Live music review: L.A. psych punk act Hooveriii at 13th Floor
Los Angeles psychedelic rock collective Hooveriii made a not-so-rare Austin appearance at The 13th Floor in the Red River Cultural District on Monday, June 2, bringing an intimate experience ahead of their planned 2025 Levitation Festival appearance. The cross-country tour comes in support of 2025 LP Manhunter, a ripper packed with supercharged tracks that shows the Bert Hoover-led outfit staying the course as one of the indie rock underground’s most exciting acts. With a sound that dabbles in modern psychedelia fused with punk rock, the high-octane windstorm of Hooveriii is making their splash in the world of vinyl crate-digging independent music. Last week showed a sneak peek of what will come for another massive year for the rising group, who have been on a rapid-fire warpath since their inception in 2014.
The players surrounding Hoover are a rotating cast, and each release has a revolving door of musicians. Austin native Nolan Potter and other local affiliates have also been known to be frequent collaborators in Hoover’s improvisation outfit “GROOP,” who appear sporadically in Austin and recently performed an Austin Psych Fest afterparty set after Hooveriii’s performance at South Austin venue The Far Out Lounge & Stage. In addition to these ventures, the California musician is also a member of Primitive Ring, which features Ty Segall collaborator and FUZZ member Charles Moothart, who appeared in Austin earlier this Spring.
With this being the only Texas date for this tour, several audience members could be heard discussing their travels to the downtown Austin haunt for the evening on an early weeknight. Space jazzers Rich Ruth delivered a meditative opening set, complete with a horns section and a batch of instrumentals that warmed up the stage for the headliner’s sparse but blistering gauntlet of tunes. With it being a Monday, the crowd was a little thin despite being one of the sole live shows in the Austin entertainment district that evening. Ignoring the attendance numbers, the West Coasters took the stage and let the wall-of-sound madness commence.
Austin music scenesters in the house attended the concert. Members of Nolan Potter’s Nightmare Egg, Queen Serene, and The Black Angels, all showed up to witness what is becoming a rabid indiehead’s favorite on the touring circuit. Some fans would expect a longer performance for a band with an ever-growing discography, but the tour in question was all about the new record with a handful of older cuts sprinkled in the setlist. “Melody,” “Question,” and “Westside Pavillion of Dreams” all showed their heads as the single selections for their latest LP, showing palatable enthusiasm from the fuzzed-out shredders who have kept the music coming for over a decade since their initial formation.
When the 45-minute mark approached, the Hoover ensemble called it a day. With no hopes for an encore, the spectators opted to stay, converse with their fellow show-goers, and rejoice in another 13th floor excursion well spent.
Hooveriii continues down the road through the end of June, with an appearance at Levitation Festival bringing them back to Austin in the Fall. Current tour tickets can be found via the band’s Bandcamp website.
All photos by Troy Gonzales
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