Live music preview: Seven bands to see at Austin Psych Fest 2026 at Far Out

The 2026 edition of Austin Psych Fest returns on May 8 – May 10 to the Far Out Lounge & Stage, their fourth consecutive Spring edition since reviving the original brand to a one-location format. With an all-star lineup from all over the psychedelic and indie rock spectrum, acts from all over the world will make their way to South Austin at Far Out’s massive backyard for a two-stage, no-overlap, three-day, rock and roll shindig designed with the true music fan in mind. Stage visuals will include projections from Mad Alchemy, Slim Reaper, TV Eye, Attic Space, and more. The fest will also feature satellite events to kick off the weekend and late-night shows in downtown Austin after Far Out programming concludes. 

Here are some recommendations from The Cosmic Clash team to check out over the three-day stretch. Single, multi-day and VIP tickets are still available. Set times are at the bottom of this page. 

​Austin Psych Fest 2026 Kickoffs & After Parties

Mohawk in the Red River Cultural District will host the festival’s main kickoff on Thursday, May 7, bringing a stacked bill featuring both local and touring talent. L.A. based Frankie And The Witch Fingers will headline the showcase, joined by Seattle noise punk outfit Monsterwatch. Local additions will include shoegaze act Farmer’s Wife and Austin fuzz punk institution Gus Baldwin & The Sketch. Elysium and The 13th Floor will host late-night shows featuring local mainstays The Well, Gran Moreno, and Heavy Meddo forming the bill at 13th. Esprit (George Clanton) headlines the late show at Elysium.

The 13th Floor will also host three heavy-hitting after-parties throughout the weekend featuring R&B psych legends Night Beats and Je’Texas on Friday, garage rock titan and APF performing artist Ty Segall and Monsterwatch on Saturday, and a supergroup Stooges cover band from various APF performing artists, Austin hardcore warriors Fuck Money, and The Black Angels’ own Christian Bland & The Revelators to close out the weekend on Sunday. Tickets for these shows will sell out fast and can be purchased on the festival website. Go and give The 13th Floor some scratch, Jake Garcia of The Black Angels is a co-owner and has a cool, intimate venue (200 capacity).  The 13th Floor is for the diehards. If you want to experience an anchor of the Austin scene, this is the way. 

​Holy Wave – Friday

​Austin by way of El Paso psychedelic all-timers Holy Wave have been a must-see in Austin for many years. The group has appeared at Levitation and Austin Psych Fest installments over the years, and their presence is consistently highly anticipated by Levitation fans, both local and traveling. Formed in 2008 and quickly approaching 20 years as a band, Their trip-inducing wall of sound spans shoegaze, neo-psych, and dream-pop soundscapes that draw the crowd into a state of pure, aural bliss. As one of the psych hardliners in the Austin music scene, Holy Wave’s performance is never one to skip, as they prove to be a true mood-setter for any given festival weekend. The band takes the yellow stage at 6 p.m. Friday.

​Boogarins – Friday

​Brazilian psych rockers Boogarins are no strangers to the Levitation brand, with a history in Austin that stretches back to 2016. Formed by childhood friends Dinho Almeida and Benke Ferraz in 2012, the South American band took to the road after their debut album, quickly making a name for themselves in the underground with multiple festival appearances and a steady release schedule that continues to this day. From 2016 – 2018, Boogarins were residents of Austin and became acquainted with the Austin-based global psych network that’s been almost two decades in the making. Austin is a home away from home for Boogarins. Their fuzzed-out energy will get the crowd amped up for an early fest highlight. The band plays the yellow stage on Friday at 8 p.m. 

​DIIV – Friday

​A textural masterclass in shoegaze will come in the form of Brooklyn’s DIIV. (Pronounced Dive) Formed in 2011 as the brainchild of singer and guitarist Zachary Cole Smith, DIIV’s sonic architecture fits right in with the Austin Psych Fest and Levitation mythos. Surprisingly, APF 2026 will be DIIV’s first Levitation/Austin Psych Fest appearance since its 2015 edition at Carson Creek Ranch. A heavily anticipated return for the Black Angels-founded music festivities. DIIV released their fourth studio album, Frog in Boiling Water, in 2024, demonstrating a seamless continuation of their enlightening brand of buzzing guitar sounds that captivate reverberation loyalists in an addictive trance. The group hits the Far Out main stage at 8:45 p.m. on Friday. 

​Dead Canyon Family Reunion – Saturday

​Dead Canyon Family Reunion has been making waves in the Austin scene as an homage to the classics of neo-psych revivalism. The likes of The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Warlocks, and Black Market Karma are the textbooks here. With a plethora of instruments and a widespread onstage ensemble to boot, Dead Canyon Family Reunion feels like an obvious choice for local representation at the homegrown Austin festival. If you love the jingle jangles of the tambourine, pedal-fueled guitar jams, and 60s throwbacks, they may be your pick for one of Austin’s next favorite psych bands. DCFR hits the side stage at 4:20 p.m. Saturday afternoon.

​Melody’s Echo Chamber – Saturday

​Melody Prochet and her Echo Chamber will return to Austin for the first time since her crowd-favorite magic hour set at Austin Psych Fest 2023, this time with a new studio record in tow and a new era as a coveted touring force. Melody’s fourth full-length effort, Unclouded, shows a faithfulness to her dreamy roots while keeping the vibes in check for all of the Levitation lovers to consume. Their sound combines psychedelia, dream pop, and space rock with an orchestral approach, attracting collaborators such as Tame Impala, The Heliocentrics, and Dungen. Since overcoming major health issues in the mid-2010s, Prochet’s creative bounds continue to stretch with mind-bending urgency. Melody’s Echo Chamber play at 8:45 p.m. Saturday.

​New Candys – Saturday

​Saturday night will bring an anticipated return of Italian heavy psychgaze quartet New Candys, their first Austin appearance in a handful of years since playing scene-favorite East Austin venue Hotel Vegas in 2022. With a timeslot right before The Black Angels perform their infamous debut record, Passover, there had to be a band whose drilling guitars, tribal drumbeats, and detached vocal delivery stacked up to the likes of the Austin hometown heroes.

Formed in 2008, New Candys has been building a fierce following in Europe’s indie underground and received praise from psych elder statesmen such as Anton Newcombe of The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Dandy Warhols, and even The Black Angels, with whom they’ve shared the stage overseas. A signee of Fuzz Club Records, New Candys released their latest entry for the label, The Uncanny Extravaganza, continuing a trajectory of groove-heavy sounds that punch through with brooding and unforgiving intensity. The Venetians take the Yellow stage at 9:55 p.m. Saturday.

​Sunday – Night Beats

The Seattle-formed, now locally-based Night Beats has been busy since singer and guitarist Danny Rajan relocated to Central Texas. With multiple global tours and festival appearances under his Night Beats moniker, Rajan has finally decided to feed his new home-base fans once more. Performing as a trio, Night Beats’ unique brand of world music-infused psych has become a mainstay in the world of Levitation and Austin Psych Fest, even sharing a project with The Black Angels’ own Christian Bland, called UFO Club. Since the release of 2023 LP Rajan, Night Beats have been on a global run that’s spanned years of touring and festival stops around the world, and now they’re ready to make a grand return to South Austin. Night Beats plays at 5:10 p.m. on the Far Out main stage Sunday.

Featured photo courtesy of Levitation