Live music preview: Seven more must see bands at Levitation 2025
The 2025 edition of Levitation is coming up fast. Each year, Austin’s The Black Angels and trusted booking powerhouse Rob Fitzpatrick cast star-studded lineups that never disappoint the local and out-of-town music fans traveling to Austin for the annual multi-venue programming. The Cosmic Clash team is here to provide another list of bands you need to see during the festival takeover at Palmer Events Center and venues throughout the Austin area. Set times and tickets can be found at the Levitation website for fans to plan their schedule to see all the music they can throughout the weekend.
Friday – The Dandy Warhols / Kula Shaker – Mohawk
After each day of Palmer Events Center fest programming, Levitation Festival will keep the party going with late-night gigs in venues all over Austin. For Friday night, Portland indie legends The Dandy Warhols will appear for a headlining performance at one of the most iconic venues in the Red River Cultural District, Mohawk. The Dandy’s are known for hits like “Bohemian Like You,” “Not If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth,” and “We Used To Be Friends,” but the overall output of their storied career is something greater. Led by singer and songwriter Courtney Taylor-Taylor, the band has weathered tumultuous major label mayhem, opened their own studio, and remained a fixture in the world of alternative rock and revivalism of Britpop, power pop, and new wave. Long-running English psychedelic rockers Kula Shaker will be joining the Pacific Northwest legacy act on their 2025 tour and will take opening duties for the Friday evening gig.
Friday – SKLOSS – Palmer Events Center
Austin via Glasgow husband-and-wife duo SKLOSS formed between drummer Karen Skloss (Moving Panoramas) and guitarist Sandy Carson (Iglomat) during the COVID lockdown. With a style characterized as “Spacegaze,” a stripped down sound that injects elements of neo-psychdelia, post-metal, and deafening shoegaze walls of sound, SKLOSS makes an effort to drift between the ethereal and abrasive. Since the release of their 2025 debut full-length, The Pattern Speaks, released via Fuzz Club Records, the Austin two-piece has made their way around the world in support of their breakout album. With a gauntlet of tunes that are powered by a multitude of guitar effects and tribal-esque drums, the selections make for explorative listens with climaxes that can erupt into noisy, screaming instrumental meltdowns. SKLOSS plays an early afternoon set on the outdoor stage on the first day of Palmer Events Center programming.
Friday – The Armed – Palmer Events Center
To say Detroit’s The Armed is a post-hardcore outfit isn’t untrue, but connecting the dots on what they are in terms of touring and recording can prove to be a daunting task. The Armed is known to have a core group of members, but arranges a rotating laundry list of collaborators for each studio recording. With contributors that include bands such as Converge, Baptists, Coheed and Cambria, and even Queens of the Stone Age, The Armed’s creativity is showcased through a diverse range of musical angles. 2025 saw the release of their latest studio effort THE FUTURE IS HERE AND EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE DESTROYED, a full-throttle expedition of aggressive and dissonant guitar work, noise-rock influenced drums, and vocals that fans of extreme metal will express affinity for in a live setting. The M.O. of musical anonymity is a risky creative choice, and it pays off to redlining levels for The Armed.
Saturday – Wednesday – Palmer Events Center
Asheville’s Wednesday made their biggest splash yet with 2023 LP Rat Saw God, the biggest breakthrough set for songwriting partners Karly Hartzman and now-famed singer and guitarist MJ Lenderman. Since Lenderman has stepped away from Wednesday’s touring lineup to focus on his solo career, the magic of the pair only continues to exist in a studio setting. With a recent upswing in world tours, festival appearances, and widespread critical acclaim, Wednesday has taken that momentum and tailored it into their 2025 full-length Bleeds. With a sound that dabbles in shoegaze, alt-country, and post-punk, the honest nature of one of indie’s most exciting rising acts is packed with intense feelings and hopeful reflection. It’s been two years since the North Carolina quintet’s last Austin appearance, and the next level looks bright ahead of their Levitation 2025 appearance.
Saturday – Model/Actriz – Palmer Events Center
Brooklyn by way of Boston noisemakers Model/Actriz first made their mark in the internet music sphere with the release of their exceptional debut Dogsbody. The album drew immediate widespread praise, and the quartet would soon be met with sold-out cross-country tours and speculation about how they could follow up their triumphant first outing. Fusing the elements of indie sleaze, noise rock, and electronic music sensibilities, Model/Actriz’s lyrics explore the messy, complicated side of relationships—regret, longing, and emotional turmoil. This doesn’t come without the infectiously bizarre stage antics of frontman Cole Haden, who is known to interact with the audience in a confrontational, sometimes even physical manner. Their sophomore release Pirouette pushes the dance-punk element even further than that of their debut, crafting impeccable grooves laced with the vivid imagery they seek to depict with each new entry.
Sunday – Population II – Palmer Events Center
Montreal’s Population II can be considered honorary Austin residents at this point in time, with numerous festival and touring appearances in the area already under their belt. This occasion comes with a worthy touring package featuring the Canadian act and Los Angeles psych punk extraordinaries Frankie & The Witch Fingers. With a delivery that blends psychedelic rock, stoner rock, and the earliest forms of heavy metal, their live stageshows contain slow-burning tunes that erupt into ear-shattering catharsis. 2025 has seen two full-length projects from Population II. The first being third studio effort Maintenant Jamais, a release showing the strongest form of their brooding, heavy psychedelia. Aligning with their familiarity with the Austin music scene, Population II also collaborated with local musician Nolan Potter (Nolan Potter’s Nightmare Band, Annabelle Chairlegs, and GROOP) on improv-based release Yoo II Avec Nolan Potter. With a prolific stride in full force, Population II always come in locked and ready for their cataclysmic displays of audio mayhem.
Featured photo by Roger Ho courtesy of Levitation
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