Tuesday, June 2, 2026
The Cosmic Clash

Author: Greg Ackerman

Courtney Barnett 8 Radio East Drew Doggett
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Australian indie rocker Courtney Barnett is back with a new record

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Australia has long produced standout rock talent – Amyl & The Sniffers, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, The Chats, and legacy legends AC/DC among them, proving rock and roll thrives down under no matter what generation is listening. For Melbourne’s Courtney Barnett, the past decade yielded indie rock anthems full of emotional honesty and millennial angst. With 2026 LP Creature of Habit marking her first full-length since 2021, Barnett reunited with her band to feed live music fans once again. She opened her North American tour in Austin at Radio East on Friday night with a rain-soaked evening of sing-alongs and good vibes.

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Greg AckermanLive MusicReview

Live music review: Day one at Kilby Block Party 2026 featured Turnstile with up and coming acts

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It was a picture perfect day in Salt Lake City at the Utah State Fairplex on Friday as Kilby Block Party geared up for its seventh edition of the mid-tier sized music festival with a lineup heavy on up and coming acts. Ireland’s Newdad, Austin’s Die Spitz and L.A. via Boise artist, Gelli Haha all turned in impressive performances as the schedule moved towards red-hot, melodic hardcore rock band Turnstile’s incredible main stage set to close night one of KBP.  Fans enjoyed a silent disco featuring local DJs, art installations and came dressed for fun.

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Crowd shot KBP 2024
Greg AckermanLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: Six bands to see at Kilby Block Party 2026

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Utah’s most exciting music festival, Kilby Block Party is entering its seventh year in 2026 with its most ambitious lineup to date. The fest runs May 15-17 at Utah State Fairpark in Salt Lake City.  It feels like this unassuming fest which began on a closed-off road behind Kilby Court, the beloved DIY venue it’s named for has become something else entirely with a lineup featuring a pop star (Lorde), a rocker turned pop star (Hayley Williams) and a melodic hardcore act (Turnstile) which shows just how far this independent music fest has come in a relatively short time. Rather than focus on the obvious headlining sets to profile, we’ve selected seven bands to see at KBP 2026. Before we dive in, fans should know some ticket options are already sold-out or nearing sold-out. If you’re considering attending, grab tickets here.

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Greg AckermanLive MusicReview

Live music review: Ty Segall played Metro Music Hall with Primitive Ring

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When Los Angeles supergroup Primitive Ring reached out via their PR rep to premiere their new single and video, we quickly realized this power trio touring with Ty Segall signaled the veteran garage rocker’s return to power rock n roll after touring acoustic, solo material on recently. Thus was the case at Metro Music Hall April 17 when Segall and his band brought their tour to Salt Lake City. Fans were there to rock out and Segall delivered with a career-spanning setlist that seemed to please everyone in the room with punk, psych and garage rock themes throughout the performance. Segall’s full range was on display.

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Greg AckermanMusic VideoPremiere

Video premiere: supergroup Primitive Ring drop new single and video today – play Metro in SLC Friday

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If you’re a garage or punk rock music fan then you likely know who Ty Segall is. The prolific musician is known for releasing a wide range of music under various names that all stem from the same punk rock ethos. One of Segal’s longtime collaborators, Charles Moothart (Fuzz) launched a new project in 2024 with Bert Hoover (Hoover III) and Jon Modaff (Frankie and the Witch Fingers) called Primitive Ring. Today the band premieres their latest single and video, “Lies from the Other Side.” in advance of their new self-titled LP, due out May 15. Fans can pre-order vinyl of the forthcoming album via In the Red Records.

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Thr Groanies 1 SLC Urban Lounge Ryan Wesley Odom
Greg AckermanLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: SLC act The Groanies dropped new EP, album release show April 10

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One of the first Salt Lake City acts we saw after dipping into the SLC underground music scene was The Groanies who played Urban Lounge a couple years back. The garage punks impressed with a hard hitting set that had us coming back for more the next time the group played at International Bar. Then we caught ’em again at Urban’s Psych Lake City event. We were hooked. This up and coming band, hit us right in our garage-psych sweet spot. Naturally we were thrilled when The Groanies dropped a new EP this week and announced an album release show with Musor and Skrude on Friday, April 10 at Church and State. Advance tickets are available in the link or click the poster to grab your $10 ticket to what promises to be a fun night. The band let us know they organized a taco truck along with ice cream and coffee vendors.

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SoundMass overhead shot
Greg AckermanPremiereSong

Video premiere: SoundMass releases new single, prepares for SXSW 2026 shows

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On March 14, SoundMass will gather at The 13th Floor for Cosmic Plants Clash IV, the SXSW day party our publication and Play to the Plants has produced at the venue the past four years. We’ve invited the group, which is really two awesome post-rock bands, Austin’s my education and Salt Lake City’s Theta Naught combined. The merging of the two acts produces a powerful, orchestral style performance with rock instrumentation. With two of every instrument, the stage becomes crammed with talented musicians which is basically our ideal scenario. Today we’re premiering SoundMass’ latest single, “Last Gasp.”

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CultureGreg AckermanPreview

SXSW preview: Flatstock offers unparalleled free fine art show to fans

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As a purveyor of good music, The Cosmic Clash rarely discusses visual art as we’re usually busy telling readers about music we love. Fans already know, visual art is a relevant component of the independent music scene that matters to us. Flatstock, the fine art poster show that has been present at South by Southwest (SXSW) as long as we can remember. In fact, Flatstock has been around since their first exhibition in San Francisco in 2002. The show features hand-printed and limited-edition poster art by over 50 artists and studios from around the globe for sale – all of whom will be in attendance to interact with visitors directly. The location this year is new as the Austin Convention Center is a pile of rubble at the moment. The new location at Moonlight Exhibit Hall is in the Austin Marriott Downtown (304 E Cesar Chavez St.) on March 13-15, 2026 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. 

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Megafauna 2026 Michael Worchel
Greg AckermanLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: Megafauna and Slomo Drags premiere singles, play Mohawk February 6

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This Friday, January 6 Andrew Cashen and Disciples of Creation are set to headline Mohawk. We love Cashen’s solo act as well as his other projects, A Giant Dog and Tear Dungeon but we’re here to tell you about a couple of impressive singles dropping this week from veteran Austin acts, Megafauna and Slomo Drags who are on the bill with the singer. Both bands have new songs to share with fans while they prepare to release more material in 2026 and perform for fans Friday evening at the crown jewel of Red River Cultural District rock clubs. The entire bill is worthy of any real Austin music fan’s attention with the three aforementioned artists, along with Transit Method and DJ Dead Flowers. The whole shebang is presented by 101X Homegrown and show host John Laird who knows a thing or two about Austin music.

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Matt Pryor courtesy of Matt Pryor
Live MusicPreviewRobert Dean

Live music preview: Matt Pryor of The Get Up Kids is coming to 13th Floor

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I have a deep love for The Get Up Kids. Their 1999 classic Something to Write Home About is an all-timer for me—one of those records that somehow still hits the same decades later. (I’ve been caught hoarse-singing along to “Action-Action” more than once in my life.) So when word came down that frontman Matt Pryor is dropping back into town, armed with nothing but an acoustic guitar, I was immediately in.

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