Those were the first words I heard about Day Two of 2025’s Levitation Austin musical festival as I walked toward the entrance of the Palmer Event Center. Some guy said this to his pal as they steeled themselves for the day to come. The guy was right, as the bright sun was brutal at times — especially at the outdoor stage.
I started indoors, both to avoid the peak sun and to see Hooveriii put on a solid set of psych-rock that bordered on grunge rock a couple times (which was fine by me).
Hooveriii (pronounced “Hoover Three”, not “hoovery.”)
Many of us ventured out into the sun to see Dutch disco funkers Yīn-Yīn play for the first time anywhere in the United States. They had the afternoon crowd jumping and were having a great time despite not being used to such heat.
Yīn-Yīn getting their sweaty groove on, and on all of us.
I had time for a chicken shawarma wrap (possibly the best food bargain at the festival) and some ice cream before heading back to the outdoor stage to see Model / Actriz put on a blistering set of queercore post-punk with lead singer Cole Haden prowling through the crowd while his bandmates played tight, snappy beats and riffs. Guitarist Jack Wetmore knows not only how to play, but the right moments not to play — a skill overlooked by many.
Model / Actriz bringing more heat than the afternoon sun.
I took some more time to hydrate and get a full meal (It’s a marathon, not a sprint.) before heading back indoors to join the large crowd for The Brian Jonestown Massacre, who played to a happy crowd — many of whom (at least around me) hadn’t seen them before now. It was a good set, with only minor issue when, believe it or not, Anton Newcombe decided his microphone had too much reverb.
Too much reverb? Never!
The Raveonettes were a welcome return to Levitation. I hadn’t seen them since 2013 when Levitation was still the Austin Psych Fest (which has returned in its own form). They still sound great and played classics and newer stuff.
Let’s rave on!
The biggest show of the night, and for the entire festival for me, belonged to TV on the Radio. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to see them, so their appearance at Levitation made the decision to fly here a no-brainer. They slayed it and had everyone jumping and moving. Their energy was infectious and immediate, and a great way to close the night.
Well worth the wait.
TVOTR didn’t close my night, however. I was so wired after their set that I walked over a mile to Elysium to see Past Self and Urban Heat. I knew we were in for a treat when Past Self’s bassist started the show by playing his guitar with a bow. What followed was a mix of desert rock (They’re from Las Vegas, Nevada.), New Romanticism, and dark wave.
Past Self. Are they ghosts, musicians, past incarnations of you?
Urban Heat are local heroes who play aggressive shoegaze mixed with post-punk anger. It’s good stuff, and they seem destined for big things. They reminded me a bit of early TVOTR, which was fitting because I bumped into TVOTR’s guitarist / multi-instrumentalist Jaleel Bunton at their show and got to thank him for the great set.
Urban Heat in the middle of the night.
Up next, psychedelia, indie rock, and a couple sets that might cause you to seek a chiropractor afterwards.
THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE announce a new single, ‘Makes Me Great / Out Of Body’, on red transparent 10” vinyl, released April 25th via Anton Newcombe’s record label A Recordings. Pre-save here. Following a hugely successful UK and Europe tour earlier this year, the band will return to North America this fall for an extensive run of live shows, including two dates with special guests, Cast, making their first US appearance in nearly 30 years. Tickets on sale now.
It is over 30 years since Anton Newcombe – frontman, songwriter, composer, studio owner, multi-instrumentalist, producer, engineer, father, force of nature – and his band The Brian Jonestown Massacre released their first single She Made Me / Evergreen. Released in 1992, as the British music press descended on the US to anoint the next US guitar band as flavour of the month and major labels were on the hunt for the compliant hopefuls to be their latest quick fix, Anton Newcombe had an idea: say no. As leader of the Brian Jonestown Massacre, Newcombe had already established himself as a visionary songwriter, a man to whom making music wasn’t a lifestyle choice or a hipster haircut but the very fabric of existence itself, and he had observed in silent horror as his peers meekly acquiesced to everything – yes to contracts, yes to management, yes to suggestions, yes to this, yes to that, yes, yes, yes. But he was different. Anton Newcombe was going to say no to everything. “I just knew I would be more successful in a certain way by saying no, just being contrary because I figured that if people liked me they were gonna like me anyway,” he says. “Or dislike me. It doesn’t matter.”
Much of this was documented on the controversial documentary ‘Dig!’, which is still hailed as one of the best rock documentaries ever made, and celebrates its 20th Anniversary this year with the remastered, expanded version “Dig! XX.”
Brian Jonestown Massacre’s shoegazing-tinged debut album Methodrone was released in 1995 and since then numerous band members have joined Newcombe on his sonic escapades, but he has remained the sole constant, the creative mastermind at the centre of one of music’s most fascinating bands. There have been a further 20 albums under the Brian Jonestown Massacre moniker since then, each embarking on their own mind-expanding adventure and exploring the outer realms of rock’n’roll; psychedelic rock, country-blues, snarling rock’n’roll, blissed-out noise-pop and more.
Along the way, Newcombe has established himself as a once-in-a-lifetime talent who saw the direction in which mainstream indie-rock was heading and opted to take the long way round. He’s emerged as a revolutionary force in modern music, an underground hero. There was no other way, this was how it had to be. “My only option with everything in life has always been that you just jump into the fire,” he declared. “It doesn’t matter what it is.”
It’s with that spirit that he’s hopped around the globe, from the West Coast to New York, from Manhattan to Iceland, and then to Berlin, where he’s lived for 15 years and has two flats, one to live in and one that’s been converted into his studio.
After a hugely prolific 2010s that saw the release of eight long-players and one mini-album, Newcombe had been going through a period of writer’s block when one day he picked up his 12-string guitar and The Real (the opening track on previous album Fire Doesn’t Grow on Trees) came out of him. Like the kraken, it was as if he’d summoned it. “All of a sudden, I just heard something,” he says. “And then it just didn’t stop. We tracked a whole song every single day for 70 days in a row.” By the end of it they had 2 albums ready to go. Joining Newcombe in the studio for The Future Is Your Past were Hakon Adalsteinsson (guitar) and Uri Rennert (drums).
Brian Jonestown Massacre released their 20th full-length studio album The Future Is Your Past, in February 2023 on Anton’s record label, A Recordings. In 2022 / 2023, they completed a massive world tour that saw them play 34 dates in North America, 25 dates across Europe and 16 dates in the UK. Towards the end of 2024, they released ‘Don’t Look At Me’ ft. Aimee Nash. It is a delicious slice of hypnotic shoegaze with Nash lyrically casting a spell with the mantra “Do No Harm.”
There is no such thing as a defining statement in Anton Newcombe’s world anymore, just more chapters that contribute to the tale. “Nobody can stop me, I’m not asking somebody, I’m not making the rounds at Warners, saying ‘please put out my record!’. It’s just for me,” he says. He hopes he can be an inspiration to others. “I would love to see more groups, people playing music in the UK and everywhere else because I really enjoy it. That’s the only reason I need. It’s the only reason to do stuff.” That hits to the core of what makes Anton Newcombe and Brian Jonestown Massacre tick. He’ll keep jumping in that fire. That’s how he rolls. Savor it.
LIVE SHOWS:
Sept. 3 – Cat’s Cradle – Carrboro, NC Sept. 4 – Variety Playhouse – Atlanta, GA Sept. 5 – Basement East – Nashville, TN Sept. 6 – Orange Peel – Asheville, NC Sept. 8 – 9:30 Club – Washington, D.C. Sept. 9 – Webster Hall – New York, NY – with special guests, Cast Sept. 10 – Union Transfer – Philadelphia, PA – with special guests, Cast Sept. 12 – The Sinclair – Cambridge, MA Sept. 13 – Beanfield Theatre – Montreal, QC Sept. 14 – Danforth Music Hall – Toronto, ON Sept. 16 – Globe Iron – Cleveland, OH Sept. 17 – Majestic Theatre – Detroit, MI Sept. 18 – Mercury Ballroom – Louisville, KY Sept. 19 – Hi-Fi Annex – Indianapolis, IN Sept. 20 – Majestic Theatre – Madison, WI Sept. 22 – Metro – Chicago, IL Sept. 23 – Slowdown – Omaha, NE Sept. 24 – recordBar – Kansas City, MO Sept. 26 – Studio at The Factory – Dallas, TX Sept. 28 – White Oak Music Hall – Houston, TX Oct. 31 – Music Box – San Diego, CA Nov. 1 – Pappy and Harriet’s – Pioneertown, CA
Nov. 2 – Observatory OC – Santa Ana, CA Nov. 4 – SLO Brew – San Luis Obispo, CA Nov. 6 – Swan Dive – Las Vegas, NV Nov. 7 – The Van Buren – Phoenix, AZ Nov. 8 – Tumbleroot – Santa Fe, NM Nov. 10 – Gothic Theatre – Englewood, CO Nov. 11 – Fox Theatre – Boulder, CO Nov. 13 – Metro Music Hall – Salt Lake City, UT Nov. 14 – Shrine Social Club – Boise, ID Nov. 15 – The Showbox – Seattle, WA Nov. 16 – The Pearl – Vancouver, B.C Nov. 18 – Revolution Hall – Portland, OR Nov. 20 – Regency Ballroom – San Francisco, CA Nov. 21 – Rio Theatre – Santa Cruz, CA Nov. 22 – Teragram Ballroom – Los Angeles, CA Nov. 23 – Teragram Ballroom – Los Angeles, CA
It’s time for a look back at my top live shows of last year. I saw 51 bands last year, some of them multiple times, and a good amount of them at the Levitation Austin and Levitation France music festivals. Here’s the start of the list…
25. The Well – Levitation Austin / Antone’s – October 29th
The Well are one of the best doom bands out there right now, and their live shows never disappoint. They were damn loud in Antone’s and walloped the place with thundering sound. They also played some new material, which bodes well for a new album from them in the future.
24. The Psychedelic Furs – Andrew J. Bird Music Center / Cincinnati – July 20th
My friend described the venue as “the Borg Cube of music venues,” but the Furs filled the place with gorgeous sound, playing a good mix of old and new material. Richard Butler sounded as good as ever and everyone on the band was clicking.
#23. The Brian Jonestown Massacre – Levitation France – June 05th
“You don’t need more drugs, sir, you need better drugs. If you had better drugs, you’d be mellowed out and not yelling.” Those words from band leader Anton Newcombe pretty much summed up the trippy feel of their set to close the 2022 Levitation France music festival.
#22. La Femme – Levitation Austin / Stubb’s – October 30th
Sexy, sweaty, sizzling, and super, this set from the French quintet had the Stubb’s crowd go from, “What is happening?” to “Wow! This is amazing!” by the end. The whole place was bouncing and even yelling back French lyrics they didn’t understand.
#21: Pelada – Levitation France – June 04th
Booked somewhat at the last minute for the 2022 Levitation France music festival, Pelada closed the Scène Elevation (Elevation Stage) one night to a gobsmacked crowd who was bowled over by their fierce industrial-tinged electro. Everyone was in their hands for the entire set, and everyone left with a crush on singer Chris Vargas.
Who makes the top 20? Come back tomorrow to find out!
The final day of Levitation France (June 05th) had the coolest weather, but there was no rain. The predicted thunderstorms all came overnight, and most of the rain came in the afternoon on Saturday, so we never had to wear our ponchos. The bands we saw that day were among the most varied in musical styles.
First up were the Japanese trio Kuunatic, who play music I can best describe as psychedelic traditional Shinto music mixed with some doom metal bass. It was their first time playing in France, so that made their set a little more special. Everyone in the crowd was intrigued by them at first and loving them by the end of their set.
Kuunatic getting us into a different headspace.
We took a lunch break (Yay, focaccia!) and then came back to the Elevation Stage to see Frankie and the Witch Fingers. My girlfriend hadn’t seen them before, and this would be the fourth time I had. To say their set was powerful would be a massive understatement. They destroyed that stage. The crowd was absolutely bonkers by the end of their set. Many, it seemed, had no idea what was in store for them and were almost blasted into shock not even halfway through their show. My girlfriend described them as follows: “They play like their hair is on fire.”
Frankie and the Witch Fingers melting faces.
Pretty much everyone did an about-face after their set to watch The Brian Jonestown Massacre, who played a good mix of new and classic material. I lost count of how many times some of them switch instruments. Audience members were calling for songs, or trying to have loud conversations with band leader Anton Newcombe in-between songs. Newcombe’s banter with the crowd was fun, especially after one man yelled, “I need more drugs!”, and Newcombe replied, “You don’t need more drugs. You need better drugs. If you had better drugs, you wouldn’t be yelling. You’d be mellowed out.” They sounded great. Top marks go to whomever engineered their set.
The Brian Jonestown Massacre with their requested “drug lights, not drug bust lights.”
The day, and the festival, ended with British post-bunkers Lumer playing a hard, rocking set. They’d been hanging out at the festival most of the weekend, and they looked like they were on a mission, possibly to rescue a skyscraper full of hostages or even some ducklings that had fallen through a sewer grate, every time I saw them walking somewhere. They all had this intense focus and looked ready to either fight or share a pint with you depending on the circumstances. Their live set embodied this the entire time.
Lumer illuminating the evening.
Afterwards, we got on the first of only two paid shuttle buses leaving the festival to go back to downtown Angers. This bus nearly sideswiped a road sign along the Angers streets, to the point where we had to yell for the driver to stop as he attempted to make a turn. He backed up and went through a number of additional one-way streets to get back on track to the downtown city center…where he proceeded to sideswipe two parking poles while attempting to make another tight turn. The wreck caused the glass in the rear exit doors to burst, and it appeared that the bus was stuck on the poles and unable to move. One festival-goer, with a beer still in hand, managed to remove the poles from the sidewalk so the us could make the turn. Only a third of us got back on the bus, either to return to a campground (the only other stop it was scheduled to make) or, like us, to see how this crazy trip would end. Thankfully, it ended with us at the city center without further incident.
The post-festival transportation is my only complaint about Levitation France. There were plenty of buses going to La Chabada, but only three returning on Friday and Saturday nights and only two on Sunday night. Plus, the odds of finding an Uber driver late night in Angers are slim to none. I don’t know if the festival can convince Angers to have more late buses (especially for those who can’t or don’t intend to stay for the whole evening – most of the buses didn’t arrive until the final act was done each night) next year, but that would be a great upgrade to an otherwise fun festival.
Next year will be the tenth anniversary of Levitation France, so the lineup will surely be one to behold. Start brushing up your Français now, and get ready for Levitation Austin on Halloween weekend!
The psychedelic rock collective known as the Brian Jonestown Massacre hail from San Francisco and have had numerous lineups throughout the years. Front man Anton Newcombe has always been the steady figurehead of the group, and their fans are legion. The stories of their rock and roll lifestyle are wild and border on legendary. Their Levitation Austinset at Stubb’s BBQ on April 29th will be packed to the gills, I’m sure.
