Saturday, March 7, 2026
The Cosmic Clash

Review

Nation of Language
Greg AckermanLive MusicReview

Live music review: Nation of Language treated Scoot Inn crowd to sublime synth rock vibes

Greg Ackerman 2904 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Brooklyn’s Nation of Language treated the Scoot Inn crowd last Thursday to an 80s synth rock influenced masterpiece of of a show. The upstart trio who got a huge boost in the midst of the Pandemic with 2021’s A Way Forward which garnered streaming fans far and wide. The record’s success also got the band slots at ACL Festival last year where The Cosmic Clash witnessed an early afternoon set at a minor stage that impressed despite the less than ideal setting in the heat of the Texas afternoon

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Levitation Ismael Quintanilla
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: The best of LEVITATION Festival 2023

Case Cockrell 3654 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

For 2023, Levitation, founded by Austin psych-rock wizards The Black Angels and festival organizer Rob Fitzpatrick, brought the goods for this year’s installment. From garage rock overlord Ty Segall to EDM titan Flying Lotus to the neo psych-rock of Black Angels, Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre,  Levitation brought a vast array of elements that makes festival’s Austin takeover something special for fans and performing artists alike

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GUM
Greg AckermanLive MusicReview

Live music review: GUM impressed fans at Parish October 12

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Multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, singer and producer, Jay Watson brought his solo project GUM to Parish Thursday evening to a mostly full venue. The artist is better known for his contributions to Australian psych-rock act, Tame Impala and the group he co-founded, Pond.

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UtopiaFest 2023
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Eclipse Utopiafest brought eclectic music and community to Central Texas this month

Case Cockrell 3087 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Utopia Festival organizers Travis Sutherland and Wayne Dalchau have spent over the past decade working tirelessly to craft a small cap music festival that stresses the importance of expanding any music fan’s horizons while cultivating a community that keeps fans of the festival coming back year after year. For this Fall’s edition of the festival, the Utopia team celebrated the solar eclipse with an eclectic lineup that brought an array of diverse musicians that take the Utopia Festival mission to heart. 

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Kendrick Lamar
Case CockrellLiveReview

Live music review: Kendrick Lamar shocks ACL Festival with 65-minute delay, abbreviated 31-minute set 

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Compton’s Kendrick Lamar is billed as the headliner for each Friday of the 2023 Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL Festival), a big draw for most attendees at Zilker Park on Friday night. Upon approaching the stage, fans were told on the American Express Stage’s screens that Lamar’s set would be delayed due to “Plane Issues.”

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The Mars Volta
Greg AckermanLiveReview

Live music review: The best shows we saw at ACL Festival 2023 weekend one on Friday

Greg Ackerman 2996 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

We’re not here to talk about the weather though, we’re ready to discuss the best shows we saw at ACL Festival, weekend one on Friday. Standout performances were turned in by The Mars Volta, Alanis Morrisette, Foo Fighters, The Breeders and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs to name a few. And yeah, those artists represent much of what was good about American music during the 1990s making the entire festival feel like a giant throwback to that era. Even the popular fashions at the festival reflected a late 80s and 90s influence.

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AlbumCase CockrellReview

Album review: Lauren Lakis sculpts ethereal brand of shoegaze with songwriter chops on new album A Fiesta And A Hell

Case Cockrell 2859 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

For musicians like Lauren Lakis, the guitar-obsessive lifestyle of indie-gaze isn’t just about the noise but the high-stakes lyricism refined on a track-to-track basis. On upcoming new album, A Fiesta and a Hell, the Los Angeles-Austin musician offers potent song structures and celestial soundscapes that pitch her discernment with modern greed and corrupt world leadership. 

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Night Beats at Hotel Vegas
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Night Beats and Daiistar gave Austin a modern psychedelic rock treat Saturday

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When a band in Austin gets to make a record after playing their material for local audiences for months, sometimes years on end, it’s worthy of multiple rounds of applause. For Austin shoegaze/noise-pop act Daiistar, it’s been a long time coming. To celebrate the release of Daiistar’s new album Good Time, the rising Austin act enlisted the help of Seattle-born, now Texas-based band Night Beats, who are on a new album cycle of their own.

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