Thursday, March 5, 2026

Far Out Lounge

Case CockrellLive MusicReview

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

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.

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Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Levitation Halloween Freakend day two got weird

The second day of Levitation’s Halloween Freakend at the Far Out Lounge & Stage showcased the more experimental side of the current indie music landscape, marking the third installment of Austin festival programming in 2025. With the Rob Fitzpatrick and The Black Angels-run music celebration entering its second decade, the Halloween two-day mini fest served as an optimal finale to a year of buzzing amps, underground artists, and legacy acts. Following a long-awaited headlining performance from Swedish dance punk stars Viagra Boys on Halloween night, the second day tapped into something a little different for the music fans who scour the internet for the weird and nothing but. 

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April DawneLive MusicReview

Live music review: Everyday Isn’t Halloween, But it Was Levitation’s Freakend

I love The Far Out Lounge (FOL), I love the people who book the shows, bartend, run the door, and clean up after all of us. This spot opened up safely, from a distance, during the lockdown to give live-music hungry people a safe place to see a show. We were like Footloose and unable to dance, and we had to remain socially distant, but we could feel a sense of normalcy that was sorely missed. All this to say, I love that The Far Out Lounge gets to host Levitation events like Halloween Freakend. Two, easy-to-get-to stages, with zero band overlap, in a large gravel yard in far South Austin with food trucks, bars, merch area, poster museum, and more to keep you entertained between sets.

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Brian HillsmanLive MusicReview

Live music review: Viagra Boys sold-out night one of Levitation’s Halloween Freakend

Viagra Boys performed at South Austin’s Far Out Lounge in front of a sold out audience, in what might have been the most crowded the venue has ever been. 3500 fans showed up for the opening night of the two-day Halloween Freakend mini fest, put on by Levitation and Resound Presents on Friday and Saturday.  The Black Lips, Bitchin’ Bajas, J’Cuzzi, and Stereo Lab all turned in fantastic sets on night one. The headliner, however, was Swedish post-punk rockers, Viagra Boys.  After previous plans to perform in Austin were cancelled, the jubilant crown was beyond excited to finally catch the vaunted post punks.

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Case CockrellLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: Halloween Freakend by Levitation is coming to Far Out Lounge

Levitation and Resound Presents have teamed up again for a Halloween weekend two-day festival in South Austin. The mini-fest will take place at The Far Out Lounge & Stage on October 31 and November 1, the current site of the Spring edition of Austin Psych Fest. The Freakend lineup kicks off on Halloween night with Bitchin Bajas, J’Cuuzi, Stereolab, Black Lips, and Viagra Boys arriving for their first Austin headlining excursion.

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Greg AckermanLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: MeadowFest Saturday at Far Out Lounge to benefit SIMS Foundation

This Saturday, September 23 the punk to funk, MeadowFest benefiting music mental health organization, The SIMS Foundation takes place at Far Out Lounge and Stage in South Austin. The event is the brainchild of the Meadow Goodman Foundation for Mental Health Awareness and Austin music professional and SIMS Foundation Advisory Board Member, Adrienne Lake. The festival bill is a who’s who of Austin music led by funk fusion acts, Golden Dawn Arkestra and Brownout.

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Greg AckermanLive MusicPhotos

Live music photos: Pinky Fest by The Pinky Rings at Far Out Lounge featured eight bands

On Saturday, June 7 Pinky Fest organized by Austin punk band The Pinky Rings took place at South Austin venue The Far Out Lounge and Stage. The event featured live music from eight local bands. Besides the all-female foursome hosts a raft of Austin acts including Molly Ringworm, Think No Think, Die Mart, Cormae, NSFWHO, Tied Up and Dregs performed on an unusually hot Spring weekend in Central Texas.

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Brian HillsmanLive MusicReview

Live music review: Kim Gordon Nailed It at Austin Psych Fest at Far Out Lounge

On Saturday, April 26, a spry Kim Gordon (age 71) stepped on stage at South Austin’s Far Out Lounge and Stage in boy-shorts bikini bottoms and a white, long-sleeved t-shirt by brand Old Baby  with “Gulf Of Mexico” in red, bold font on the front, and the still quiet crowd erupted. We would be negligent not to proclaim Kim Gordon nailed it at Austin Psych Fest 2025.

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Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Austin Psych Fest brought eclectic talent from across the psych spectrum

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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April DawneLive MusicReview

Live music review: Friday at Austin Psych Fest with Explosions in the Sky, Octopus Project and Godspeed You Black Emperor

Austin has no shortage of music festivals and while most of them are amazing in some way, my favorite is Austin Psych Fest. This year, I caught Texas act, Explosions in the Sky, Austin’s The Octopus Project and Godspeed You! Black Emperor as well as some other worthwhile bands. This gem of a festival melted into Levitation (close second fave) and then split back into two different but equal festivals in 2023. APF is held at The Far Out Lounge, one of my favorite venues in Austin since the apocalypse.

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Brian HillsmanLive MusicReview

Live music review: Geordie Greep delivered memorable set at Austin Psych Fest

Accompanied with an ensemble band of instrumentalists, London’s Geordie Greep delivered a memorable set orbiting his solo LP debut The New Sound —released in October 2024— at South Austin’s Far Out Lounge on April 26 as part of Levitation and Resound’s Austin Psych Fest 2025. 

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