Live music preview: Seven must see bands at Levitation Festival 2025
Levitation Festival 2025 kicks off next week (September 25-28), with a new and improved location in tow and an array of artists to make this year’s installment one of the best yet. Festival organizers The Black Angels and famed booker and promoter Rob Fitzpatrick have chosen none other than Palmer Event Center to showcase the main festival programming, complete with two stages for the weekend of all-star cast performances. The festival will also feature late-night shows throughout the Austin area, including all the Red River Cultural District venues that have been part of the festival since transitioning to a multivenue format in 2018. The Cosmic Clash will be attending for the long weekend and has curated a list of must-sees for the weekend’s multi-genre music happenings. Night shows are sold separately, so move fast to avoid getting shut out of the post-Palmer programming. Set times can be found via the Levitation website. Hit the link at the top of the story to grab tickets. VIP passes are sold-out. There are still some GA tickets available.
Thursday – Boy Harsher / Martin Rev of Suicide – Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater
A night full of bludgeoning synth and haunting atmospheres is afoot with a Levitation kickoff show from Massachusetts by way of Georgia darkwave duo Boy Harsher and New York synth punk legend Martin Rev of Suicide. The influence of Rev and his 50-year career as a noted figure in the emergence of the synth punk classification is unnervingly notable, before the genre had a place in independent music discourse. Since the passing of his songwriter counterpart, Alan Vega, Rev has continued to tour as a solo act. Bringing his longstanding innovations to the present musical forefront, Rev remains a study in the foundations of the punk underground. With Boy Harsher’s Augustus Muller citing Rev and Suicide as core influences for their menacing yet minimalist output, this Levitation pre-party feels like a must see.
Friday – Blood Incantation – Palmer Event Center
As one of the current leading forces in the current era of metal, the possibilities have felt endless for Denver’s Blood Incantation. When the Colorado-based group began with 2016’s Starspawn, it made its mark in the technical death metal underground, while signaling the start of something much more. Since the release of their latest full-length, Absolute Elsewhere, Blood Incantation has garnered national acclaim for their unbridled creativity and experimentation, a rapid development of their unique angle of heavy music that has gained the band eclectic genre crossover. From old school death metal freakouts to hypnotic synth sections, Blood Incantation is bringing extreme metal to a multitude of eager audiences.
Friday – Castle Rat – Palmer Event Center
Brooklyn doom metalers Castle Rat have been making a name for themselves in the underground scene before releasing their first full-length recording. With imagery steeped in medieval fantasy, the onstage theatrics of Castle Rat are a world-building force. Led by singer and guitarist Riley “The Rat Queen” Pinkerton, who serves as the leader of the mythical space “The Realm,” she guides her band of misfits through perilous journeys, chronicled in bodies of work that are only beginning to grow. Castle Rat has also shared the stage with the likes of Monolord, Stonefield, and Firebreather, proving them to be a worthy addition to the metal-themed Friday festival programming. The New York-based heavy metal outfit will release their sophomore LP, The Bestiary, on September 19.
Saturday – Hooveriii – Palmer Event Center
Bert Hoover and his Los Angeles-based rotating cast have maintained a prolific streak since their formation in 2014. A Levitation mainstay, Hoover has been known to collaborate with local psych outfit Nolan Potter’s Nightmare Band, and has made several local appearances separate from his primary touring vehicle. Since making a stopover earlier this year at The 13th Floor in the Red River Cultural District, Hooveriii has since embarked on a tour in support of their recent studio effort Manhunter. With a sound that blends modern psychedelia with punk rock, the high-octane windstorm of Hooveriii is making its splash in the world of vinyl crate-digging and independent music. Hoover has become a crowd favorite in Austin, and performances in his home away from home are not to be missed.
Saturday – The Raveonettes – Palmer Event Center
Danish songwriting duo The Raveonettes have spent two decades and 10 studio albums keeping the legacies of The Velvet Underground and The Everly Brothers alive and well. Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo both wield electric guitars with a healthy amount of shoegaze and neo-psychedelia infused into their skeletal, but emotionally potent delivery. With their debut, Chain Gang of Love standing as a formative piece for lovers of the reverberation goodness that Levitation offers, The Raveonettes are always a welcome addition to each festival installment. Pe’ahi 2 marks the latest full outing for the Copenhagen revivalists, a cohesive and forward-thinking manifestation of the fuzzed-out and retro vibes the songwriting team has been cultivating for going on 25 years.
Sunday – Daiistar – Palmer Event Center
Austin’s own Daiistar has made a name for themselves on the touring circuit since the release of their 2023 debut album Good Time, marking singer and guitarist Alex Capistran’s infectious hooks and roaring noise pop sensibilities coming through in both a thought-provoking and lyrically affirming manner. The record was produced by Alex Maas of The Black Angels and engineered by James Petralli of White Denim. With bassist Misti Hamrick, drummer Nick Cornetti, and keyboardist Derek Strahan rounding out the lineup, each member brings their own unique attack to the quartet’s live performances. With a touring resume that includes The Black Angels, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, and The Dandy Warhols, Daiistar is becoming a staying force in the world of psychedelia with endless stints on the road with talent they could cite as their own influences. This will mark one of many Austin Psych Fest/Levitation appearances for the band, showcasing the band aligning with their touring peers for yet another year of Black Angels-sponsored festivities.
Sunday – Upchuck – Palmer Event Center
Hailing from Atlanta, Upchuck will scratch a garage punk itch that, while being activist in nature, will make audiences smash and thrash with pummeling d-beats and stampeding instrumentals. Vocalist Kaila “KT” Thompson’s energy when she takes the stage borders on passion and unchecked fury, relying on the rhythm section to bind together for barrages of retro punk vibes while making a statement of their place in the new generation of socially charged rock and roll. Since their 2023 release, Bite the Hand That Feeds, which featured production work from California powerplayer Ty Segall, Upchuck recently released their latest album, I’m Nice Now. Continuing a trajectory that’s all about no gas and no brakes, the Georgia quintet hasn’t shown any signs of stopping.
Featured photo by Roger Ho courtesy of Levitation
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