Live Music – Page 4 – The Cosmic Clash

Live music review: Acid Bath headlined killer extreme metal bill in Houston

April 2, 2026 Case Cockrell 2400 Views Acid Bath, concert, concert review, Dax Riggs, extreme metal, Goatwhore, hardcore metal, High On Fire, live music, metal music, Necrofier, obituary, Review, Sammy Duet, Stabbing, White Oak Music Hall

The 2025 reunion of Louisiana hardcore metal legends Acid Bath has been triumphant, as it heads into its second year of gigs featuring stacked lineups and fans showing up by the thousands to experience it. At White Oak Music Hall near the Houston Heights area, a diehard crowd showed up ready to experience the short-lived yet massively influential out-of-the-swamp sludge kings. Acid Bath’s reunion tour is going on a year strong. Each show features extreme metal legacy acts and rising underground metal hardliners. For the March 28 stop, Acid Bath brought Houston brutal death metal outfit Stabbing, H-Town black metal institutions Necrofier, legendary Oakland power trio High on Fire, and Tampa death metal legends Obituary. A bone-crushing lineup of all proportions, this gig didn’t lose its hell-raising spark until the last note.

Redd Kross 29th St Ballroom Troy Gonzales

Live Music Review Troy Gonzales

Live music review: Redd Kross and their Rock n Roll Party swept through Austin

April 1, 2026 Troy Gonzales 1187 Views 29th Street Ballroom, Conan Neutron & The Secret Friends, concert review, concerts, Dale Crover, indie rock, Jeff McDonald, live music, Phaseshifter, Redd Kross, Review, rock n roll, Steve McDonald

On March 27, longtime L.A. indie rockers, Redd Kross brought their “Rock ‘n’ Roll Party” to the 29th St Ballroom on a somewhat chilly Austin night. During a run Steve McDonald has dubbed their “Victory Lap” tour, the band is continuing the momentum they achieved in renewed adoration for their latest self-titled album (sometimes referred to as the “Red Album), recent documentary, Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story, and their memoir, Now You’re One of Us. We were lucky to have gotten member Jeff McDonald back for this show as he had been sidelined by a contagious virus for a couple of dates, forcing the band to become a power trio. While fans might have been disappointed to not get McDonald for their show, I’m sure Redd Kross would have won us over easily had gifted player not made it to Austin.

Author & Punisher 2 Far Out Lounge Justin Clark

Case Cockrell Live Music Review

Live music review: Author & Punisher delivered relentless spectacle to Far Out Lounge crowd

March 31, 2026 Case Cockrell 1290 Views Author & Punisher, Black Magnet, concert review, concerts, Far Out Lounge, hardcore, industrial hardcore, live music, metal, Nocturnal Birding, Portishead, Review, Tristan Shone

The industrial hardcore underground thundered into Austin on Sunday March 8, bringing a stacked bill to South Austin’s The Far Out Lounge and Stage showcasing some of the genre’s heaviest and strangest acts. Author & Punisher, the project of San Diego’s Tristan Shone, employs custom “drone” and “dub” machines. Formerly a solo act, Shone now collaborates with guitarist Doug Sabolick (A Life Once Lost, Ecstatic Vision). With a table of unique contraptions, Author & Punisher delivered a relentless spectacle to a Sunday night crowd.

Case Cockrell Live Music Review

Live music review: Experimental rockers Puscifer played Bass Hall on their Normal Isn’t Tour

March 25, 2026 Case Cockrell 1792 Views art rock, Bass Concert Hall, Bass Hall, concert review, Elysium, experimental rock, hard rock, live music, Maynard James Keenan, Puscifer, Review, rock n roll, Tool

Maynard James Keenan is 61 years old and still works with three bands, releases music at a steady rate, and still tours the globe like he’s 31. From fronting the progressive metal behemoths Tool, hard rock supergroup A Perfect Circle, and on Tuesday, March 24, at Bass Concert Hall with experimental rock stage spectacle-makers Puscifer, Keenan and his meticulously chosen associates take on his utmost creative oddities with undeniable passion. Like his outsized arena outfit Tool, Puscifer has maintained consistent membership throughout their history that sculpts a well-oiled machine that showcases Keenan, English co-vocalist Carina Round, and multi-instrumentalist Mat Mitchell, feeding the loyalists once again with their latest studio record Normal Isn’t for their 2026 tour that demonstrated no creative burnout – and a statement on the current concert industry itself.

Live Music Review Robert Dean

SXSW review: Robots, driverless cars and rad bands (Lime Scooter not included)

March 23, 2026 Robert Dean 1730 Views Digjits, live music, Osees, Pink Fuzz, Play to the Plants, Review, Rocket From the Crypt, Sean Barna, SIMS Foundation, South by Southwest, Sun Atlas, SXSW, Tear Dungeon, Tropa Magica

This SXSW was the year of the Lime scooter for me. I also took a driverless Waymo and saw a robot bartender at Faregrounds on Congress Avenue. Kicking off SXSW this year, I was not optimistic about what the festival had become in its ever-quaking need to feed the techno-masses. I did not enjoy being waved at by a clanker. Nor did I love taking a driverless car. Seeing so many robots delivering food, taking people to and from, it was not for me. Big no.

Case Cockrell Live Music Review

Live music review: The best music we saw at SXSW 2026

March 21, 2026 Case Cockrell 2444 Views American Sharks, Annabelle Chairlegs, Big Bill, Bikini Beach, Caitlin King, Geordie Greep, hard rock, Holy Wave, Hot Garbage, Hotel Vegas, indie rock, jazz, Killer Kaya, live music, Nug, Osees, Panic Shack, Pink Breath of Heaven, punk rock, Review, rock n roll, So Many Cults, South by Southwest, Surfbort, SXSW, SXSW 2026, This is Lorelei, Tropa Magica, Water From Your Eyes

The 2026 edition of South By Southwest (SXSW) music festival launched last Thursday with its inaugural all-concurrent format. Conferences ran from kickoff Thursday to the following Wednesday. The festival allows attendees to discover new acts, revisit favorites, and expand their horizons. Miles of walking and a steady food truck diet defined a packed SXSW featuring both legacy acts and emerging stars. The Cosmic Clash team covered highlights throughout the event and wanted to share what stuck out to us over the long week of music. Despite a shortened music schedule and no second weekend, there was plenty to see as we navigated around Austin throughout the seven-day expedition.

Case Cockrell Live Music Preview

Live music preview: Six SXSW 2026 day parties music fans should show up for

March 12, 2026 Case Cockrell 2641 Views 13th Floor, Bikini Beach, Caitlin King, Club X, Cosmic Plants Clash, day parties, Fleet Coffee, Grocery Bag, J Graves, Killer Kaya, live music, Megan From Work, mohawk, music festival, Nug, Pink Fuzz, preview, Semihelix, So Many Cults, South by Southwest, Sunshine Spazz, SXSW, The Cavalier, This is Lorelei, Water From Your Eyes, Webberville Block Party

What’s South By Southwest (SXSW) without daytime shenanigans? For each year’s SXSW installment, different activations pop up all over the city to bring SX-goers daytime programming before things switch over to an all-official format. These “Day Parties” mostly feature cover-free programming, sometimes featuring official SXSW artists who give non-credentialed music fans opportunities to join in the festivities during the week. All listed events occur between 12 p.m. and 7 p.m., are free for attendees, require no badge, and are subject to capacity. Make sure to RSVP for seamless entry to the events. For a larger list of SXSW day parties, head to our curated list of the best events to hit up.

Case Cockrell Live Music Preview

Live music preview: Six more buzz bands to see at SXSW 2026

March 10, 2026 Case Cockrell 2861 Views Annabelle Chairlegs, Austin Music, Bikini Beach, buzz bands, electronic music, experimental music, garage rock, live music, Marijuana Death Squads, new music, Nug, Pink Breath of Heaven, post-punk, preview, psych-rock, punk rock, rock n roll, shoegaze, SXSW, SXSW 2026

The 2026 South By Southwest (SXSW) music festival is days away. The roster of music festival artists can seem overwhelming at first glance. With a lineup that can satisfy every kind of music lover, The Cosmic Clash is bringing you six more buzz bands you should put on your list for the upcoming long week of music in Austin. All set times, along with venues, can be found on the SXSW website and the SXSW GO mobile application.

Live Music Opinion Robert Dean

In memoriam: We lost Adam Morehead of The Cavalier so we’re having a block party

March 5, 2026 Robert Dean 1429 Views Adam Morehead, BENefit, Chadwick Legar, Eulogy, Fleet Coffee, in memoriam, live music, music venue, Rachelle Fox, SIMS Foundation, SXSW, SXSW 2026, The Cavalier, Webberville Block Party

I think when a person passes, how those in their wake tell their stories is an important, but telling way to show how much that person impacted their lives. Recently, Adam Morehead, one of the owners of The Cavalier, moved onto the next dimension and that’s one that stings. The Cavalier has served as the unofficial headquarters of The Cosmic Clash and anyone who’s snapped a photo, written a word, or had a quick meeting likely did so sitting out on the Webberville patio.

Case Cockrell Live Music Preview

Live music preview: Six buzz bands to see at SXSW 2026

March 5, 2026 Case Cockrell 3273 Views buzz bands, Geordie Greep, goth, gothic music, Hot Garbage, Jacuzzi, no wave, Pons, progressive jazz, psych-rock, rock n roll, Rosgarden Funeral Party, shoegaze, South by Southwest, Spoonbenders, SXSW

The 2026 edition of South By Southwest (SXSW) is fast approaching with the festival running March 12-18. The list of acts making their way to Austin for the seven-day music festival spans multiple genres and geographic origins. With this in mind, The Cosmic Clash team has curated a group of official artists or buzz bands we think you should put on your list for the long week of around-the-clock music. With a smaller setup than previous years, the SXSW music programming will offer a touch-and-go path for locals and travelers alike to see an array of both tenured and up-and-coming talent. All set times, along with venues, can be found on the SXSW website and the SXSW GO mobile app.

Blackwater Holylight Radio East Troy Gonzales

Case Cockrell Live Music Review

Live music review: Blackwater Holylight drew diehards in droves to Radio East Tuesday

February 20, 2026 Case Cockrell 1378 Views Austin Psych Fest, black metal, Blackwater Holylight, doom metal, Far Out Lounge, Glassing, Levitation, live music, psych-rock, Radio East, Review, rock n roll, shoegaze, Suicide Squeeze, The Well

The industrial area of southeast Austin carries a unique vibe. With no gentrification within yelling distance (or amplified music distance) in our case, there’s not much worry about noise complaints and the fuzz coming with the decibel reader to dock the venue for “Rock and roll mischief.” For Los Angeles-based via Portland shoegaze outfit Blackwater Holylight, an early-week bill on Tuesday evening at Radio East drew Austin diehards in droves to experience the Austin Psych Fest alums alongside local favorites, Glassing and The Well. With new LP Not Here Not Gone showcasing their multi-layered brand of luscious psych-infused soundscapes, the Blackwater quintet accounts for all the sounds that make up their dreamy biome.