Wednesday, May 13, 2026
The Cosmic Clash

hardcore

Crowd shot KBP 2024
Greg AckermanLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: Six bands to see at Kilby Block Party 2026

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Utah’s most exciting music festival, Kilby Block Party is entering its seventh year in 2026 with its most ambitious lineup to date. The fest runs May 15-17 at Utah State Fairpark in Salt Lake City.  It feels like this unassuming fest which began on a closed-off road behind Kilby Court, the beloved DIY venue it’s named for has become something else entirely with a lineup featuring a pop star (Lorde), a rocker turned pop star (Hayley Williams) and a melodic hardcore act (Turnstile) which shows just how far this independent music fest has come in a relatively short time. Rather than focus on the obvious headlining sets to profile, we’ve selected seven bands to see at KBP 2026. Before we dive in, fans should know some ticket options are already sold-out or nearing sold-out. If you’re considering attending, grab tickets here.

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Eyehategod Little Darlin Justin Clark
Live MusicReviewRobert Dean

Live music review: Eyehategod at Little Darlin 10th Anniversary

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Thanks to the power of social media, bands like Crowbar and Eyehategod are drawing bigger crowds than they have in years—and honestly, good for them. Get that bag, dudes. You earned it. Somehow, the algorithm has decided the ultra-heavy hardcore riffs of the two New Orleans kingpins are worth worshiping, and the clips are endless; people talking about how chaotic EHG is and how gnarly Crowbar riffs are. And it’s not just old head nostalgia. The kids are showing up. And they’re selling venues out. The two bands went out on the road together, and if the show Sunday, April 26 at The Little Darlin’ is any indication, those rooms are filling up fast. Radio-friendly Metallica these bands are not.

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Author & Punisher 2 Far Out Lounge Justin Clark
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

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

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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.

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Mugger 2 mini fest Empire Garage Troy Gonzales
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Electronic duo Sextile returned to Austin with stacked local bill

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Los Angeles by way of Brooklyn electronic duo Sextile returned to Austin for a third time in 2025 to end the year with a loaded bill on Saturday night at Empire Control Room and Garage. The stacked lineup included Nashville egg punk extraordinaries Snooper along with local band appearances from Gus Baldwin & The Sketch, Alma Muneca, Mugger, and The Opera who are Cosmic Clash SXSW Webberville Block Party vets.

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Big Bill BBB 8 6 Radio East Troy Gonzales
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Big Bill Ball 8 at Radio East offered accurate snapshot of Austin music scene

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The eighth annual Big Bill Ball at Radio East in the Southeast part of town, marked another celebration of the Austin scene, offering a snapshot of local music in 2025 with a six-band bill featuring some of the best active acts in the Austindie sphere. For this year’s installment, the philosophical art punk mainstays celebrated the release of their new studio LP, Sick Myth. Continuing the Big Bill way of inclusive activism through comedic lyrical punchlines and a variety of punk rock angles, the one-day event gave attendees one of the most coveted evenings of live music in 2025 during Saturday night’s (November 22) gig at the southeast Austin backyard venue. The mini-fest was co-sponsored by famed photographer and show promoter, Pooneh Ghana for the annual showcase.

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Murder City Devils 4 Mohawk Troy Gonzales
Live MusicReviewRobert Dean

Live music review: Murder City Devils brought rock and roll fury to Mohawk

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I love a show where the band is not there to fuck around. No small talk, no rare material, no rambling monologues about the world. Just pure rock and roll fury. At the Mohawk on Sunday, November 23, The Murder City Devils crashed into Planet Austin and left no survivors. The band barely tours anymore—just fly-in one-offs where they show up, sell the same three merch designs they’ve had for twenty years, and play the hits.

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Porcelain 3 Halloween Freakend Troy Gonzales
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Levitation Halloween Freakend day two got weird

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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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Die Spitz Stubb's Drew Doggett
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Die Spitz sold-out Stubb’s for debut album release

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A sold-out show at Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater in Austin can be one of the most treacherous live music experiences in the downtown area. For the occasion of hometown heroes Die Spitz, exceptions had to be made to celebrate their debut album release Something To Consume via Jack White’s Third Man Records on Friday, October 24. The Austin hard rock quartet has been busy the last couple of years, racking up multiple headlining tours, opening slots for the likes of Amyl & The Sniffers, Viagra Boys, and Sleater-Kinney, and dropping new tracks ahead of their recent full-length studio release. For their homecoming after multiple stints worldwide, Die Spitz brought fellow Austin acts The Opera and Fuck Money to help them celebrate this monumental occasion. 

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Halloween Freakend 2025 Levitation banner image
Case CockrellLive MusicPreview

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

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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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Deerhoof Radio East Troy Gonzales
Brian HillsmanLive MusicReview

Live music review: Indie legends Deerhoof stopped at Radio East last weekend

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On a warm Saturday, October 4 evening, San Francisco-based, indie-rock quartet, Deerhoof, headlined a stellar show at Radio/East on a night that also marked the first weekend of ACL Festival, Resound and Radio/East offered a less stressful live music option for fans. Austin’s Resound Presents booked set the show in conjunction with the venue. The performance was second to last of their 31 Flavors tour before their final North American stop in Denton, Texas. The group head to Japan next month. 

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Unwound Mohawk Troy Gonzales
Live MusicReviewTroy Gonzales

Live music review: Unwound marked 30 years of The Future of What at Mohawk

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On Thursday September 11, one of the 90’s most influential post-hardcore bands, Unwound played at the Mohawk as part of their ‘30 Years of The Future of What’ tour, which would see the band play their third album in it’s entirety. Admittedly, I had not seen them live during their heyday, but this time around I would not let the opportunity slip away again.

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