Live music review: Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol sold-out Antone’s
January in Austin, Texas, can feel like a toss-up. Real Winter in Texas starts around now, and the temperatures can drop into the lower teens. Due to the unpredictability of early-year Texas weather, live music moves inside, and fans sometimes rejoice in hot drinks rather than their regular Lone Stars and whiskey Cokes. At the sold-out Austin staple Antone’s Nightclub on a frigid, Friday, January 17 evening, Austin heavy-hitters Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol kicked off their 2025 with an indoor, deafening statement-maker for their year that is sure to be massive as their upswing to fame has shown to have no conceivable ceiling.
Officially formed in 2017, the fast food freaks in Rickshaw Billie’s have been slamming out record after record of their eccentric brand of rock heaviness, garnering a worldwide following evidenced by hundreds of YouTube comments on their videos of folks checking in from all over the world thirsting for their sonic serving of the Austin act whose diehard local following has grown into something that keeps getting bigger.
Fans made their way to the world-famous Austin venue on Friday night to pack out the 400-capacity room for Rickshaw’s first Austin gig of 2025. Those occurrences of which have started to become a sporadic happening since the Burger Patrol has been a worldwide touring act. We’re not even a month into 2025, and the local heavy band has already announced dates at rapid fire, continuing the “Road Dogs” reputation the three piece has garnered for their constant stints on the tour bus. Since the release of their banger-filled full-length Big Dumb Riffs, guitarist Leo Lydon, bassist Aaron Metzdorf, and drummer Sean St. Germain have been on a non-stop road train trajectory that has spurred a plethora of merch sales and packed out shows. Lydon sounds angrier on the vocals, and the backing instrumentals backbone the seriously satirical lyricism that has fans stretching their vocal cords into sing-along insanity with every live appearance.
Kicking things off was local Austin outfit Tied Up, an unlikely pairing that has hints of Midwest Emo and 90s indie rock. The set featured a joyful cover of Pixies tune “Gigantic,” demonstrating a faithful homage to the legendary indie band’s undying influence on the wide world of garage bands everywhere.
Rickshaw took the stage a little after 10 p.m. in front of a crowd whose anticipation was reaching boiling over levels of magnitude as soon as the venue doors opened for the evening. The Patrol’s sound, self-proclaimed as “Doom Wop,” features drop-tuned strings that veer on the side of simplicity but push the idea that less is more with short song lengths and a vocal delivery that hits in the vein of Les Claypool or mannerisms of influential 90s weirdos, Mr. Bungle. Setlist pickings included the newer likes of “Body Bag,” “Whip It Around,” and “1-800-EAT SHIT,” while also focusing on older crowd favorites “Cincinnati Tilt” and more melodic sections in the realm of “Heel.”
The drumming from St. Germain is more than headbang worthy, with all the smashed crash cymbals and drum-head shattering hits that do everything to back up the front-of-house duo that compliment the titular “Big Dumb Riffs” that bode well for a Pabst Blue Ribbon-soaked good time.
Who needs overly complicated technical solos and hard-to-nail guitar licks? Rickshaw’s boastful simplicity is always something to behold. Lydon’s 8-string guitar chugging is not only the dumb fun Rickshaw wears on their sleeves but also a gateway drug for those trying to get into heavy music. The power trio is bridging the gap between the weird and heavy in Austin, and their undeniable energy didn’t let up until the closing number hit its last note and the constant crowd surfing came to a screeching halt. When the smoke cleared, all that was left was crushed beer cans. Fans left Antone’s with a worthy kickoff to their year of seeing some of Austin’s best in one of the most coveted rooms in town.
Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol will perform more dates in Texas this month before embarking on a nationwide tour with New York experimental synth-punk act Lip Critic. Tickets can be purchased on the band’s website.
All photos by Troy Gonzales
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