Having moved past the jetlag that delayed my first day of the annual Austin City Limits event, I kicked into the festival grounds early to catch Parquet Courts opening the second day, well ahead of the anticipated headline performances from The Cure and Kings of Leon.
Parquet Courts deliver interesting fast paced, high energy, punk inspired tunes. That sort of underground rock and roll that often finds its place in Sydney and Melbourne, with some notable Pixies influence, though their music is – in general – a bit heavier. Mona followed and rocked out tracks from their two records including July’s Torches and Pitchforks, though it was tracks from their self-titled debut like “Shooting the Moon” and “Pavement” that particularly resonated with me; they are so damn catchy and fun live. This is a band who should be a lot bigger than they are.
The lead singer Nick Brown owns a bit of a Robert Plant growl at times, and holds the group together with a fantastic voice; they are the sort of band Kings of Leon might have become in another lifetime, though I feel Mona would still be the superior act.
UK’s Dan Croll had a really interesting sound, though by now – 1pm – the clashes had already begun. New Orleans artist Colin Lake was already shredding the guitar on arrival, accompanied by a three piece band, in their first visit to the festival. There’s plenty of comparisons that can be drawn to Ben Harper, and his slide guitar playing was exemplary. I also particularly liked the incorportion of the organ into some tracks. An artist destined to play Bluesfest!
I had Reignwolf recommended to me as they are apparently in Australia soon. I say “they”, though essentially this is a one man band – Jordan Cook – with occasional guest instrumentalists. Cook launched into things with beating his guitar as he kicked a drum and pumped out the track “Electric Love”. There’s do much going on here: Blues, Hendrix, Southern USA rock influences… even a bit of Zeppelin thrown in for good measure. He didn’t leave his solo performance to a kick drum though, later ripping it out of a full drum kit as he played the guitar one handed. OK, we get it – you’re talented! Things were rounded out nicely web a backing bassist and drummer joined him on select tracks, though it was hard not to enjoy his one man spectacle. “In The Dark” was an entertaining number performed with the band, and I also enjoyed “Lonely Sunday”.
Playing through at round about the same time, Autre me Veut were an interesting retro-pop act headed up by Arthur Ashin – they will be in Australia for Laneway Festival next year, so keep an eye out. Deap Vally, meanwhile, rocked tracks off their debut record Sistrionix to a sizable crowd. Recent Splendour attendees Haim were as amazing as always and Swedish six piece Junip were hauntingly beautiful, with the iconic vocals of Jose Gonzalez echoing over the fields of Zilker Park. It was hard not to get lost in their musical splendour, with tracks off their recently released self-titled LP proving to be highlights of the set, especially “Line of Fire” which closed the set, “Your Life Your Call”, “Always” and “Walking Lightly” – which is about enjoying life while it lasts. Something that I don’t think attendees of a festival like this need to be reminded of!
The crowd came out in force for the beautiful voice of Lissie, who snuck in a few new tracks, suggesting some new music might be on its way! Portugal. The Man were next, attracting a huge crowd of fans and the curious. The set was much the aame as their Splendour set, jumping between tracks off their last two records, with the newest record going down a treat. “Purple Yellow Red and Blue” opened things up, followed by a set that included “All Your Light (Times Like These)” and “Evil Friends.” Unfortunately I only heard Silversun Pickups from a distance, but they seemed to be impressing as always. That was one tough clash!
Next up, Passion Pit delivered a rousing set, with highlights including “Take A Walk”, “Sleepyhead” and “Little Secrets”. One of my festival discoveries were playing nearby; Austin locals Bright Light Social Hour. This four piece produce an amazing, diverse sound. From one song to the next you’d have elements that would place them near Daft Punk and then the follow up would sit them somewhere on the world or 70s rock and roll. Yet it felt cohesive all the same; an admirable result. The crowd all sang along to the track “Detroit (I Need Your Love)” – so I take this is one of their popular singles.
I moved over to The Shouting Matches out of pure curiosity next, and saw the blues rock three piece jamming on arrival. I made immediate comparisons to The Black Keys, with an extra emphasis on the organ, and I would later discover that the lead singer who looked like Justin Vernon was, in fact, Justin Vernon. Here I was thinking he was touring the new Volcano Choir record! Rather, this is a collaboration with Phil Cook (Megafaun, DeYarmond Edison) and Brian Moen (Peter Wolf Crier, Laarks) that started back in 2005. For this performance, they also were completed by a guest bassist, rounding them up to four. She may or may not have been the drummer’s fiancée. Though unfaimilar with the music, it was something of a joyous experience.
Having seen Kings of Leon a number of times over the years, I can’t say I’ve ever been floored by their performances. Even in the days when they were pumping out their best material. But at a festival like this, as the band pumped out the singalongs, accompanied by a fantastic lighting and screen production, it was hard not to get caught up in it. “Black Thumbnail” opened things up, ahead of tracks like “Supersoaker”, “The Bucket”, “Taper Jean Girl” and “Crawl”. I didn’t stick around to witness “Sex on Fire” close the set, however, as I had to go get my spot for The Cure. As one wise punter pointed out, “How often do you get to see a band from Europe, man?” Indeed.
There are few voices as unique and iconic as Robert Smith, and the minute he starts performing, you can’t bear to look away, even for a moment. It’s hypnotizing. The band sounded as solid as ever, and Smith’s voice remains on target. The twenty six song strong set gave us a good taste of their back catalogue, with songs like “The Lovecats” and “Just Like Heaven” being received the best, as one would expect. Though with the Lovecats in particular, it’s pretty obvious Smith is far from a fan of playing the song himself, treating it as one big eye roll. But that didn’t keep me from enjoying it! It was a pleasure to hear one of their best songs in the festival environment.
The set, and indeed the second night of the festival, closed with the iconic “Boys Don’t Cry”, which was a part of a massive seven track encore that kicked off with “The Lovecats”. The full set list is below. Always a pleasure to see that band!
The Cure Setlist
Plainsong
Pictures of You
Lullaby
High
The End of the World
Lovesong
Just Like Heaven
From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea
Fascination Street
The Walk
Mint Car
Friday I’m in Love
Doing the Unstuck
Trust
Want
The Hungry Ghost
Wrong Number
One Hundred Years
Disintegration
Encore:
The Lovecats
The Caterpillar
Close to Me
Hot Hot Hot!!!
Let’s Go to Bed
Why Can’t I Be You?
Boys Don’t Cry
Following the festival, I made my way to the event’s “afterparty”, featuring three emerging artists, two of whom I caught before I called it a night. First up were The Striking Matches, led by Sarah Zimmermann, a charismatic vocalist, who perform music with a heavy country influence. They were a solid group indeed, and “Never Gonna Love Again” was a highlight.
They were followed by Denmark’s Nabiha (pictured below), a vocalist with a unique name, fro and lots of soul. Her music is poppy, catchy and her beautiful voice is accompanied well by a great backing band with a good dose of the organ thrown in for good measure. A track called “Fearless” was a highlight and “Mind The Gap” – a track about her “idiosyncrasies” – was a personal and wonderful piece. Comparisons could be made to Janelle Monae, though Nabiha is clearly trying to carve out a sound to call her own. And is doing it in style.
