival. Then, Williams cracked two Modelo cans above the audience to let the booze flow – like a waterfall over the audience. Williams then took his flip of faith into the Austin crowd. While the landing was messy, the fans successfully (and safely) delivered Williams back to the stage, only allowing for the casualty of a single mic stand.
When Williams returned to the stage, the PA feedback did the rest of the work, with Wavves allowing their feedbacking instruments to roar as the guys left the stage. The crowd didn’t cheer for an encore much because fans have gotten used to Wavves’ usual lack thereof. The crowd and band left it all at Mohawk that night, tallying yet another cathartic Wavves gig in their concert arsenal.
Wavves continues to tour through August before heading into the studio to record a new record this Fall.
All photos and video by Ross Blauer
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