For years now, Austin’s The Black Angels have been throwing their own hometown psych-rock festival, Levitation (formerly Austin Psych Fest, renamed in 2015 in honor of the city’s psychedelic pioneers The 13th Floor Elevators). Once upon a time out on a ranch (that got rained out in 2016), it has since moved to venues across The Live Music Capitol of The World’s downtown, returning Thursday-Sunday, October 27th-to-30th:
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27th
Stubb’s
The Jesus & Mary Chain, 9:00 PM – 10:30 PM
After gaining notoriety for their short and violent sets, The Jesus and Mary Chain (QRO photos in Austin) were an icon of the eighties, splitting as the century/millennium ended. The band (QRO live review) reunited in 2007, initially as nostalgia (QRO photos at an Austin festival), but a decade later released Damage and Joy (QRO review), and now return to Levitation (QRO photos at Levitation ’15).
Protomartyr, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Detroit post-punk outfit Protomartyr (QRO live review) have earned tons of praise off of 2017’s Relatives In Descent (QRO review) and 2020’s Ultimate Success Today (QRO review).
Also:
Automatic, 6:30 PM – 7:15 PM
The Paranoyds, 5:15 PM – 6:00 PM
Mohawk (outside)
Thee Sacred Souls, 9:15 PM – 10:30 PM
Thee Sinseers, 7:45 PM – 8:45 PM
Adrian Quesada, 7:00 PM – 7:45 PM
Empire
Imarhan, 12:00 AM – 1:00 AM
From the deserts of Algeria to the deserts of Texas come Imarhan, who return to Levitation.
Os Mutantes, 10:30 PM – 12:00 AM
While the Anglos were expanding their minds on psychedelica in the late sixties/early seventies, Brazil experienced a boom in tropicalia – and combining the two were Os Mutantes. After a hiatus lasting over two decades, the new millennium saw Os Mutantes reunite, and hit the road again in 2006, now returning to Levitation.
Also:
Claude Fontaine, 10:00 PM – 10:45 PM
W.I.T.C.H., 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM
JJUUJJUU, 8:15 PM – 9:45 PM
Paint, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Hotel Vegas (inside)
Pearl Earl
Gus Baldwin & The Sketch
Shooks
Hotel Vegas (outside)
Osees, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Hailing from The O.C. (the name was original ‘Orange County Sound’, then ‘OCS’, then Thee Oh Sees, then Oh Sees – well, you get the idea…), John Dwyer formed the band now known as Osees (QRO photos at a festival) to put out his experimental, instrumental home recordings, but over seven records has morphed into a full band and a wild live show (QRO photos at a festival). Osees come back to Levitation (QRO photos at Levitation ’15) for a third time – to play it four times! (see below)
Also:
Tear Dungeon, 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Antone’s
Babe Rainbow, 12:30 AM – 1:30 AM
Sugar Candy Mountain, 11:30 PM – 12:30 AM
70s Tuberide, 10:30 PM – 11:00 PM
Parish
Slift, 12:00 AM – 1:30 AM
Megafauna, 10:30 PM – 11:30 PM
Elysium
Portrayal of Guilt, 12:30 AM – 1:30 AM
Street Sects, 11:30 PM – 12:30 AM
Nuclear Daisies, 10:45 PM – 11:15 PM
Lovelorn, 9:45 PM – 10:15 PM
Heaven, 8:45 PM – 9:15 PM
Scoot Inn
Superorganism, 9:00 PM – 10:15 PM
Eight-member London indie-pop outfit Superorganism head to Levitation after 2017’s attention-getting self-titled debut and this year’s follow-up, World Wide Pop.
Also:
Blood Cultures, 8:00 PM – 8:30 PM
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28th
Stubb’s
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, 9:00 PM – 10:30 PM
They’re only twenty-two albums in, but Australian psych-rock outfit King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard (QRO photos at a festival) have broken out (QRO live review), this year (QRO ’22 photos) putting out Made in Timeland, Omnium Gatherium, Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava, Laminated Denim and Changes. They play their third Levitation – playing it twice (see below).
Also:
Hooveriii, 7:45 PM – 8:15 PM
Leah Senior, 6:45 PM – 7:15 PM
Mohawk (inside)
Mugger
End It
Mohawk (outside)
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, 11:30 PM – 1:00 AM
Acid Dad, 10:30 PM – 11:15 PM
Queen Serene, 9:15 PM – 10:00 PM
Empire
The Legendary Pink Dots, 12:30 AM – 2:00 AM
Hailing from London & Amsterdam, The Legendary Pink Dots have more than forty years of playing avant-psych outside of the mainstream – including more than forty albums!
Godspeed You! Black Emperor, 11:15 PM – 1:00 AM
Post-rock is littered with seminal acts, but none, none is more important and acclaimed as Godspeed You! Black Emperor (QRO photos at a festival). The Montreal ensemble has done everything from curate numerous All Tomorrow’s Parties festivals around the world (QRO photo at an ATP) to working with the late Grant Hart of Hüsker Dü on Hot Wax (QRO review). They come to Levitation behind last year’s G_d’s Pee at State End!.
Also:
Troller, 10:45 PM – 11:15 PM
Marisa Anderson, 10:15 PM – 10:45 PM
Grivo, 9:30 PM – 10:15 PM
Hotel Vegas (inside)
Truncha Soul
El Combo Oscuro
Hotel Vegas (outside)
Osees, 9:15 PM – 10:15 PM
Warm Drag, 7:45 PM – 8:45 PM
Antone’s
Desire, 12:30 AM – 1:30 AM
Glüme, 11:30 PM – 12:15 AM
Mothermary, 10:30 PM – 11:15 PM
Club Intl, 9:45 PM – 10:15 PM
DJ Johnny Jewel, 8:00 PM – 9:45 PM
Elysium
Los Dug Dug’s, 12:30 AM – 2:00 AM
The UFO Club, 11:15 PM – 12:15 AM
Annabelle Chairlegs, 10:15 PM – 11:00 PM
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29th
Empire
Heartless Bastards, 5:15 PM – 6:15 PM
Erika Wennerstrom’s (QRO photos) Heartless Bastards (QRO live review) emerged from the same post-industrial Ohio Rust Belt blues-rock revival as The Black Keys, who discovered the group (QRO photos at a festival). However, after 2009’s The Mountain (QRO review), the group (QRO photos) left Black Keys’ Fat Possum label for Partisan for 2012’s Arrow (QRO review), along with playing bigger stages (QRO photos) and festivals (QRO photos at a festival). Wennerstrom (QRO interview) put the band on hiatus after 2015’s Restless Ones (QRO review) to do her own solo career (QRO solo album review), but this year got the group back together (QRO spotlight on) behind last year’s A Beautiful Life (QRO review), and comes to Levitation (QRO photos at an Austin festival) to headline the Saturday afternoon show at Empire.
Alex Maas, 3:45 PM – 4:45 PM
Frontman for Levitation creators The Black Angels (see below), Alex Maas (QRO interview) does his own solo set as well.
Also:
Nemegata, 2:45 PM – 3:30 PM
Leah Senior, 1:45 PM – 2:30 PM
Hotel Vegas (outside)
OFF!, 4:45 PM – 6:00 PM
Los Angeles’ own Keith Morris worked in seminal punk outfits Circle Jerks (QRO live review) & Black Flag and now he’s got a newer outfit in OFF! (QRO photos at a festival – with members of Redd Kross, Rocket From the Crypts & more), but don’t worry – he plays the old classics, too. They come to Levitation (QRO photos at a festival) behind this year’s Free LSD.
…And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, 3:45 PM – 4:15 PM
Austin’s own indie-rock veterans (QRO photos at an Austin festival) return home to play Levitation (QRO photos at an Austin festival) – right where they belong (QRO photos in Europe). Out with this year’s epic XI: Bleed Here Now (QRO review), Trail of Dead always bring it live (QRO live review), but expect something extra for the hometown fans (QRO photos at an Austin festival).
Also:
Fuck Money, 3:45 PM – 3:15 PM
Stubb’s
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, 10:00 PM – 11:30 PM
Playing for a second time (see above) at Levitation ’22 (QRO photos days before) is King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard.
Tropical Fuck Storm, 8:15 PM – 9:15 PM
More Australian psych-rock comes to Stubb’s in a Tropical Fuck Storm.
The Murlocs, 7:15 PM – 8:00 PM
Ambrose Kenny-Smith (QRO interview) of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard (see above) brings his own psychedelic side-project The Murlocs to Levitation.
Mohawk (inside)
Mystery Group
Mohawk (outside)
Hunx & His Punx, 12:00 AM – 1:00 AM
Death Valley Girls, 10:45 PM – 11:45 PM
A Giant Dog, 9:45 PM – 10:45 PM
The Pink Rings, 9:00 PM – 9:30 PM
Empire
Tempers, 1:00 AM – 2:00 AM
She Past Away, 11:45 PM – 1:00 AM
Wingtips, 11:15 PM – 12:00 AM
Sextile, 10:45 PM – 11:30 PM
Traitrs, 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Hotel Vegas (inside)
Kairos Creature Club
Wet Dip
Mujeres Podridas
Hotel Vegas (outside)
Osees, 10:00 PM – 11:15 PM
Hooveriii, 9:00 PM – 9:45 PM
Antone’s
Meatbodies, 12:45 AM – 1:45 AM
The Well, 11:30 PM – 12:30 AM
Spoon Benders, 10:15 PM – 11:15 PM
Parish
Sunflower Bean, 11:45 PM – 1:15 AM
Just before COVID wrecked everything, New York’s Sunflower Bean (QRO photos) had been turning critical & popular heads, thanks to records Human Ceremony and Twentytwo in Blue. They come to Levitation (QRO photos at a ’22 Austin festival) behind this year’s Head Full of Sugar.
Ringo Deathstarr, 10:45 PM – 11:30 PM
Though they hail from right in Austin (QRO photos at an Austin festival), Ringo Deathstarr (QRO spotlight on) have found more success in the U.K. (QRO live review in England), to the point of signing to a British label and even adding the ‘u’ to the title of their debut, Colour Trip (QRO review) – but they still find time to play their umpteenth Levitation (QRO photos at Levitation ’21 – QRO photos at Levitation ’15).
Also:
Grandma, 10:00 PM – 10:30 PM
Being Dead, 9:15 PM – 9:45 PM
Elysium
Bodycruise, 12:00 AM – 2:00 AM
Neggy Gemmy, 11:00 PM – 12:00 AM
Esprit, 10:15 PM – 10:45 PM
Death’s Dynamic Shroud, 9:15 PM – 9:45 PM
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30th
Stubb’s
The Black Angels, 9:15 PM – 10:15 PM
Austin’s great music scene has many dimensions, but the band that opened up the psychedelic side of the Live Music Capitol of the World is The Black Angels (QRO spotlight on). The group (QRO photos), fronted by Alex Maas (QRO interview), bring the psych-rock of 2013’s Indigo Meadow (QRO review) and 2010’s Phosphene Dream (QRO review) and more back to Austin (QRO photos at a festival), after having toured all over America (QRO live review) & Europe (QRO photos at a European festival), not to being the creators of (and regulars at) Levitation Festival ((QRO photos at Levitation ’21 – QRO photos at Levitation ’15 – QRO photos at Austin Psych ’14). They come back to Levitation (QRO photos at an Austin festival) behind this year’s Wilderness of Mirrors.
Also:
La Femme, 7:45 PM – 8:45 PM
Frankie & The Witch Fingers, 6:15 PM – 7:15 PM
Daiistar, 5:15 PM – 6:00 PM
Mohawk (outside)
L7, 9:15 PM – 10:15 PM
Riot Grrrl is back, thanks to the return of the likes of Sleater-Kinney, Babes In Toyland, and L7 (QRO ’22 photos), who come to Levitation (QRO photos at a festival) behind 2019’s reunion record Scatter the Rats.
Also:
Pleasure Venom, 8:15 PM – 8:45 PM
Die Spitz, 7:15 PM – 7:45 PM
Empire
Lucid Express, 11:30 PM – 12:00 AM
Blushing, 10:15 PM – 11:00 PM
Cold Cave, 9:15 PM – 10:15 PM
Temple of Angels, 8:45 PM – 9:15 PM
Soft Kill, 7:45 PM – 8:45 PM
SRSQ, 6:45 PM – 7:15 PM
Hotel Vegas (inside)
Billy Glinter
Steele FX
The Hammer Party
Hotel Vegas (outside)
Osees, 9:15 PM – 10:15 PM
Amplified Heat, 7:45 PM – 8:45 PM
Antone’s
Blood Red Shoes, 10:45 PM – 11:45 PM
Brighton’s given birth to the smashing (and good-looking – QRO photos at a festival) duo Blood Red Shoes (QRO photos at a festival), who come to Levitation (QRO photos at a festival) behind this year’s Ghosts On Tape (QRO review).
Also:
MZ Neon, 10:00 PM – 10:30 PM
Parish
Moon Duo, 12:00 AM – 1:15 AM
Al Lover, 10:30 PM – 11:30 PM
Elysium
80s Night, 9:30 PM – 2:00 AM