Live music review: Spaceflight Records party at Radio East featured The Black Angels, Nolan Potter and more
Spaceflight Records is an Austin-based record label that hosts some of the most high-profile talent in the city and beyond. The label’s robust roster includes music scene favorites Die Spitz, Grandmaster, Big Bill, Deezie Brown, and many more. For the 5th anniversary of Spaceflight’s opening, the Austin-based music centerpiece threw a party at the year-old Southeast Austin venue Radio/East on December 6 with signees Anastasia Hera and Nolan Potter’s Nightmare Band, featuring a headlining outing from none other than Austin psychedelic mainstays, The Black Angels.
Friday night was a cold one. With almost-freezing temperatures and rain in the forecast, R/E planned accordingly with space heaters and a covered tent by the stage area to shield concertgoers from the elements as the three-band evening commenced. Local promoter, Play to the Plants had the stage decorated with appropriate flora. With hot drinks and other refreshments shaping methods for keeping the attendees warm, it became clear that the Austin crowd wouldn’t let the weather win. The music would prevail as planned.
First to take the stage was Austin-based rap artist, vocalist, and producer Anastasia Hera, with a backing band that brought pulses of R&B and funk. Hera’s stage presence provided a worthy kickoff for the event, with involved stage banter and audience callouts that warmed the crowd up for the Spaceflight celebration. The vibrant stage aura from Hera made for an explosive dance-party ready kickoff, paving the way for two of Austin’s best to follow.
Next came the experienced Austin players of Nolan Potter’s Nightmare Band, bringing their expected psych-jam fury that showed frontman and chief songwriter Nolan Potter unleashing cuts new and old amid the release of their latest full-length, The Perils of Being Inside A Head. Lead guitarist Raze Regal delivered his usual simmering licks, along with the soulful keyboard delivery from Sam Blomgren. Bassist Dillon Fernandez and drummer Cole Koenning handled their usual rhythm section duties with ease, allowing for yet another triumphant offering from one of the local scene’s most coveted live acts. Nolan Potter, Grandmaster, and local psych punkers Grocery Bag will also perform as a part of Potter’s annual Nightmare B4 Xmas event at East downtown staple Hotel Vegas on Thursday, December 12.
On the eve of the Friday showcase, The Black Angels announced that the set would be composed of semi-acoustic/semi-electric renditions of entries from their ever-growing catalog. Since the addition of bassist Misti Hamrick at this year’s South By Southwest, the legacy Austin quintet has been at it with two Austin festival installments, touring overseas, and multiple U.S tour dates that show them not slowing down as the band entered their 20th year in 2024. Newer cuts like “Empires Falling,” “Firefly,” and “The River” all appeared in the headlining setlist, along with early songs, “Vikings,” “Dhir Rishi,” and “Manipulation.”
The 90-minute performance, albeit mellower than the usual all-electric reverberated madness fans have accustomed themselves to, felt like a meditative effort from the group, with some of the usual shoegaze freakouts from guitarists Christian Bland and Jake Garcia. Singer Alex Maas’ harrowing howl still reigned true for the dialed-back set, even teasing Roky Erickson’s “Bo Diddley’s A Headhunter” during Passover heavy-hitter “Empire.” The influence of The 13th Floor Elevators lives on within the Austin psych scene. The reflective show from The Angels restated that in thought-provoking fashion.
As each of the performers stated over the course of the South Austin gig, Spaceflight Records has a mission statement that keeps Austin going as a percolator for all things music with an NPO model that benefits artists in a way most indie labels don’t. Their gauntlet of talented artists has only gotten stronger throughout the organization’s tenure. Nothing can stop the Austin scene, not even cold, rainy weather.
All photos by Jupiter
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