Live music review: Hot Summer Nights 2023 delivered FOMO-worthy lineup to Austin music fans

Red River Cultural District‘s Hot Summer Nights 2023 returned July 20-23 with a bill that was too hot (figuratively and literally) to pass up. With bands such as Exotic Fruitica, Grandmaster, Nolan Potter’s Nightmare Band, and Nuclear Daisies all rounding out the lineup, HSN delivered a FOMO-worthy event that was not to be missed for local fans of a wide variety of musical genres from heavy to mellow. The annual sister event to Free Week benefits the RRCD and thus area businesses. The Cosmic Clash staff had a blast at this year’s festival. We want to discuss some of our favorite acts, some of which we had not had the opportunity of seeing before. 

Nolan Potter’s Nightmare Band delivered a jam-heavy set at Chess Club on Friday night. Since forming The Nightmare Band, Nolan Potter has maintained an ever-growing catalog, including a signing by Osees’ John Dwyer to his Castle Face Records imprint. Dwyer also happened to be DJ’ing for the evening, a welcome surprise for those in attendance. Since Potter restructured his live backing band last year, the Austin artist has been on a mission to revitalize and innovate his musical output. His Hot Summer Nights set saw the talented Austin band churning out jammed-out versions of the band’s compositions, including an extended version of “Seahorse Retreat,” a track that appears on Potter’s Castle Face debut Nightmare Forever. The set also saw Potter’s vocal performance in pure form, as the singer’s voice was interwoven perfectly with lead guitarist Raze Regal, who joined the lineup for Nolan Potter’s show opening for Kikagaku Moyo’s farewell tour Austin stop last Fall at Far Out Lounge. Other highlights included “Stubborn Bubble,” a heavy metal-infused track that might scratch the itch of fans wanting something fast and loud. Listen to more music from Nolan Potter at his Bandcamp page. – Case Cockrell

Nuclear Daisies cranked things up to 11 for their reverb-drenched Hot Summer Nights 2023 Mohawk set. Since seeing Nuclear Daisies at a South by Southwest (SXSW) kickoff party at Austin Eastside staple, Hotel Vegas, I’ve had high hopes for shoegaze and adjacent genres in the city’s music scene. The group formed during the pandemic lockdown and features members of another beloved Austin act, Ringo Deathstarr. The set was loud and heavy, with guitar effects reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, and Jesus And The Mary Chain. The wall-of-sound presentation of many acts of this stature embody an enthralling live experience, allowing audience members to “live inside” the sound sculpted by rock, solid bass and tall screens of distortion. While undefined fuzzy and somewhat fatiguing at times, Nuclear Daisies blew us away. Check out Nuclear Daisies at their Bandcamp page and see what all the fuss it about. – Case Cockrell

Queen Serene brought their fearless guitar-effect-driven indie rock to Chess Club during the weekend’s festivities. Armed with distorted guitars and trippy drum beats, the Austin act made for a solid warm-up for the Nolan Potter set on the Friday night of the weekend festival. The guitar pedal’s heavy sound added to the shoegaze/post-punk element of the performance, with bass and guitar effects that wore all of their influences on their sleeve. The apathetic vocal delivery gave hints of Siouxsie and the Banshees while also scratching the guitar-smashing punk antics of L7. Frontwoman Sarah Ronan, formerly of The Naked Tungs excels both vocally and instrumentally, making a case for punk rock theatrics and psych-rock reverberation in the same performance. Check out Queen Serene’s catalog on Bandcamp for a wide selection of the Austin act’s musical offerings.  – Case Cockrell 

Marry Cherry graced Cheer Up Charlie’s on July 20 with 60’s garage-rock structures and a 90’s rock edge. Their psychedelic-shoegaze music is as if Austin’s Daiistar turned the decibel level up to the huge bass presence and made them sound a little bit more industrial than Brit-pop as they do on record. At times it looked like the band was one step from committing to full glam-rock, as if the Modern Lovers slowed down and drenched themselves in reverb. Their latest single, “Divebomb,” came out in July and can be streamed on a few different platforms online. – Drew Doggett

Big Bill gave their adoring Mohawk crowd one of the most memorable performances of the weekend on July 21. The chaotic show made for, by, and to the Austin weirdos. Founded by Eric Braden in 2011, the band now features Alex Riegelman on guitar, Alan Lauer on bass, and Jeff Olson on drums. Lauer’s contorted facial expressions looked like he was being exorcized live on stage when not maniacally staring into a random audience member’s soul. Riegelman frequently pointed his guitar at the sky when not pretending to shoot the audience with it – his staccato scrapes and distorted chorus pedal gave the new wave punk band a refreshing rhythm section.

The group busted out hokey hooks like the catchy chorus on “Coma” that goes something like, “yip-yip-yip-yip-yip-yip-yip-YAP” complete with hand claps. Their latest single, “Emotions,” shows Braden’s ability to craft really vivid lines. “Men have emotions / They carry them like landmines / They put ‘em on others / And pull their triggers.” Probably the most enigmatic frontman of the night, Braden divulged the band had been banned from Mohawk before. It didn’t take long to understand why they may have ruffled a few feathers in the past. The stage simply couldn’t contain Braden. He took his microphone to the venue’s top balcony as far as the cord could stretch it, close-lining a few innocent bystanders in the process. During a song’s bridge, he ran upstairs to the ledge overlooking stage left and motioned as if he was going to jump off stage diving onto amplifiers before security quickly discouraged him from the jump. (The stage crew was visibly aghast.) Big Bill don’t take themselves too seriously, but you should seriously consider seeing them at their next live performance by any means necessary. Listen to Big Bill via their Bandcamp page.– Drew Doggett 

Local Favorites Exotic Fruitica closed down Hot Summer Nights 2023 at 13th Floor. Fresh on the heels of completing a new, upcoming EP, the Austin noise band showcased an onstage energy that fit the intensity of their new material with utmost passion. After a short setup delay, the band tonight with another local legend, Daiistar’s Misti Hamrick, came out swinging as the music swelled and everyone in attendance was instantly drawn to the stage. Frontman Jon French’s harrowing shouts along with drummer Aaron Gilligan’s cacophonous drums made for a fiery power hour of music. It only took a few songs for fans to start a mosh pit to which the crowd was more than happy to oblige despite the sweltering heat. You can only go so long on such a Hot Summer Night, but I imagine I’m not alone in wanting more. You can find them soon this month along with several other killer bands such as Castle Club, Sex Mex, and Pleasure Venom. – Ross Blauer

Photos by Drew Doggett and Michael Maly

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