rock n roll – Page 3 – The Cosmic Clash

Viagra Boys Halloween Freakend Troy Gonzales

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.

Case Cockrell Live Music Review

Live music review: Boris brought metal shapeshifting to Mohawk

November 4, 2025 Case Cockrell 1269 Views Agriculture, Atsuo, black metal, Boris, drone metal, hard rock, heavy metal, live music, mohawk, noise rock, psych-rock, Review, rock n roll, Sunn O))), Takeshi, Wata

Heavy metal in 2025 is in a healthy, hell-charged state. Bands are experimenting with the genre like Deafheaven, Full of Hell, Sunn O))), and even Austin acts like Portrayal of Guilt. For Tokyo, Japan’s Boris, a wave of extreme metal shapeshifting has paved the way for an everlasting gauntlet that’s redefining heavy music for 2025. With releases that dabble in drone metal, doom metal, and noise/experimental rock, Boris arrived for a Tuesday night gig in downtown Austin that came as a stop on their US tour to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their landmark tenth studio album Pink. For their third local appearance in two years, the Japanese berserkers stormed the stage at Mohawk in the Red River Cultural District yet again to astronomical results.

Live Music Review Robert Dean

Live music review: Nuclear Daisies make a splash at Hotel Vegas

November 3, 2025 Robert Dean 1010 Views album release, Brit rock, dance party, First Taste of Heaven, hard rock, heavy rock, indie rock, live music, My Bloody Valentine, new music, Nuclear Daisies, Orbital, Review, rock n roll, Stereo MCs, uplifting music

Every once in a while, you’ll be at a show and wag your finger because you just know. That familiar light pops on that a music nerd can recognize when the band onstage isn’t just another local band; they’ve got the sound that moves beyond “this is good” to “this is international.” I’ve been to easily over a thousand shows in my life. I have seen many a band. Sometimes, you catch a Spiritual Cramp and can see from a million miles away, “these guys are gonna blow up,” and slowly but surely, those tours keep getting bigger. I said the same thing about Fontaines D.C., and after catching Austin’s Nuclear Daisies onOctober 28 at Hotel Vegas, I think it’s pretty obvious they have all the correct DNA to make a splash. Some of us can remember when Die Spitz was playing Chess Club. Now, they’re headlining Stubbs.

Case Cockrell Live Music Review

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

October 28, 2025 Case Cockrell 1283 Views art rock, Die Spitz, Fuck Money, hard rock, hardcore, live music, punk rock, Review, rock n roll, shoegaze, Stubb's, Stubb's BBQ, The Opera, Third Man Records

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.

Water From Your Eyes Brushy St Commons Troy Gonzales

Case Cockrell Live Music Review

Live music review: Water From Your Eyes returned to Austin with new record

October 24, 2025 Case Cockrell 1301 Views Brushy Street Commons, experimental music, Hooky, indie rock, It's A Beautiful Place, jazz, live music, Matador Records, Nate Amos, new music, Parish, Rachel Brown, Review, rock n roll, Samira Winter, thanks for coming, This is Lorelei, Water From Your Eyes, Wet Dip, Winter

Noise pop duo Water From Your Eyes formed when Amos relocated to Brooklyn, spurring a songwriting partnership that’s several records deep and becoming a tenured indie act. Since the release of their critically acclaimed Matador Records full-length Everyone’s Crushed in 2023, songwriting team Brown and Amos have been working to build their sonic relationship that shows the crowds getting bigger and the chatter in the online music spheres louder. For the unveiling of their seventh studio album and second Matador entry It’s a Beautiful Place doubling down on their hard-to-pinpoint approach, the duo hasn’t stopped creating or halted their relentless stints of touring. For their third stop in Austin in two calendar years at the recently rebranded Brushy Street Commons (formerly known as Parish), the Amos and Brown-led group showcases that they’re here to stay awhile and continue their surreal, self-aware brand of Gen-Z social commentary.

Case Cockrell Live Music Review

Live music review: garage rock behemoths Osees played Hotel Vegas residency

October 20, 2025 Case Cockrell 1422 Views concert, Dan Rincon, DMBQ, garage rock, Hotel Vegas, John Dwyer, live music, Osees, Paul Quattrone, psych-rock, punk rock, Review, rock n roll, Thee Oh Sees

Los Angeles garage rock behemoths Osees returned to Austin for their annual, (sometimes bi-annual) residency at Eastside live music stronghold Hotel Vegas over the last weekend. Continuing their regular Austin tour stop tradition with a discography that gets bigger with every calendar rotation. With a solidified lineup defining the current iteration of esteemed bandleader John Dwyer’s everlasting rein, the Osees delivered another weekend of the eclectic paradigm that set the standard for the dozens of psych punk groups that make the Dwyer-led company a source of everlasting influence. Despite being on the road to promote their latest release Abomination Revealed At Last, the West Coast berserkers only performed one song from the new release and ventured into a rare, deep cuts, setlist territory.

Halloween Freakend 2025 Levitation banner image

Case Cockrell Live Music Preview

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

October 16, 2025 Case Cockrell 1540 Views Bitchin Bajas, Black Lips, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Clown Core, concert, experimental music, Far Out Lounge, garage rock, glam rock, Halloween, Halloween Freakend, hardcore, J'Cuzzi, Levitation, Lightning Bolt, Lip Critic, live music, Machine Girl, Porcelain, post rock, preview, psych-rock, punk rock, Resound Presents, rock n roll, Stereolab, Viagra Boys

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.

Greg Ackerman Live Music Preview

Live music preview: Love is for Evermore benefit with Shinyribs, Sara Hickman at Radio East

October 13, 2025 Greg Ackerman 2124 Views alt-country, BENefit, Carruthers & Roush, concert, cosmic cowboy, Evermore, funk, Kevin Russell, live music, preview, R&B, Radio East, rock n roll, Sara Hickman, Shinyribs, singer songwriter, soul, Texas blues, The Bright Light Social Hour

Saturday, October 25 marks the third annual Love is for Evermore benefit at Radio East. The event supports Evermore, a national bereavement non-profit that advocates for benefits, education and resources for all Americans coping with the death of a loved one. One example is the group has gotten paid bereavment leave for military members. This year’s concert features Shinyribs, a rare live appearance by songwriter, Sara Hickman and special guests, Carruthers & Roush (members of The Bright Light Social Hour). There may even be some surprise guests onstage stage. Tickets for the event are currently on sale. There are VIP options which include a meet and greet with artists before the show.

Wet Leg by Greg Noire for ACL Festival 2025 107024

Case Cockrell Live Music Review

Live music review: Eight artists that stood out at ACL Festival 2025

October 8, 2025 Case Cockrell 2018 Views ACL Fest, Americana, Austin City Limits Music Festival, BLues, Cage the Elephant, Dr. Dog, indie rock, live music, Lucius, Magdalena Bay, MJ Lenderman, Modest Mouse, Review, rock n roll, The Strokes

Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL Fest) 2025 weekend one on October 3 – October 5 marked another successful installment at Zilker Park, with an eclectic array of acts making their way to Austin for yet another October in the heart of the city. The talent performing featured acts from all over the world, bringing all genres to generations of music lovers who make their way to Central Texas by the tens of thousands for the musical extravaganza. Between legacy acts and rising artists, there was no shortage of spectacle to behold during the first weekend at the big park with a beautiful view of the city skyline. The Cosmic Clash team made their way to Zilker to capture the action and highlight eight artists that stood out to us throughout the first weekend of programming.

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.

April Dawne Live Music Review

Live music review: A Funky Levitation Full of Surprises or How April Spent the Fest

October 3, 2025 April Dawne 1964 Views A Place to Bury Strangers, APTBS, Boy Harsher, Destroyer, Diles Que No Me Maten, Frankie and the Witch Fingers, fusion, indie rock, jam rock, La Femme, Mdou Moctar, music festival, Olliver Ackermann, Palmer Events Center, Population II, psych-rock, punk rock, rock n roll, Rose City Band, Secret Chiefs 3, Swervedriver, synth wave, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Raveonettes, TV on the Radio, TVOTR, Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Adulting is mostly a bummer, and Levitation weekend (September 26-28) coincided with a very important work event happening all day Saturday. Thankfully, the big boss sent an email to the team instructing us to do what we needed to do for self-care, leading up to Saturday. Perfect! I consider live music to be something that can soothe the beast, and from Tuesday through Sunday, I got my fill. It was a funky Levitation that was full of surprises.