Sunday, May 25, 2025
The Cosmic Clash

Author: Case Cockrell

Deafheaven 4 emos Drew Doggett
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: experimental metal act Deafheaven at Emo’s

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Now 12 years removed from its release, Deafheaven has morphed back to peak form with 2025’s Lonely People With Power. At Austin venue Emo’s on Wednesday night, an action-packed bill helped pave the way for the screaming spectacle that didn’t let up until the last note. Upon arriving at the Riverside venue, metalheads of all ages were spotted in the audience, showing the generational appeal of fury that still holds on the masses. 

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The Damned Radio East Troy Gonzales
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: London punk legends The Damned sold-out Radio East

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Punk rock is an ageless art form. Whether you’re 16 or pushing 70, the act of rebellion is best vented through a massive concussion of rock and roll. For London legends The Damned, a decades-long existence without a disbandment is an utmost rarity in the books. On Saturday night in the southeast industrial area of Austin at Radio/East, a sold-out crowd was treated to a history lesson over 50 years in the making. When entering the new Austin music hotspot for the evening, fans were greeted with the return of the venue’s mainstage. Supposedly, the large stand was sidelined given some permitting issues, but the party was back on for the onslaught about to commence. 

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Austin Psych Fest Experience by Renee Dominguez for APF25--5
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Live music review: Austin Psych Fest brought eclectic talent from across the psych spectrum

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The Spring installment of Austin Psych Fest returned last weekend to The Far Out Lounge & Stage for a three-day, two-stage, no-overlap experience that brought over 30 acts to Austin for an eclectic weekend of music from all across the trippy psychedelic spectrum. For 2025, the billed talent stretched its boundaries by bringing a diverse array of artists that catered to fans of Psych Fest past and present. Here’s what stood out to us over the weekend-long stand in South Austin. 

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Prison Affair Mohawk Troy Gonzales
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Barcelona act Prison Affair at Mohawk with Mujeres Podridas and Gus Baldwin

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Barcelona’s Prison Affair made their way to Austin to deliver a sparse yet potent dose of their overseas caffeinated “Egg Punk,” a genre gaining steam as a leading force in the crate-digging, vinyl-obsessed underground. For a Monday night at Mohawk in the Red River Cultural District, a homegrown bill took the opening reins for the international touring act, all bringing their highest octane for the blistering fury the Spanish trio brings to the stage.

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Meshuggah ACL Live Troy Gonzales
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Swedish metal legends Meshuggah packed ACL Live with Cannibal Corpse and Carcass

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Heavy metal music doesn’t get the spotlight as much as it should in Austin. Multiple stacked tours skip Austin and opt for San Antonio and Houston. For a near-sold-out crowd that flocked to downtown Austin to see legendary Swedish players Meshuggah, the metal gods made an exception for the live music capital. For Tuesday night at Austin’s premiere venue, ACL Live, the unbridled barrage of extreme metal didn’t let up across all three performing acts

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APF 2024 - photo by Sheva Kafai
Case CockrellLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: Six bands to watch at Austin Psych Fest 2025

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Levitation’s Austin Psych Fest will return to Far Out Lounge and Stage in 2025, coming with a stacked lineup that features acts from all over the world to commemorate its third Spring edition since the return to an annual Springtime, one-location, two-stages, no-overlap festival experience. The three-day festival will feature legacy acts and underground picks that showcase yet another year of reverberation appreciation from the homegrown Austin festival. To help audiences prepare for the event, the team at The Cosmic Clash has curated six bands to watch for the festival during the last weekend of April (25-27), including the kickoff and late-night shows after each day of music

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Ty Segall acoustic Parish landscape Troy Gonzales
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Haunting acoustic sets by Ty Segall and Mikal Cronin at Parish

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y Segall and fellow songwriting partner Mikal Cronin shared an intimate acoustic bill on Sunday, April 6 at Austin East Side venue Parish, and the results were a haunting series of tunes to a seated crowd. A masterclass in both recording and touring, the duo pulled from various records that showed them presenting a side of them that we don’t hear that often. There was no electric guitar mania to be found, but something different was brought to the table by the two living indie rock overlords, and the results showed a realm of musical honesty and longtime friendship. 

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Tear Dungeon 2 HV SXSW 2025 Troy Gonzales
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: SXSW 2025 finished with Space Agency Booking, Webberville Block Party

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Austin’s South by Southwest finished things up with countless showcases that made the last two days of the music festival a pick-and-choose affair that didn’t let up until the crack of 2 a.m. on Saturday night. For most festival goers, energy can run slim on these last two days, and seeing what you can before the festival’s end is essential to closing the book on yet another March festival edition. Here’s who we closed out our SXSW with on the final two days of our festival experience at Hotel Vegas for Space Agency Booking’s annual showcase along with a closing festival celebration at the Webberville Block Party followed by a return to Hotel Vegas to close out SXSW 2025.

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DoomBoyz 2 Stoner Jam SXSW 2025 Troy Gonzales
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Live music review: Midweek SXSW 2025 jaunt to Radio East and Stoner Jam at Far Out

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A hectic downtown Austin isn’t exclusive to the annual South By Southwest Festival. Whether a college student is people-watching on

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Live music review: SXSW 2025 music week began with a wide range of musical styles

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The 2025 South By Southwest music festival kicked off on Monday and Tuesday this week, featuring artists from around the Austin music scene and worldwide. Each day of music starts at noon and usually continues until the 2 a.m. closing time for each day of programming. For the first two days of the SXSW music showcases, we rounded up some of our favorite acts that started off our music festival coverage with stops at Hotel Vegas, 13th Floor and Stubb’s BBQ to see bands with a wide range of musical styles from the hardcore noise punk of Exotic Fruitica to experimental act Skloss to legendary songwriter John Fogerty and back to the heavy psych rock of Frankie and the Witch Fingers. SXSW runs the musical genre gamut as our coverage attests.

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Live music review: SXSW 2025 opening weekend ramble

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. The SXSW week began with opening all-day showcases such as the Hotel Vegas Anniversary Party, SX Soundcheck, Do512 Smokeout, and others, there’s plenty to keep music attendees busy before official music week begins the following Monday. Here’s what stood out to us in the opening days of SXSW, all of which will likely perform again before the week concludes. Follow these acts on social media for the most up-to-date information on live appearances throughout the festival. 

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