Thursday, April 23, 2026
The Cosmic Clash

live music

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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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Wavves Mohawk Troy Gonzales
Brian HillsmanLive MusicReview

Live music review: Wavves played to raucous Mohawk crowd in Austin

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On a warm and muggy Saturday night in Austin, San Diego-based, surf-punks, Wavves, headlined a showcase for a packed, raucous Mohawk crowd on July 19 in the Red River Cultural District.  Three bands were on the bill for the night, all hailing from California, and each delivered their  respective takes on Golden State indie post-punk. Beach Goons and Chokecherry opened the show.

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Wet Leg moisturizer promo
AlbumBrian HillsmanReview

Album review: latest record moisturiser by Wet Leg shows creative growth

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Isle of Wight duo (now a five-piece quintet) Wet Leg, released their sophomore LP on July11.  The album, moisturiser, continues with the energy of their debut release, but also displays more focus and complexity in the band’s creative growth. Ahead of the UK act’s Austin City Limits Music Festival appearance this October, we’re sharing our thoughts on the upstart group’s new record which was released on July 11 on Domino Records. 

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Hawt Dawg Fest 3 2025 contestants Troy Gonzales
Greg AckermanLive MusicPhotos

Live music photos: Hawk Dawg 3 with Tear Dungeon, Queen Serene and Dregs

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An ignominious event, Hawk Dawg 3 took place on a rainy July 4 at Red River Cultural District favorite Mohawk with a hot dog eating contest that left no wiener untouched. The Cosmic Clash even had staff photographer and writer Drew Doggett joining the fun with our man trying to stuff as many dogs into his face as possible (evidence below) but the main event of the day party which got going at 4 p.m. was headliners, Tear Dungeon, fronted by Andrew Cashen (A Giant Dog, Andrew Cashen and the Disciples of Creation) with a bevy of well-known local players did their best ATX approximation of shock rock acts like Gwar complete with masks, spewing blood, mosh pits and stage dives. Fellow local acts, Queen Serene and Dregs joined the party.

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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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Black Sabbath Back to the Beginning poster
Live MusicReviewRobert Dean

Live music review: Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath – The Tired King of Metal Gets His Final Bow

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Someone online said something profound about Ozzy’s final performance with Black Sabbath at Villa Park in their hometown of Birmingham, England on July 5: they called him a tired king. And as that tired king looked out over his court, with the whole world watching, he gave one last welcome to those still loyal to his heavy metal kingdom.

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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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Phish Renae Huemer
April DawneLive MusicReview

Live music review: Phish at Moody Center – Whatever You Do Take Care of Your Shoes

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I’m still processing last weekend’s rollicking two night Phish run in Austin at the Moody Center. The last time the nerdy foursome from Vermont played Austin was on a sweltering July day in 2018 outside and I was in the midst of an on-again/off-again thing that was off who also happened to be at the show.

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Greg AckermanLive MusicPhotos

Live music photos: Third annual Big Dumb Fest by Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol at Mohawk

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Austin hard rock band, Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol hosted their third annual Big Dumb Fest June 14 at legendary Red River Cultural District venue, Mohawk. The self-styled Doom Wop band curates the lineup themselves, hand-picking each local act invited. This year’s roster included Bat Lips, Gus Baldwin and the Sketch, Glime, The Grasshopper Lies Heavy, Subpar Snatch and Gran Moreno for an all night affair. BDF included food pop-ups from Bad Larry’s Burgers, Grandpa’s Glizzy’s and Sucio Boy Burgers to feed the hungry hard rock fans attending.

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DFA at Empire Troy Gonzales
LiveMike CosmicReview

Live music review: Death from Above You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine tour stop at Empire

Mike Cosmic Cota 3687 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Canadian rockers Death From Above (also known as Death from Above 1979 or DFA) delivered an electrifying performance to an enthusiastic crowd last Friday at Austin’s Empire Garage. The duo, comprised of bassist and synth player Jesse F. Keeler and drummer and vocalist Sebastien Grainger, played their critically acclaimed album, You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine, in its entirety. It has become a sort of tradition for bands to tour and play albums in entirety, to celebrate the albums anniversary. Indeed DFA are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their debut album. The tour began last Summer in UK

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