post-punk – The Cosmic Clash

Porcelain 3 Halloween Freakend Troy Gonzales

Live music review: Levitation Halloween Freakend day two got weird

November 7, 2025 Case Cockrell 838 Views electronic punk, experimental rock, Far Out Lounge, Haha Laughing, Halloween Freakend, hardcore, Levitation, Lightning Bolt, Lip Critic, live music, Machine Girl, noise rock, Porcelain, post hardcore, post-punk, psych-rock, Review

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.

Viagra Boys Halloween Freakend Troy Gonzales

Brian Hillsman Live Music Review

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

November 5, 2025 Brian Hillsman 1081 Views Far Out Lounge, Halloween Freakend, Levitation, live music, mini fest, post-punk, punk rock, Review, rock n roll, Sebastian Murphy, Viagra Boys

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.

Live Music Review Troy Gonzales

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

October 7, 2025 Troy Gonzales 1320 Views concert, hardcore, live music, mohawk, Porcelain, post hardcore, post-punk, punk rock, Review, rock n roll, Unwound, Vern Rumsey

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.

Case Cockrell Live Music Preview

Live music preview: Seven more must see bands at Levitation 2025

September 18, 2025 Case Cockrell 2165 Views festival, Kula Shaker, Levitation, live music, Model/Actriz, mohawk, must see bands, Nolan Potter, Population II, post hardcore, post-punk, preview, psych punk, psych-rock, rock n roll, Skloss, The Armed, The Black Angels, The Dandy Warhols, Wednesday

The 2025 edition of Levitation is coming up fast. Each year, Austin’s The Black Angels and trusted booking powerhouse Rob Fitzpatrick cast star-studded lineups that never disappoint the local and out-of-town music fans traveling to Austin for the annual multi-venue programming. The Cosmic Clash team is here to provide another list of bands you need to see during the festival takeover at Palmer Events Center and venues throughout the Austin area. Set times and tickets can be found at the Levitation website for fans to plan their schedule to see all the music they can throughout the weekend.

Greg Ackerman Premiere Song

Song premiere: Starflake and AILA collab puts futuristic spin on Spanish classic Porque Te Vas

September 16, 2025 Greg Ackerman 2330 Views AILA, alternative rock, Austin Music, dance music, indie pop, Jeanette, new music, Porque Te Vas, post-punk, song premiere, Spanish music, Spanish pop, Starflake

Austin act Starflake featuring Jackie O’Brien of The Bright Light Social Hour has collaborated with Mexican turned Austin artist AILA on a futuristic update to Jeanette’s classic Spanish song, “Porque Te Vas” (1974). O’Brien who is founding bassist and vocalist of TBLSH also operates their Escondido Sound studio where he tracked this impressive update to an iconic Spanish pop song. Today, the premiere of the new version of the track is being presented here. The song can be found wherever you stream music.

Greg Ackerman Live Music Preview

Live music preview: The Levitation 2025 schedule dropped with lots more artists

August 19, 2025 Greg Ackerman 3659 Views Good Looks, Laveda, Levitation, live music, Mastodon, night shows, Palmer Events Center, Pile, post-punk, preview, psych-rock, Rickshaw Billie's Burger Patrol, schedule announce, Skloss, The Black Angels, TV on the Radio

Last Friday, the original psych-rock focused music festival, Levitation dropped their 2025 daily schedule along with a couple of additions to the bill in for the main fest programming at Palmer Events Center and 14 acts were added to the Night Show bills. Austin bands, Daiistar, Skloss, Good Looks and Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol joined the party as did Cosmic Clash show veterans Laveda (NYC). The humble Austin music fest that began as Austin Psych Fest in 2008, rebranded in 2016 as Levitation eventually expanding to four days of cutting-edge programing at venues throughout Austin.

Case Cockrell Live Music Review

Live music review: Grandmaster Gala Two at Paramount with Nolan Potter and Urban Heat

August 6, 2025 Case Cockrell 3408 Views art rock, Grandmaster, live music, Nolan Potter, Paramount Theater, Paramount Theatre, post-punk, prog rock, psych-rock, Review, The Thing

The second annual Grandmaster Gala took place at the Paramount Theatre in Austin last Saturday, July 26 bringing the best of the local music scene, band curated visual art, and a sendoff of one of Austin’s most adored acts. The event came as the first time local mega ensemble Grandmaster took the stage at the world-famous venue, bringing a destination event for the band and their peers that have been a part of their meteoric rise in the local scene since their inception in 2023. The event was hosted by Austin show promoter Jake Ames, a task that was not taken lightly to mark a new chapter of Grandmaster and their already loyal local following.

Brian Hillsman Live Music Review

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

July 22, 2025 Brian Hillsman 3991 Views Austin, Beach Goons, California, Chokecherry, indie rock, live music, mohawk, Nathan Williams, post-punk, punk, Red River Cultural District, Review, surf punk, Wavves

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.

Album Brian Hillsman Review

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

July 18, 2025 Brian Hillsman 3641 Views ACL Fest, album review, Austin City Limits Music Festival, live music, moisturiser, new music, post-punk, punk rock, SXSW, Wet Leg

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.

Case Cockrell Live Music Preview

Live music preview: Seven more buzz bands to see at SXSW 2025

March 3, 2025 Case Cockrell 3830 Views Acid Baby Jesus, art punk, Bands to see SXSW, buzz bands, Dope Lemon, experimental, folk, funk, indie rock, La Sécurité, live music, Meatheads, new wave, Population II, post-punk, preview, psych-rock, punk rock, rock n roll, soul, South by Southwest, SXSW, SXSW 2025, The Courettes, Water Damage

The South By Southwest music festival is less than a week out, and the roster of artists can seem overwhelming at first glance. With a lineup that can satisfy every kind of music lover, The Cosmic Clash brings you another seven buzz bands you should put on your list for the upcoming long week of music in Austin. All set times and venues can be found on the SXSW website and SXSW GO mobile application. All listed acts are official SXSW artists.

Case Cockrell Live Music Preview

Live music preview: seven buzz bands to see at SXSW 2025

February 27, 2025 Case Cockrell 3950 Views Bands to see SXSW, Brutus VIII, buzz bands, Dune Rats, egg punk, experimental, Frankie and the Witch Fingers, garage rock, Haha Laughing, live music, math rock, Native Sun, noise rock, post-punk, preview, punk rock, rap, South by Southwest, surf punk, surf rock, SXSW, SXSW 2025, TVOD, YHWH Nailgun

The 2025 edition of South By Southwest is fast approaching, and the list of acts making their way to Austin for the six-day music festival spans multiple genres and geographic origins. With this in mind, the Cosmic Clash team has curated a group of seven buzz bands we think you should put on your list for the long week of around-the-clock music. All acts are Sx official artists. All set times, along with venues, can be found on the SXSW website and SXSW GO cell application.

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