Live music preview: Halloween Freakend by Levitation is coming to Far Out Lounge
Levitation and Resound Presents have teamed up again for a Halloween weekend two-day festival in South Austin. The mini-fest will take place at The Far Out Lounge & Stage on October 31 and November 1, the current site of the Spring edition of Austin Psych Fest. The Freakend lineup kicks off on Halloween night with Bitchin Bajas, J’Cuuzi, Stereolab, Black Lips, and Viagra Boys arriving for their first Austin headlining excursion.
The second night keeps the party going and caps off the weekend with Porcelain, Haha Laughing, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Lip Critic, Clown Core, Lightning Bolt, and Machine Girl. Both nights include a costume contest with different categories and prizes in store. The venue will feature two stages with no performance overlap; tickets and set times can be found via the Levitation website.
On Halloween night, Viagra Boys will take the reins in celebration of their first headlining slot in the Austin area. Since the release of their latest self-titled LP, Viagr Aboys, the Swedish sextet brings a discography that’s as activist as it is self-aware.
Legendary French avant pop and post rock outfit Stereolab will join in the co-headlining spot, fresh off the release of their first LP in 15 years, Instant Holograms on Metal Film. Led by songwriting team composed of guitarist and keyboardist Tim Gane and vocalist Lætitia Sadier, the group has assembled a discography that has churned out what their following of diehards and other underground music fans would consider classics in the indie and alternative genres.
Long-running garage rock revivalists Black Lips will also join the lineup, a fuzzed-out outfit known for their short-form, fast-paced attack of rock and roll and immersive onstage antics. Local Austin risers J’Cuuzi will also appear, a hometown spectacle-making glam punk group known for their flashy performance art as well as a post punk influenced sound that touches mannerisms in noise rock.
Stereolab tourmates Bitchin Bajas will also perform, a side project of Cave’s Cooper Crain. The Chicago group also collaborated with Stereolab on their latest effort, spurring a tour on the heels of the new release.
Saturday night will see one of Levitation’s most experimental evenings of music to date. Long Island electronic trio Machine Girl will take the closing set, a project known for its frantic live performances that mesh with the likes of Death Grips and 100 Gecs. Machine Girl is due to release their forthcoming full-length PsychoWarrior: MG Ultra X on October 24.
Anonymous masked duo Clown Core will take the stage in Austin for the first time since 2023, bringing their insane form of experimental eccentricity to Far Out’s mainstage. With speculated leadership under Knower’s Louis Cole, the two-piece visual and musical output invites speculative interpretation, featuring noise, sputtering electronics, and motion picture-esque music scoring.
Pittsburgh indietronica crusaders Black Moth Super Rainbow will make a rare Austin stopover at the Freakend. BMSR is a band highly regarded for their smoke-screened combination of psychedelia and electronic music. The group’s latest record which dropped in June, Soft New Magic Dream is a worthy listen. Frontman Thomas “Tobacco” Fec has remained prolific during his tenure as an active musician, known for both his main group and solo work, which includes collaborations with Aesop Rock, Beck, and Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor. A musician whose creative waves stretch across a plethora of musical realms, Tobacco’s performing and production legacy has earned its place with widespread praise.
Local acts Haha Laughing and Porcelain will represent the Austin music scene for the second day of Halloween festivities, both worthy staples in ATX in 2025. Haha Laughing would come up in the same conversation of headliners Machine Girl, a duo that performs relentless experimental hip-hop with undertones of hardcore and noise rock. An ideal selection for the second evening’s kickoff, Porcelain’s brand of dissonant post hardcore isn’t just that. The now-signed to local underground music label Portrayal of Guilt Records ensemble released their debut self-titled LP in 2024, and have been on an ear-piercing tear with countless tours and live appearances to supplement their fierce and relentless trajectory.
New York experimental punk heavy hitters Lip Critic will return to Austin yet again, still riding the tidal wave from their Partisan Records debut, Hex Dealer. With a stream of SXSW and club shows around Austin under their belt, this one will get rowdy.
Influential Providence, Rhode Island noisemakers Lightning Bolt will also take a true-to-form small stage onrush, a duo known for their relentless form of noise that has been cited as an influence for artists like Osees, Metz, and Melt-Banana.
Two-day tickets for Levitation Halloween Freakend are still on sale, with day 1 tickets nearing sellout and day 2 not far behind. More information can be found via the Levitation website.
Halloween Freakend Schedule
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