Live music preview: Six showcases to see at Hot Summer Nights in Austin this weekend

Hot Summer Nights (HSN) in the Red River Cultural District of Austin is an annual RRCD-sponsored event that features hundreds of local artists performing across the downtown area. Each showcase will not charge a cover at the door, meaning dozens of free showcases akin to the annual Free Week, which takes place the first week of every January. HSN runs July 24  – July 26 and will feature talent from all over Austin and surrounding areas. Venues participating in the event include Mohawk, Chess Club, Cheer Up Charlie’s, Empire Control Room & Garage, and The 13th Floor among several others. For the three days of packed, free live music programming, The Cosmic Clash team has curated a list of showcases we think attendees will want to catch while wandering the streets of Red River during the free festival. Hot Summer Nights will also feature participating food vendors to keep you full and energized throughout the event. 

Thursday – The 13th Floor

The first evening of Hot Summer Nights features a multitude of showcases, but opening night at psychedelic stronghold The 13th Floor is a heavy-hitter. Opening the bill will come with My Education crossover Stop Motion Orchestra, a decade and change tenured weirdo prog collective whose influences come from oddities from throughout the eras. Following on the bill will be local ear-shattering shoegazers Queen Serene, along with music scene institution Nolan Potter’s Nightmare Egg to close the night. The 13th Floor is owned by Black Angels guitarist Jake Garcia, who can usually be seen joining in on the fun at 13th Floor happenings. 

Thursday – Mohawk Outdoor and Indoor

Red River Cultural District staple Mohawk will open up both stages throughout HSN, making for multiple festival-like experiences throughout this year’s installment. Thursday’s programming at the Red River venue will feature high-draw talent in the realm of Farmer’s Wife, Redbud, and Foxtales. The evening’s bill will run concurrently on both stages, so plan accordingly to see a chunk of each set of this stacked lineup. 

Friday – Cheer Up Charlie’s 

The crossover of members in Sexpop and Grandmaster features chief songwriter Blaise Eldred, who, along with crafting the lore of the mega ensemble, pieced together a live band for his bedroom project Sexpop. With members stretching into Grandmaster, Intellectual Property, and Blush Fantasy, Sexpop showcases a masterclass in funk-infused dreampop, a soothing vibe that’s perfect for the immaculate visuals of the indoor Cheer Up’s stage. Also joining the bill will be Genuine Leather and cumbia pop staples Como Las Movies. As one of Red River’s most vibrant spots, this one is worth a stop by. 

Friday – Mohawk Outdoor and Indoor

A Portrayal of Guilt Records curated lineup will make its way to Mohawk on the second day of HSN, bringing blistering fury to one of the heaviest bills sculpted for the free festival weekend. The showcase will partner with Marshall Amplifiers, bringing headline-worthy talent across the board for the evening on both Mohawk stages. Local extreme metal visionaries Portrayal of Guilt will make an appearance, along with national touring shoegaze outfit Nuclear Daisies. Rising punk act Mujeres Podridas will headline the indoor stage, fresh off opening spots for Jack White and Spain egg punk giants Prison Affair. A deafening bill from front to back, this is not one to miss.

Saturday – Empire Garage & Control Room

A variety of all-stars will take over Empire on Saturday night for a bill that shows some of the best of the scene as we know it in the current era. Post-punk stage crashers Font will be in the lineup, along with hardcore punk touring machines, Mugger. Noisegaze act Palefade will appear on the garage stage, a heavy quartet known to scratch itches in the vein of Deafheaven and Full of Hell. Art punk sextet The Opera will also make an appearance, offering an off-kilter take on the genre that earned them an opening spot for legendary experimentalists Xiu Xiu. With this gauntlet of planned instrumental ferocity, this closing festival showcase will send attendees home with their eardrums rattled and a weekend well spent.

Saturday – Elysium

Strap in, this Saturday at Elysium is going to be back-to-back mayhem. Hard rockers So Many Cults will appear, bringing their high-energy vibes with grooves that Josh Homme would sink his teeth into, featuring their relentless pounding drums and heavy synth. Pussy Gillette will bring their trio of madness, an endeavor that brings a dose of the wild side with adrenaline-filled rock and roll. Narrow Haunts will bring their new era to the fest, with a new frontman that shows them soldiering on after a lineup change sidelined them for many months. Crack a Lone Star and stand near the stage for a set or two (or five).

Hot Summer Nights brings a surge of business to our locally owned and operated music venues across The Red River Cultural District which includes restaurants and shops as well as music venues. As the touring circuit slows down for the hot Summer months, local venue support is crucial. Make your schedule and support Austin music.

Featured photo of TV’s Daniel courtesy of Red River Cultural District

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