Live music – 7th Level Music

Austin Psych Fest 2026 lineup additions and schedule announced.

Austin Psych Fest 2026 is just around the corner! Today the festival is releasing the official schedule, along with lineup additions to their sprawling 2026 lineup. Austin Psych Fest takes over The Far Out Lounge May 8–10 with another wide-ranging exploration of psychedelic sound, bringing legendary icons, forward-thinking indie rock, global grooves, and deep-cut psych favorites to the big stage under the stars in South Austin.

The stacked 2026 lineup welcomes new additions to Friday’s roster including budding Austin favorites both garnering buzz for their enigmatic performances – trippy glam rock performance art outfit J’Cuuzi and electro-pop dance duo Almost Heaven. Saturday’s lineup additions include more Austin-based artists gaining traction – psych-rock band Dead Canyon Family Reunion and power-pop rock group Commercial Breaks.

Since its inception in 2008, Austin Psych Fest has embraced an expansive definition of psychedelia — not as a single genre, but as a feeling — tracing its roots from 1960s experimentation through modern interpretations shaped by reverb-soaked guitars, hypnotic rhythms, and adventurous songcraft. The 2026 lineup continues that tradition, spanning classic psych, indie rock, soul, cumbia, global psych, and everything in between.

Austin Psych Fest wouldn’t be possible without the support of its sponsors. The festival is excited to share the first round of this year’s partners, including Liquid Death, White Claw, Montucky Cold Snacks, Twisted X Brewing/McConohaze, KUTX and more to be announced.

Look out for final lineup additions to be announced soon, along with Kick Off and Night Shows across downtown Austin.

3 DAY PASSES and SINGLE DAY TICKETS available HERE. Early Bird Tickets have sold out and limited Tier 1 passes and tickets are still available!

FRIDAY, MAY 8

Willie Stage
3:40 – 4:10 PM — J’Cuuzi
5:05 – 5:50 PM — Glare
6:55 – 7:50 PM — Momma
8:45 – 9:40 PM — DIIV
10:30 – 11:55 PM — The Flaming Lips

Janis Stage
4:20 – 4:55 PM — Almost Heaven
6:00 – 6:45 PM — Holy Wave
8:00 – 8:35 PM — Boogarins
9:50 – 10:20 PM — Starcleaner Reunion

SATURDAY, MAY 9

Willie Stage
3:35 – 4:10 PM — Strange Lot
5:05 – 5:45 PM — Grocery Bag
6:45 – 7:50 PM — Ty Segall
8:45 – 9:45 PM — Melody’s Echo Chamber
10:45 – 11:55 PM — The Black Angels (20th Anniversary of Passover)

Janis Stage
3:00 – 3:25 PM — Commercial Breaks
4:20 – 4:55 PM — The Dead Canyon Family Reunion
5:55 – 6:30 PM — Annabelle Chairlegs
8:00 – 8:35 PM — Al Qasar
9:55 – 10:30 PM — New Candys

SUNDAY, MAY 10

Willie Stage
3:40 – 4:15 PM — Money Chicha
5:10 – 5:50 PM — Night Beats
6:50 – 7:55 PM — La Lom
8:45 – 9:55 PM — Thee Sacred Souls

Janis Stage
2:35 – 3:30 PM — Adrian Quesada (DJ Set)
4:25 – 5:00 PM — Como Las Movies
6:00 – 6:40 PM — Dumbo Gets Mad
8:05 – 8:35 PM — Trish Toledo

ADDITIONAL ACTS + NIGHT SHOWS TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON.

VISUALS + VIDEO + ART INSTALLATIONS FROM:
TV EYE • MAD ALCHEMY DRIP//CUTS
SHELUSHY • ATTIC SPACE • SLIM REAPER • BILLGAZER
CHURCH OF THE ETERNAL SUN • FEVER DREAM
EL TALLER DE PIYAMAS • COSMIC DOMMY

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[Thanks to Bailey at Another Side!]

Review: Killing Joke – Extremities: The Albini Demos and Live Beginnings ’88

It’s barely spring and we already have one of the best reissues of the year – Killing Joke‘s Extremities: The Albini Demos and Live Beginnings ’88.

Way back in the mid-1980s, guitarist Geordie Walker and drummer Martin Atkins linked up with legendary producer Steve Albini in his Chicago studio and there recorded mixes and demos for what became known as the “Black Cassette” and would end up in different variations on KJ’s 1990 album Extremities, Dirt and Various Repressed Emotions.

Beginning with the demo version of “Money,” (later known as “Money Is Not Our God”) the heavy, fuzzy bass from Paul Raven hits you right away while Walker’s guitars sound like pirate transmissions from a hidden kingdom under the earth. The “Unreleased” demo has a wicked drum beat and guitar riffs that would later inspire scores of shoegaze bands. “Scrape / North of the Border” (The “Scrape” title was later dropped for the album release.) gets you moving with his wonky guitar sounds and undeniably great beat. The “Reflex mix” of “Money” rounds out Side A of the album, turning the song into a warped, wild version and clearly showing how much KJ influenced Nirvana.

Side B is a rare recording of a secret show from Birmingham, England on December 20, 1988 that happened to be Atkins’ first live gig with the band, and it also includes tracks that would appear on Extremities, Dirt and Various Repressed Emotions two years later. Jaz Coleman‘s vocals and keyboards are bonkers right out of the gate on “Extremities,” installing panic and power into the crowd. Walker’s squealing, seemingly melted, feedback-heavy guitar only adds to the chaos.

“The Fanatic” somehow sounds both distant and in-your-face at the same time. Coleman sometimes mutters and sometimes roars. Walker steps back and then charges forward. Atkins and Raven click together and keep it from becoming too frantic, but just barely managing it. “Wake up!” yells Coleman after introducing “Intravenous.” How anyone could have been sleepy-eyed during this show is beyond me, because KJ were shaking the entire venue by this point. “Intravenous” only gives you a couple moments to catch your breath during its pounding drums, high-pitched guitar feedback moments, and rolling dam waters bass.

“You see, we’re the laughingstocks…” Coleman says as the last track, “Beautiful Dead,” begins with his spooky synths and voice before his bandmates pummel the audience (and us over thirty years later) with pure force. There’s a neat moment when it almost sounds like Coleman is playing his own song on his synthesizers while Walker, Raven, and Atkins are doing their own thing and it still works quite well. The funky groove of the song during the verses is also a neat switch-up around the blast furnace choruses.

Killing Joke proved through songs like these, and many albums still to come, that they weren’t laughingstocks. They were in on the joke, knew the joke, and exposed the joke. These recordings are a great find for fans of not only them, but also post-punk and industrial music.

Keep your mind open.

[The joke’s on you if you don’t subscribe.]

[Thanks to Dan from Discipline PR.]

Lambrini Girls punch rich elitists in the gut with “Cult of Celebrity.”

Brighton’s own Lambrini Girls, the explosive duo of Phoebe Lunny (vocals/guitar) and Selin Macieira (bass), share their new single ‘Cult of Celebrity’. From its opening guitar lick, the duo’s new song is a relentless, thrashing indictment of the dark underbelly and backdoor dealings of the world’s global elites that has been exposed in recent years.

On the new track the band say: “The age old tale, of selling your soul to the devil has been fabled accounts of high society for years. However due to recent events come to light- it turns out that the elite are very much actually, the devil incarnate, baby eating, pedos. What a fucking surprise! They had no souls to sell in the first place.”

‘The old world is dying and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters’ Antonio Gramsci (courtesy of Lambrini Girls)

The single is also accompanied by a music video directed by London-based filmmaker and director Harv Frost (The Last Dinner Party, Laufey).

Watch / Listen to ‘Cult of Celebrity’ HERE

Tour Dates

Sun 05 Apr 26 – Paaspop, Schijndel – Netherlands

Sat 11 Apr 26 – Coachella Valley, Indigo CA – United States

Sat 18 Apr 26 – Coachella Valley, Indigo CA – United States

Tue 21 Apr 26 – Variety Playhouse, Atlanta GA – United States

Wed 22 Apr 26 – The Orange Peel, Asheville NC – United States

Fri 24 Apr – 26 Warsaw, Brooklyn NY – United States SOLD OUT

Sun 26 Apr 26 – Paradise Rock Club, Boston MA – United States SOLD OUT

Mon 27 Apr 26 – Théâtre Beanfield, Montreal QC – Canada

Tue 28 Apr 26 – The Concert Hall, Toronto ON – Canada

Thu 30 Apr 26 – Metro, Chicago IL- United States SOLD OUT

Fri 01 May 26 Majestic Theatre, Detroit MI – United States

Sat 02 May 26 – The Vogue, Indianapolis IN – United States

Mon 04 May 26 – Delmar Hall, St. Louis MO – United States

Tue 05 May 26 – The Granada Theater, Lawrence KS – United States

Thu 21 May 26 – Bearded Theory, Derbyshire – United Kingdom

Sat 23 May 26 – Dot to Dot, Bristol – United Kingdom

Sun 24 May 26 – Dot to Dot, Nottingham – United Kingdom

Sat 06 Jun 26 – Primavera Sound, Barcelona – Spain

Fri 12 Jun 26 – Bonnaroo, Manchester TN) – United States

Sun 14 Jun 26 – Warped Tour, Washington DC- United States

Thu 25 Jun 26 – Patrick Henry Village, Heidelberg – Germany

Fri 26 Jun 26 – Vainstream Rockfest, Munster – Germany

Thu 09 Jul 26 – Musilac, Aix-Les Bains – France

Fri 10 Jul 26 – 2000trees Festival – Gloucestershire – United Kingdom

Mon 13 Jul 26 – Les Nuits De Fourviere, Lyon – France

Fri 17 Jul 26 – Malakoff Rock Festival, Nordfjordeid – Norway

Sat 18 Jul 26 – Bukta, Tromso – Norway – Norway

Fri 31 Jul 26 – All Together Now, Waterford – Ireland

Fri 07 Aug 26 – Boardmasters, Newquay – United Kingdom

Tue 11 Aug 26 – Sziget Festival, Budapest – Hungary

Thu 13 Aug 26 – Oya Festival, Oslo – Norway

Fri 14 Aug 26 – Way Out West, Gothenburg – Sweden

Sun 16 Aug 26 – Flow Festival – Helsinki – Finland

Fri 21 Aug 26 – Pukkelpop, Hasselt – Belgium

Sat 29 Aug 26 – Rock en Seine, Paris – France

Tickets available HERE

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Amy at After Hours PR.]

Live: Gary Numan and Tremours – Vogue Theatre – Indianapolis, Indiana – March 29, 2026

The seemingly ageless electro icon Gary Numan summed up his show at Indianapolis’ Vogue Theatre well when, during a pause in his set, he said, “I didn’t know what to expect, but this is fucking amazing.”

This was the fourth time I’ve seen Numan and his band, and they always bring it. Each set feels better than the last, and this one was loud, powerful, and a performance.

First up were Tremours, a good shoegaze duo from Los Angeles. They put on a solid thirty-minute set of reverb-thick guitar and echoing vocals from Lauren Andino and hypnotic drumming from Glenn Fryatt. My friends with me at the show were reminded of Belly, Lush, The Sundays, and Ladytron during their set that was both dreamy and drone-y.

Numan and crew came out at 8pm sharp and opened with two bangers out of the gate – “Halo” and “Metal.” Right away, the whole band was clicking and the crowd, which ranged in ages from twenties to seventies and band shirts ranging from Nitzer Ebb to All Them Witches, was cheering. Many hadn’t seen Numan before then, and I think he hadn’t played in Indianapolis in quite a while, so everyone was hyped.

L-R: Harris, Chris Payne, Numan, Slade, Jimmy Lucido

Guitarist Steve Harris was in great form, creating weird riffs and baffling people with his strange antics that seem to be a reflection of how all the sounds are affecting his brain. Teaming him with Tim Slade on bass is genius because the weird energy they bring creates a strange dance that works well with the roar of sound they create.

Following his classic “Down in the Park” with “M.E.” was a great addition to the set. I’d never heard him play it live before then, so I was over the moon. After that, Numan and his lads took a moment for him to tell us why his new album wasn’t finished or released for the tour — mainly due to his wife, Gemma, undergoing multiple serious health scares. As a result, his songwriting has been seriously delayed. He heard some new music playing from the bedroom of his daughter, Raven, and had planned on stealing part of it for a new track. He asked who it was, and she said, “It’s me.” The next thing we knew, Raven Numan joined her dad and his band on stage to perform her song “Nothing’s What It Seems.”

After rousing applause for her, Dad Numan unleashed two more heavy-hitters: “Ghost Nation” and “Love Hurt Bleed” (which always kills live). He played, “Cars,” of course, and I love how he puts a different spin on it with each tour. My friend, Bill, said, “It’s like I never heard that song before.”

He ended the main set with “Are Friends Electric?”, which has rapidly become my favorite song to hear during his shows. It just hits you. The encore included “The Gift” and “My Name Is Ruin.”

You couldn’t help noticing how often Numan and his band were smiling and laughing. At one point during the show, Numan thanked the crowd and said, “I didn’t know what to expect (playing at a small venue in Indianapolis on a Sunday night), but this is fucking amazing.”

Yes, Mr. Numan it was.

Keep your mind open.

Thanks to the chap who scored this and let me photograph it.

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[Thanks to Dave for the press pass!]

Review: Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor – Live in Europe 2025

Recorded during an extensive European tour in which they opened for The Dandy Warhols, Live in Europe 2025 by Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor is an excellent introduction to SOYSV’s live sound if you’ve never heard it. They continue to expand and reshape their psych-rock with every record and remain one of the best psych bands you’re, for some reason, still missing.

Starting with “Sweet Girl Insanity,” the album begins with droning synths and reverbed vocals that go on for over four minutes before unleashing a barrage of fuzzy sound at you – setting the trippy, roaring, and slightly spooky tone that will creep through the whole record. Sean Morrow‘s guitar on “Die Die Die” seems broadcast from another planet. The horror movie grindhouse grit of “Suck Upon the Living” is palpable in this live version.

“See You in the Mourning” is always sad and haunting, and the live version here at first drifts like incense smoke lit in memory of the band’s friend who’s the subject of the song. It bursts open like sunlight through a cloud around the two-minute mark, with Rick Sawoscinksi‘s beats creating a hypnotic groove for the rest of the track.

“Walk of Sobriety” starts the second half of the album, and it’s a wild ride. Eric Oppitz stirs up an anxious energy with his synth tones at the start before he and his bandmates kick in with a tight groove and Morrow sings for the back of the venue. The bright sound of “Crystal Cup” brings to mind 1970s soul jams and psych-era Motown sounds. Oppitz’s bass on “Night Crawler” is slick, again reminding me of soul grooves.

The album ends with one of their classics, “Black Mind,” which is always a heavy, wild, chaotic freak-out. This one is made even wilder with the inclusion / short cover of The Stooges “I Wanna Be Your Dog” and a bit of “She’s a Pariah” in it.

I’m glad SOYSV put this out there. We’ve needed a live album from them for a while, and I hope this isn’t the last one.

Keep your mind open.

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Hiss Golden Messenger’s single is “In the Middle of It.”

Hiss Golden Messenger—the North Carolina-based project of MC Taylor—announces his new album, I’m People, out May 1st via Chrysalis Records, and presents the lyric video for its lead single, “In The Middle Of It.” In conjunction, he announces a U.S. tour with a full band. Tickets go on sale Friday, February 13th at 10am local time and will be available here.

Arriving three years after Jump For Joy (2023), praised by The Guardian as “a triumph of wide-eyed wonder,” I’m People is an intensely human record—immediate, vulnerable, and full of spirit, something you could touch, sing along to, dance with, know about, recognize, relate. Taylor, grappling with the heartbreak and exhilaration, the absolute black comedy of being alive in America circa 2026, seems to ask: What other choice do we have than to be hopeful?

“The songs on I’m People are about running towards and away from things, about reasonable and realistic hope and expectations, about having babies, getting older, love and lust and luck and music. They are songs about solitude and heartbreak and poverty of the spirit, and maybe community as some kind of antidote for these particular types of sicknesses. Shedding old skin. Mystery as a beautiful necessity. My grandmother Lucy’s Cadillac, filled with cigarette smoke, Conway Twitty singing ‘Slow Hand.’ The lightning fields outside Santa Rosa, NM, midnight. Late nights drinking wine, running wild, bondage, fealty, devotion, seeing and being seen, owning and being owned. My wife, my children, summertime in the mountains, wild roses climbing the fence, a peaceful mind, rummaging through scrap heaps of the heart, breaking and making and breaking again. To dust. Truth, lies, magic, faith.”
— MC Taylor

Taylor refers to lead single “In The Middle Of It” as a “Santa Fe song.” Written in a corner room of the El Rey Court hotel, he cites “Highway 10 through the desert towns, Los Angeles to El Paso … Art Bell’s Coast to Coast droning from a bunker in the middle of Nevada. Ghosts and UFOs and vagabonds. The engine sings out over the long lightning fields. In the middle of it: the country, the story, the relationships.”

Stream “In The Middle Of It”

I’m People was written in New Mexico, California, and North Carolina, co-produced by Taylor and Josh Kaufman, engineered by Chris Boerner and Gillian Pelkonen, and mixed and mastered by D. James Goodwin. The album was recorded at Dreamland, a decommissioned church outside of Woodstock, NY. “I wanted the record to feel the way that upstate place feels, deep in the pocket, a place of poetry, earth and sky and mountains. A place where a lot of my favorite music has come from,” Taylor comments. The album features instrumentation from Taylor, Kaufman, JT Bates, Cameron Ralston, Bruce Hornsby, Sam Beam, Marcus King, Sara Watkins, Amy Helm, Matt Douglas, Eric D. Johnson, and Griff and Taylor Goldsmith.

Pre-order/Pre-save I’m People

Hiss Golden Messenger Tour Dates:
Thu. Sept. 24 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
Fri. Sept. 25 – Beaver Creek, CO @ Vilar Performing Arts Center
Sat. Sept. 26 – Aspen, CO @ Belly Up
Tue. Sept. 29 – Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up
Fri. Oct. 2 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
Tue. Oct. 6 – Healdsburg, CA @ Little Saint
Fri. Oct. 9 – Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theatre
Sat. Oct. 10 – Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern
Sun. Oct. 11 – Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern
Wed. Oct. 14 – Minneapolis, MN @ Icehouse
Fri. Oct. 16 – Newport, KY @ Southgate House
Sat. Oct. 17 – Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
Sun. Oct. 18 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
Wed. Nov. 4 – Ardmore, PA @ Ardmore Music Hall
Thu. Nov. 5 – Woodstock, NY @ Bearsville Theatre
Fri. Nov. 6 – New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
Sat. Nov. 7 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
Mon. Nov. 9 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
Wed. Nov. 11 – Ann Arbor, MI @ The Ark
Thu. Nov. 12 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
Fri. Nov. 13 – St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
Sat. Nov. 14 – Nashville, TN @ Basement East
Wed. Nov. 18 – Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry
Thu. Nov. 19 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
Sat. Nov. 21 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
Sun. Nov. 22 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]

American Sharks are “Not Dead Yet” thanks to their new single.

Austin trio American Sharks drop a new single today, the title track to their first new album in 6 years, Not Dead Yet. The song, “Not Dead Yet” is available to hear and share on all DSPs HERE.

The band returns to the stage this week with two special performances at SXSW in Austin. First, Hotel Vegas’ 15th Anniversary Party on March 12th, and at Sagebrush for Duel Step with Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol on Friday the 13th. American Sharks will be main support on the upcoming full U.S. tour dates with Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol beginning in April. Please see all dates below. Tickets for all shows are available HERE.

American Sharks is a three-piece band hailing from Austin, TX. Their punk-metal hybrid sound blends pop hooks with blasting-yer-face riffs resulting in something akin to if Weezer went Stoner Rock. Coupled with hook-laden singalong lyrics, American Sharks’ forthcoming 2026 album Not Dead Yet is, well, a breathtaking return.

The band is joined on the album by special guest guitar soloists: Mike Derks (GWAR), Zach Blair (Rise Against), Kyle Shutt (The Sword), David Sullivan (Red Fang), and Leo Lydon (Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol).

Since the release of their 2013 self-titled debut album, American Sharks has toured extensively supporting the likes of GWAR, Clutch, The Sword, Red Fang, Big Business, Corrosion of Conformity and many others. After touring to support their debut album on The End Records, American Sharks took time off to write and record their self-produced follow up album, 11:11 on BMG. After a 5 year break, American Sharks are back (centered around founders, vocalist/bassist Roky Moon and drummer Nick Cornetti) with 9 fast-paced, pummeling tracks.

Not Dead Yet will be available on LP, CD and download on April 17th, 2026 via Permanent Teeth.

Pre-orders are available HERE.

AMERICAN SHARKS – LIVE 2026:

04/16 Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater *#

04/17 Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge *

04/18 Kalispell, MT – Rocky Mountain Riff Fest

04/19 Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern *

04/20 Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios *

04/22 San Francisco, CA – Bottom of The Hill *

04/23 Los Angeles, CA – Zebulon *

04/25 San Diego, CA – The Casbah *

04/26 Pioneertown, CA – Pappy & Harriet’s *

04/28 Phoenix, AZ – Rebel Lounge *

05/01 Oklahoma City, OK – Resonant Head *#

05/02 Lawrence, KS – The Bottleneck *#

05/03 Omaha, NE – Reverb *#

05/04 Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry *#

05/06 Milwaukee, WI – Falcon Bowl *#

05/07 St. Louis, MO – Blueberry Hill Duck Room *#

05/08 Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle *#

05/09 Cleveland, OH – Mahall’s *#

05/10 Toronto, ON – The Garrison *

05/12 Montreal, QC – Cabaret Foufs *

05/13 Boston, MA – Sonia *

05/15 Brooklyn, NY – TV Eye *

05/17 Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s *

05/18 Baltimore, MD – Metro Gallery *

05/20 Charlotte, NC – Neighborhood Theatre *

05/22 Atlanta, GA – The Earl *

05/23 Nashville, TN – The Blue Room *

* w/ Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol

# w/ Pink Fuzz

Keep your mind open.

[Why haven’t you subscribed yet? Are you dead?]

[Thanks to Dave at US / THEM Group.]

Cosmic Sonic Rendezvous releases first batch of their 2026 lineup.

COSMIC SONIC RENDEZVOUS hits North Brooklyn on May 23rd/24th at The Brooklyn Monarch. LIMITED early-bird weekend passes available NOW.

From the dark and menacing riffs of Pentagram and Eyehategod to the sky-gazing grooves of Dead Meadow and Al-Qasar, guitar driven explorations of the best psych and heavy rock will take over an industrial Brooklyn block for one lovely weekend in May.

It’s a Cosmic Sonic Rendezvous.

Teepee Records is thrilled to welcome:

Pentagram
Eyehategod
Legions of Doom
Dead Meadow
The Obsessed
Al-Qasar
Sacri Monti
The Atomic Bitchwax
Freedom Hawk
Satan’s Satyrs
Casket Rats
Sun Voyager
The Golden Grass
Worshipper
Carousel
Mirror Queen
Black Moon Cult
Mick’s Jaguar
Cat’s Eye
River Cult
Dead Hits
and more to be announced

Venues: The Brooklyn Monarch; The Meadows; The Woodshop
Website: cosmicsonicfest.com

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe before you go.]

[Thanks to Jason at Teepee Records.]

Live: LCD Soundsystem and Automatic – Aragon Ballroom – Chicago, IL – March 07, 2026

This was the third performance of a four-night residency at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago for LCD Soundsystem. They’d done this a couple years ago, and like the last time I saw them here, all four nights were sold out. It was cold and windy, and all the bars and restaurants in the area were packed, so my fiancée and I waited in the sharp wind with everyone else to get a decent spot on the ballroom floor. Much to my delight, I learned from a guy behind us that Automatic was opening the show.

I hadn’t seen Automatic since I’d caught them at Levitation France a couple years ago, so I was surprised to see someone other than Lola Dompé on drums. I’ve since learned that she’s left the band, and their new boy drummer’s name is still unknown to me. Regardless, he won me over with his Kraftwerk shirt and precision drumming. Meanwhile, lead singer / synth player Izzy Glaudini and bassist / vocalist Halle Saxon were having a fun time. Saxon’s fretless bass riffs are impressive and the crowd was solidly with them by the end of their set.

LCD Soundsystem came out to a packed house, but thankfully everyone seemed to have room to dance. They started out with “Oh Baby,” which brought the crowd to an early frenzy when spotlights hit their trademark giant disco ball during the song’s big, bright moment.

“You Wanted a Hit” was a nice one. I didn’t expect to hear it, and following it with “Tribulations” was great. I’d forgotten how good “Tonite” is, as it features some of James Murphy’s best lyrics (if you ask me).

“I Can Change” always delivers, and “Other Voices” was another surprise. The whole band was clicking, hopping around on various instruments the whole time. LCDSS is a big group, and the amount of gear on stage with them is impressive (and a good chunk of it is vintage synths that are difficult to find or afford). “Losing My Edge” had a fuzzy grit to it that I loved.

The encore included “North American Scum,” which feels more appropriate than ever in 2026, and the classics, “Dance Yrself Clean,” “New York, I Love You but You’re Bringing Me Down,” and “All My Friends.” It was a solid end to a solid show all-around, and a great way for me to kick off my 2026 concert season.

My fiancée, who fell in love with them when we last saw them, said, “They feel like a family.” when they play. That’s accurate. The camaraderie between all of them on stage is splendid and almost pulls the audience up there with them.

Unseen in this photo: At least four other band members manning bass, percussion, and synths.

Keep your mind open.

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Miss Grit’s new single is a “Mind Disaster.”

Miss Grit—the project of New York-based, Korean-American musician Margaret Sohn (they/she)—releases “Mind Disaster,” the third single from their forthcoming album, Under My Umbrella, out April 24th via Mute. Following the “trippy, futuristic electronica” (The Forty-Five) of “Tourist Mind” and the “dreamy electro-pop track” (Stereogum), “Stranger,” “Mind Disaster” is a warped lullaby that swells and swoops with fizzing drums, dramatic choir pads, a heady electronic pulse, and euphoric synths, evoking a raw electronic sound. It’s about trying to wrestle free of the social anxiety that comes with being overwhelmed by others.

Margaret describes “Mind Disaster” as “the one that really helped create the palette for the rest of the album for me. It’s my favorite instrumental on the record and so many good friends helped make it happen.” Some of those friends include electronic visionary and film scorer Sae Heum Han (mmph), producer Luciano Rossi (Mui Zyu), drummer Preston Fulks (Momma), and Aron Kobayashi Ritch (Momma), who mixed the whole record.

Watch the Visualizer for “Mind Disaster”

Sohn is a bold experimentalist and architect of sculptural texture, known for deftly moving between analogue and digital, guitar and synths, and creating an immersive cosmos of sound with futuristic frameworks for their searching introspection. For their second full-length album, Under My Umbrella, they’ve lifted the lid on their internal world, lasering in on the anxieties and heartbreak of the past two years. It’s an album that is as immersive and expansive as it is intimate, channeling the noirish atmosphere of classic trip-hop bands, while adding a hefty dose of maximalism and a dream-pop sensibility.

Under My Umbrella began to take shape when Sohn returned from an intense touring schedule where they’d driven themself around North America totally alone. When they returned home, Sohn found themselves yearning to capture that specific, less restrained energy of playing live. Like Follow The Cyborg, its creation mostly took place in Sohn’s Queens apartment. The music came to them quickly, streams of consciousness with one new guiding principle: don’t overthink it. “I tried not to edit too much or force a moment to happen,” they explain, leaning into big choruses where it felt right. Some guitar sounds were first takes, ditto vocals, thus preserving the immediacy and authenticity of the emotion. As such, it’s a densely layered album, charged with electric crescendos that build to moments of unbridled catharsis. “It feels truer to myself, and more of a representation of what is actually coming out of me,” says Sohn.

Miss Grit will play record release shows in NYC on Friday, April 24th at Nightclub 101 and Los Angeles on Saturday, May 2nd at Scribble. Prior, Sohn will appear at Rough Trade in NYC for an acoustic set and signing with free entry along with a pre-order of the album. Fans can RSVP here. Additionally, there will be a listening party for the album at Yu and Me Books in NYC on Saturday, April 18th.

In May, Miss Grit will support Just Mustard on their North American tour. A full list of dates is below.Under My Umbrella will be available digitally and on limited-edition crystal clear vinyl and CD.

Pre-order Under My Umbrella

Watch the Visualizer for “Stranger”

Watch Video for “Tourist Mind”

Miss Grit Tour Dates:
(New Dates in Bold)
Fri. April 24 – New York, NY @ Nightclub 101
Sat. May 2 – Los Angeles, CA @ Scribble
Fri. May 8 – Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern *
Sat. May 9 – Vancouver, BC @ Fox Cabaret *
Sun. May 10 – Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall *
Tue. May 12 – San Francisco, CA @ Café Du Nord *
Thu. May 14 – Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room *
Sat. May 16 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour *
Sun. May 17 –Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar *
Tue. May 19 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge *
Thu. May 21 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle *
Sat. May 23 – Toronto, ON @ Garrison *
Sun. May 24 – Montreal, QC @ Bar le Ritz *
Fri. May 29 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s *
Sat. May 30 – Washington, DC @ Songbyrd *

* = supporting Just Mustard

Keep your mind open.

[You not subscribing feels like a disaster in my mind.]

[Thanks to Jessica at Pitch Perfect PR.]