Live music review: Day 3 and 4 of Levitation wrapped with standout performances by The Sword, Wine Lips and more

Levitation Festival 2024 soared into the weekend with its expected triumphant intent. Every Halloween weekend, fest producers The Black Angels and show runner Rob Fitzpatrick never miss the mark in serving music fans both the hot up and comers and the legacy acts that paved the way for those new acts to take form. The Cosmic Clash team witnessed the annual extravaganza from its Thursday kickoff until the closing moments and picked out our favorite highlights that lit up the weekend to make up one of Levitation’s most landmark years yet. With a multi-venue format that requires fans to jump from show to show to get the most out of their experience, there isn’t a shortage of music to see, which makes a statement for both the robustness and openness of the Austin music sphere. 

Grocery Bag – Hotel Vegas – 11/2

Austin’s Grocery Bag caught their big break in their Levitation debut with an opening assignment for the legendary psych-punk outfit, Osees. Following a brief introduction, the Austin punks launched straight into the hits with a kickass statement in mind. Since it was also release day for the local band’s fresh EP, Static Mirage, the onslaught showcased songs from their beginnings in 2022 and the new tunes that have kept coming every time they take the stand. With limited playing time in the opening slot, banter was kept to a minimum, and the ensemble proceeded to slash through every song they could to take after the pedal to the metal style of the evening’s headliner that graciously showed Osees mastermind John Dwyer giving the local artists a shoutout when the closing excursion commenced. 

Death Valley Girls – Parish – 11/2

Mega indie rock frontrunners Death Valley Girls kicked off the late-night Levitation programming with bursts of both songwriting bliss and throwbacks to the trippy music from past generations. Armed with a choir-esque group of vocalists and multiple instrumentalists, the L.A. players also feature drummer Bailey Chapman, formerly of now-inactive Denton, Texas indie heavy hitters Pearl Earl. Maintaining the Los Angeles act’s affinity for 60s vocal groups, each member got their turn at the forefront, allowing the now 11-year-running collective to flourish like the Austin Psych Fest and Levitation veterans they’ve made themselves out to be. 

Wine Lips – Parish – 11/2

A psych-nado call from Toronto thrashers Wine Lips is just what the doctor ordered. Wine Lips took over just before 12 a.m. and thrusted the energy in the East Side Austin venue, Parish to redlining levels. Since this was the Canadian quartet’s fourth Austin appearance since 2022, the Austin masses always welcome yet another trench rager from the punks that play with so much fury that it’s impossible not to want to crowd surf and mosh the night away. A highlight of the pandemonium came with a sit-in from Iguana Death Cult frontman Jeroen Reek, whose group opened the evening, on new record Super Mega Ultra track “Derailer,” a lead single from the ‘Lips new album that showed the frontman demonstrating his palpable enthusiasm by bolting all over the Parish podium as the track raged on. An additional standout came with new bop “Six Pack,” which featured drummer Aurora Evans on lead vocals for the hard-living anthem that fans can’t get enough of as the foursome continues on their steam engine trajectory. 

 

The Well – Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheatre – 11/3

A rosin-infused bill for the rebirth of the almighty Austin stoner metal titans, The Sword came tightly rolled with some of the best that the Austin local metal corner has to offer. Austin’s The Well took the reins for an early evening service, which felt much later given that daylight saving time went up in smoke during this year’s Levitation Festival. The three-piece, made up of bassist and vocalist Lisa Alley, drummer Jason Sullivan, and guitarist and vocalist Ian Graham, shows the long-running local Austin trio bringing the heavy for cuts that range from melodic to downright evil with every minor interval ringing out the way Black Sabbath and legendary Dopesmoker creationists, Sleep intended. The offering featured cuts from the doom metalers’ three studio records, including some of their yet-to-be-released new LP due out sometime in the near future. 

Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol – Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheatre – 11/3

The growing empire of Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol was displayed in monumentous fashion as the stacked bill at Stubb’s continued to lead up to The Sword’s headlining performance. Rickshaw’s style is tricky to pin down. Self-described as “Doom Wop,” the three-headed murder machines, made up of frontman and guitarist Leo Lydon, bassist and vocalist Aaron Metzdorf, and drummer Sean St. Germain, has been sculpting their party-hearty intensity with multiple studio albums, tours, and face-melting eight-string guitar riffs that hold them up as one of Austin’s most beloved acts. By the time the Burger Patrol took their places, news broke on social media that the festival outing had sold out, packing the Red River venue front to back with folks who knew every word of each song of the opening set. The release of their newest studio batch Big Dumb Riffs has been a harbinger of all-over-the-world acclaim from the homecooked noisemakers, with tunes that focus on simplistic yet heavy as fuck pieces that allow the group to exert maximum shenanigans whenever they plug in to play. “1-800 Eat Shit,” “Body Bag,” and “Whip It Around” all sparked fierce audience participation, all ready to slam around as the performing band slashed through every minute in their 45-minute slamfest.

Pentagram – Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheatre – 11/3

Originally formed in the early 70s in the land of Alexandria, Virginia, foundational heavy metal phenomenon Pentagram took the part in the final opening slot for the evening. The landmark metalers have disbanded and reformed several times over the years, but is anything but a nostalgia act due to their consistent studio releases and new generations of fans that stumble onto them in the used section of record stores across the world. Only consistent member Bobby Liebling took over with his legacy intact, acting the part of one of the pioneers of the devil’s note as Ozzy Osbourne’s and Tony Iommi’s influence reached United States shores. The legacy rockers appeared with all new members save for Liebling and hacked out both classics and new cuts, some of which will appear on Pentagram’s upcoming 2025 full-length Lightning in a Bottle to be released via the Heavy Psych Sounds label, their first studio release in a decade’s time. 

The Sword – Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheatre – 11/3

The boys are back in town. Formed in 2003, Austin-bred retro metal extraordinaires The Sword announced their disbandment in 2022 after nearly two decades as a band. With the festival’s lineup announcement, the lineup reveal had billed a main stage performance from the previously defunct Austin legacy band, their first performance in over two years. The sold-out 2500-capacity crowd on the closing day of the Levitation festivities came with stakes that have never been higher. When The Sword announced their reunion would take place at Levitation 2024 with the fest’s announcement earlier this year, fans from all over promised to flock to Austin to witness what could very well be the true finale for The Sword’s storied career.

The Sword comprises frontman and guitarist John D. Cronise, bassist Bryan Richie, lead guitarist Kyle Shutt, and drummer Jimmy Vela, all of which have maintained separate music ventures during and after the group’s tenure. For their first gig in 777 days, the quartet prepared a career-spanning, devastating setlist, performing songs from their career’s beginning to end. “Freya,” “How Heavy This Axe,” and “Iron Swan” all appeared as fan favorites, as well as later tracks like album title track entry “High Country” and Used Future’s “Deadly Nightshade.”

The dueling guitars and rapid fire bass playing instrumentation showed the doom revivalists picking up right where they left off, sounding as tight as ever and interacting as a close-knit unit that played as if their lives depended on it. Drummer Vela carried the group with his vibrant percussion prowess, allowing himself to shine with every composition as the reuniting entity tore through their set. The show also contained a several song guest spot from Austin musician, SL Houser, who is a signee to Spaceflight Records, where Richie is the director of artist development. After a 17-song rollout, The Sword briefly departed the stage only to respond with an encore and unleashed fan-favorite “Winter’s Wolves,” a final hurrah that had fans reveling in every last moment as it could be The Sword’s final ride. The comeback was a moving moment for Sword diehards and Levitation goers alike and will prove to be historical for Levitation Festival, the local Austin scene, and beyond.

Check out our interview with The Sword ahead of their Levitation appearance.

Illuminati Hotties – Parish – 11/3 

Los Angeles indie punks closed out our Levitation quest and did so in the most feel-good of ways. Fronted by music producer and chief songwriter Sarah Tudzin and self-described as “Tenderpunk,” Tudzin’s relatable delivery makes for delightful banter that gets the audience involved at every turn. Since the release of Tudzin’s third studio effort, Power, the Hotties have never sounded more fruitful as the frontwoman’s songwriting chops have only grown stronger. The Cali freewheelers played songs new and old, telling stories of self-doubt and inner discovery that showed the crowd’s unhinged antics turned up to 11 with sentimental singalongs and draining every last grain of energy left in the tank to send off the four-day stretch in firework show manner. As the house lights reengaged and the backdrop visuals faded, the Levitation invasion came to a bittersweet close for 2024. Another legendary weekend for The Black Angels-produced festival, leaving the music fans in attendance with a worthy swan song to send them home with stories to tell. 

Levitation will return to Austin next Fall on September 25-28, with details yet to be determined.

All photos by Troy Gonzales