Wednesday, June 24, 2026
The Cosmic Clash

music festival

The DLC stage courtesy of Concert Archives
Greg AckermanLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: Five bands to see at The DLC’s first Pogo Fest

Greg Ackerman 566 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

One of the cooler spots to check out live music in Salt Lake City is The DLC, a small-capacity live music venue situated inside Quarters Arcade Bar downtown in the heart of SLC’s nascent live music corridor.  The room is intimate, cool and you can battle your homie at Mortal Kombat after the show. This Saturday, June 20 the venue is hosting their first ever Pogo Fest to highlight the great psych-rock and similar acts the venue is booking. Aside from The DLC the area includes venues; International Artists Bar, and SLC Pub . Those locations along with a an outdoor stage at Exchange Place will serve as the four stages for Pogo Fest which is highlighting psych-rock and psych adjacent acts from Salt Lake City for the most part. We picked out five bands to see from the 20-plus artists line-up for SLC concertgoers. The mini-fest is an ideal way for local fans to get to know some of the better up and coming acts playing the growing Salt Lake music scene. Advance tickets are available via 24 Tix.

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Shakey Graves by straydog media
Greg AckermanInterviewsLive Music

Interview: Austin artist Shakey Graves is coming to Utah Arts Festival with a great new record

Greg Ackerman 592 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

When The Cosmic Clash got to Salt Lake City one of the first annual events we heard about was the Utah Arts Festival. We were duly impressed that a city SLC’s size, invested so heavily in visual art, music and literature. There were panels, live music and tons of visual artists represented. It seemed like the story of Salt Lake’s Mormon monoculture was exaggerated fiction. In town, at least culturally it kind of is. The city founded by Mormons has more similarities to Austin, Texas than it does to the Vatican; Blue dot in a red sea, state capitol, big public university north of downtown? Sounds like ATX. We learned the UAF is celebrating its 50th Anniversary, doubling down on quality musical headliners including Austin’s own Shakey Graves. The singer and songwriter performs June 20 (Saturday) early on in his recently launched tour supporting his new record, Fondness, Inc.

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LEV25PoonehGhana
Case CockrellLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: Levitation 2026 genre bending lineup and schedule is out

Case Cockrell 864 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Levitation returns to Austin on September 10–13, 2026, bringing another epic four-day weekend of music and art to the city’s

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blackangels5 APF 2026 Drew Doggett
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Austin Psych Fest 2026 weekend highlighted Black Angels, Thee Sacred Souls

Case Cockrell 876 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

It’s difficult to chose which day of Austin Psych Fest at Far Out Lounge and Stage was the best so we combined our Saturday and Sunday coverage into a single whopping review. After the elation of The Flaming Lips, it was time to get serious with The Black Angels as they celebrated the 20th Anniversary of their landmark recording, Passover. It was also an opportunity to bask in the glorious harmonies and feel good vibes on Sunday with the soulful tunes of Thee Sacred Souls closing out a Latin-themed day of music that felt made for the unofficial day of rest most Americans think of the beginning of the week as. Indeed, the vibe-shift was welcoming after two days of aural assault from some of the best psych-rock and psych adjacent acts in the world.

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Greg AckermanLive MusicReview

Live music review: Day one at Kilby Block Party 2026 featured Turnstile with up and coming acts

Greg Ackerman 1069 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

It was a picture perfect day in Salt Lake City at the Utah State Fairplex on Friday as Kilby Block Party geared up for its seventh edition of the mid-tier sized music festival with a lineup heavy on up and coming acts. Ireland’s Newdad, Austin’s Die Spitz and L.A. via Boise artist, Gelli Haha all turned in impressive performances as the schedule moved towards red-hot, melodic hardcore rock band Turnstile’s incredible main stage set to close night one of KBP.  Fans enjoyed a silent disco featuring local DJs, art installations and came dressed for fun.

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Flaming Lips 1 APF 2026 Mohawk Drew Doggett
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Fourth Austin Psych Fest at Far Out Lounge hosted Congressman Greg Casar

Case Cockrell 1165 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Austin Psych Fest 2026 marked another festival at far S. Congress Avenue mega-backyard, The Far Out Lounge and Stage. It brought the fourth spring edition since the brand’s 2023 return, featuring a star-studded lineup and a two-stage, no-overlapping performances setup. The Cosmic Clash team was on-site all weekend and highlighted what stood out over the three-day stint in South Austin and the satellite showcases in the Red River Cultural District. APF had a special guest on Friday as progressive Congressman Greg Casar joined the party to watch Wayne Coyne and company do their Flaming Lips party for the psych rock faithful. Who doesn’t like the fun, positive vibe of the Lips? Turns out even Austin politicians do.

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BADBADNOTGOODforAustinBluesFest2026byDusana-106164
Case CockrellLive MusicReview

Live music review: Austin Blues Fest aims to preserve Antone’s legacy

Case Cockrell 819 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

There are few homegrown Austin events left as of 2026. We still have HAAM Day, Austin Psych Fest and Levitation, Eeyore’s Birthday,  and a handful of others, but times are tough, and the good folks that organize all these great things need the community to keep the traditions going. For Austin institution, venue and record store, Antone’s Austin Blues Fest, a gathering of adoring locals flocked to the Moody Amphitheater to experience both Texas Blues classics and other legacy acts to build a festival slate with so much talent in one weekend, it proved to be a must-see. On Sunday April 26, a stacked bill commenced for a day of showcasing undeniable fun with an experience that was uniquely Austin.

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Crowd shot KBP 2024
Greg AckermanLive MusicPreview

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

Greg Ackerman 1845 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

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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Killer Kaya Free Week 26 Troy Gonzales
Case CockrellLive MusicPreview

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

Case Cockrell 2223 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

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. 

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Case CockrellLive MusicPreview

Live music preview: Free Week starts January 9 with over 80 bands

Case Cockrell 1587 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Free Week in Austin’s Red River Cultural District returns this coming weekend on January 9 and 10, bringing yet another array of cover-free showcases to the downtown area to kick off 2026 with live music from the city’s fruitful scene. The event will feature a baker’s dozen venues and over 80 performing artists to showcase Austin’s nightlife. The RRCD is managed by the Red River Merchants’ Association, a coalition of over forty local small businesses found within the District, which include not only live music venues, restaurants, hotels, retail shops, and other small businesses, but also the Austin Symphony Orchestra, First Baptist Church, German-Texan Heritage Society, and Waterloo Greenway.​

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Aerials by Rylan McCoy for ACL Fest 2025-12
Live MusicOpinionRobert Dean

Opinion: Hear me out, Austin City Limits Music Festival at COTA

Robert Dean 2819 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

I know you are going to hate this. But since ACL I’ve been thinking about something: the fest itself and how Austin handles it. First, I gotta get through the fine print: I’ve been to the Austin City Limits Music Festival exactly one time – for an hour. I went to see Duran Duran and left. I also got into a car accident trying to get there on time. I am someone who’s still holding hope that we’re going to get a Fugazi reunion one of these days, so me waiting in the throngs of people to hear Chappell Roan sing “Pink Pony Club” I am not. But after seeing the photos of Sabrina Carpenter’s crowd last week, you have to wonder if the scale of the artists who play at the festival—is the park even big enough to hold the people anymore? I can’t say where I’ve heard the rumor from, but someone told me ACL should be moved to Circuit of the Americas (COTA), and I think the conversation’s at least worth having.

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