Review and Gallery: Austin Psych Fest Returns With a Lively Lineup
THE THREE-DAY AUSTIN PSYCH FEST (APF) IS BACK — returning the last weekend of April at The Far Out Lounge in South Austin. Well… kinda. APF never really left, but was present in name only.
In 2014, the beloved festival changed its name to Levitation to honor Austin’s The 13th Floor Elevators, the first band to use the phrase “psychedelic rock.” The band is a monolith in the world of psych rock, truly one of the most influential forces to shape the genre into what it is today. The folks behind APF/Levitation understand this and what the genre has become, without ignoring where its influences and variations live and thrive.
Much like Levitation, the lineup of APF spans genres, but no band is too far out of orbit. There’s newcomers to the genre, those who don’t firmly fit but have apparent influences, and of course some beloved veterans. Long story short, they have their finger on the pulse, proven by how quickly they sold out of single-day passes for both Friday and Saturday of the three-day fest.
April through May in Central Texas is a dicey time to host an outdoor music festival. With thunderstorms often forecasted for 10 days straight, it can rain each one and flood Shoal Creek, or just as easily barely produce a drop, with blue skies and sunshine all week long. On Friday, festival organizers were watching the fluctuating chances of thunderstorms like a hawk. After dodging some bullets, seeing some weather shift as rain chances dropped precipitously, it seemed like folks just might make it through safe and dry.
Well, everyone made it through safely, but definitely not dry. A storm rolled in, but only briefly. After a brief evacuation, and tragic cancellation of local favorites Being Dead and Annabelle Chairlegs, Mdou Moctar took to the stage and ripped. The rest of the weekend was beautiful, and the show went on uninterrupted.
My personal highlights (though not to be taken as the only good performances of the weekend) we're the highly anticipated performance of Mdou Moctar, the dancey, wide-smiling, head-bobbing energy of Toro y Moi, the dark and mysterious energy of Yves Tumor, the predictable and much welcomed performance by The Black Angels, and the return of The Raveonettes in their original lineup, as well as Melody’s Echo Chamber’s transcendent performance, with non-stop energy akin to that of Levitation favorites, Osees, Wine Lips, and the palpably fun-loving grooves of Los Bitchos.
People had a good time — what can I say.
A gallery of highlights from the weekend is below, all photos by Jake Dapper.
CONNECT WITH APF
-
weekly tunes playlist has been updated! new tracks from @furtradeband, @pecqband, @garryfool & more! check it out! https://t.co/ToFU0R6YGo
