Thursday, April 23, 2026
The Cosmic Clash

Author: Case Cockrell

Pigs x7 29th St Ballroom Troy Gonzales
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs delivered bone crushing riffs

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Newcastle’s Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs (or Pigs x7 to make things easier) has been on a steady barrage of bone-crushing riffs, a consistent stream of records, and travels throughout the world to deliver their flammable methodology of sludge metal to the masses. Fresh off the release of their 2025 full-length Death Hilarious, the Pigs quintet covers all their bases with down-tuned guitar strikes and relentless, raw vocal aggression. With Nashville alternative metal act Waxed in tow on this run of shows, the double bill wrapped their tour in Austin at the under-new-management 29th St. Ballroom, sending things off with a deafening display of power on Wednesday, August 27.

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Grandmaster Gala 2025 Troy Gonzales
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Grandmaster Gala Two at Paramount with Nolan Potter and Urban Heat

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The second annual Grandmaster Gala took place at the Paramount Theatre in Austin last Saturday, July 26 bringing the best of the local music scene, band curated visual art, and a sendoff of one of Austin’s most adored acts. The event came as the first time local mega ensemble Grandmaster took the stage at the world-famous venue, bringing a destination event for the band and their peers that have been a part of their meteoric rise in the local scene since their inception in 2023. The event was hosted by Austin show promoter Jake Ames, a task that was not taken lightly to mark a new chapter of Grandmaster and their already loyal local following. 

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Case CockrellLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: Six showcases to see at Hot Summer Nights in Austin this weekend

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Hot Summer Nights (HSN) in the Red River Cultural District of Austin is an annual RRCD-sponsored event that features hundreds of local artists performing across the downtown area. Each showcase will not charge a cover at the door, meaning dozens of free showcases akin to the annual Free Week, which takes place the first week of every January. HSN runs July 24  – July 26 and will feature talent from all over Austin and surrounding areas. Venues participating in the event include Mohawk, Chess Club, Cheer Up Charlie’s, Empire Control Room & Garage, and The 13th Floor among several others. For the three days of packed, free live music programming, The Cosmic Clash team has curated a list of showcases we think attendees will want to catch while wandering the streets of Red River during the free festival. Hot Summer Nights will also feature participating food vendors to keep you full and energized throughout the event.

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MJ Lenderman ACL TV stream landscape
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Asheville songwriter MJ Lenderman taped ACL TV episode

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MJ Lenderman turned heads as a co-frontman and songwriter of Asheville breakout act Wednesday, before striking off on his own out of its touring lineup and taking up as a solo outfit. For Season 51 of Austin City Limits TV (ACL TV), the 26-year-old Lenderman and his backing musicians dubbed “MJ Lenderman and the Wind,” the North Carolina-bred musician delivered a coveted concert taping on July 1 that had the Moody Theater packed to full capacity. Fans were allowed to enter a lottery to win tickets for the performance, with only a select number being guaranteed entry for Tuesday night’s show. 

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Tropical Fuck Storm 29th Street Ballroom Troy Gonzales
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Aussies Tropical Fuck Storm sold-out 29th Street Ballroom

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Melbourne’s Tropical Fuck Storm soared into Austin for a sold-out gig at the under-new-management 29th St. Ballroom in the University of Texas Campus area on a week ago Sunday night, a fitting conclusion to an action-packed concert weekend in the live music capital. The release of their latest LP, Fairyland Codex, has garnered an extensive array of praise from critics, some calling it their best to date, and has spawned a planned worldwide tour for the Aussies to promote yet another entry in the ever-growing discography

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Hooveriii 2 13th Floor Troy Gonzales
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: L.A. psych punk act Hooveriii at 13th Floor

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Los Angeles psychedelic rock collective Hooveriii made a not-so-rare Austin appearance at The 13th Floor in the Red River Cultural District on Monday, June 2, bringing an intimate experience ahead of their planned 2025 Levitation Festival appearance. The cross-country tour comes in support of 2025 LP Manhunter, a ripper packed with supercharged tracks that shows the Bert Hoover-led outfit staying the course as one of the indie rock underground’s most exciting acts

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LEV23SamanthaTellez
Case CockrellLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: Levitation drops 2025 genre spanning lineup today with new location

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evitation Festival returns on September 25-28 this Fall, bringing another masterfully curated lineup by famed booker Rob Fitzpatrick and co-producers Resound Presents. This year’s setup will change from its regular format, featuring a new central home of the Palmer Events Center in downtown Austin while retaining late-night programming in the Red River Cultural District. The 2025 festival lineup is an eclectic, genre-spanning showcase of psych rock, metal, punk, electronica, indie rock, and everything in between – a celebration of independent music in the live music capital.

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Live music review: White Denim returns to Austin for Hot Luck Fest with Nolan Potter

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Austin to Pasadena indie outfit White Denim, the musical fusion of chief songwriter James Petralli has seen many forms. Since making the West Coast his home, the Austin-bred group has undergone a creative shift, no longer a vehicle of constant members and making Petralli’s name synonymous with the consistent stream of records released amid numerous lineup changes throughout the years. On Saturday night (May 24) at Mohawk in the Red River Cultural District as a part of the annual Hot Luck Festival culinary celebration, White Denim fed their hometown once again, their third stop in Central Texas in 18 months.

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Live music review: Metal madness with GWAR at Radio East

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It’s Halloween every day in GWAR land. The Richmond shock metal outfit has been at it with their comically serious hustle since 1984.  Despite numerous lineup changes and the untimely passing of David “Oderus Urungus” Brockie, the chaos, vibe, feel, spew, and unhinged madness at their shows remain intact. At Austin’s Radio/East on Thursday night, the long-running spectacle ensured nothing was safe in their mesmerizing presentation.

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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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