Levitation returned to venues across Austin, Texas on Halloween Weekend 2023, Thursday-Sunday, October 26th-29th. This four day multi-sensory experience is for those who prefer digging for deeper cuts in the album bin and the lineup for this year did not disappoint. Levitation 2023 had everything from favorite bands doing DJ sets in the Levitation Lounge, liquid light displays that saturated every surface, and the fuzziest guitars, basses, and keys that made the season change in front of festival goers’ eyes.
Most of the energy for Levitation weekend was split between music venues on Red River and the Far Out Lounge compound, which lived up to its name being eight miles down Interstate 35, but it had plenty of room for folks to stretch out and included a VIP section for better viewing. The warm moist air stuck around for most of the day, spitting out rain drops as Los Angeles psych/surf rockers Allah-Las took the stage at Far Out Lounge in the late afternoon.
The larger of the two stages were flanked by billowing white screens and accented with plants and greenery at the foot of the performers. The shaggy haired fellows led by singer/guitarist Miles Michaud eased the crowd into the day, laying down some warm tunes on a gloomy day including the spaghetti western sounding “No Werewolf” from the 2014 album Worship the Sun.
Across the grounds of the Far Out Lounge featured a smaller stage tagged up colorfully with street art, which served as a perfect backdrop for Portland, Oregon audio and visual artist Randal Taylor who goes by the name Amulets. His one man project creates ambient soundscapes that employ manipulated old school cassette tape loops, droning guitar, and various foot pedals. Soft and meditative, songs like “Severed Seas” from the 2020 album Amulets transport listeners to a weightless environment of sound.
One of the most anticipated sets of the weekend was from Panda Bear and Sonic Boom, who collaborated in 2022 for the album Reset which they played in its entirety that Friday evening. Panda Bear (Noah Lennox) cofounder of Animal Collective returned to the festival after solo angelic performances in 2014 and 2018 at Austin Psych Fest.
English Singer-Songwriter Peter Kember, a founding member of Spacemen 3, joined Panda Bear as the Sonic Boom part of the equation adding hand claps, synth beats, and kazoo-like instrumentation that added to the surrealism. Reset builds up a progression of emotions that were perfectly paired with light projections of a digital human metamorphosing from a sad state to one of elation on the crescendo “Livin in the After”, a tropical upbeat tune that brought the crowd back from the dark.
Closing out Friday at the Far Out Lounge was Portland, Oregon-based band Unknown Mortal Orchestra, who are touring in support of this year’s record V. Fronted by multi-talented singer, songwriter, and guitarist Ruben Nielson, they stole the show with a Las Vegas worthy backdrop of stage lights that spelled out “UMO” like “ELVIS”.
While earlier sets were contemplative and mesmerizing, Unknown Mortal Orchestra up-tempo performance progressed earnestly through 13 songs that spanned from jangly tune “Thought Ballune” from the 2011 self-titled album (QRO review) to punchy beats of “That Life” from V. The highlights of the show were when the band diverted from the studio recordings and blasted into space such as in the “Opposite of Afternoon” that included a keyboard interlude by Thomas “Mabus” Hoganson that captivated the crowd. They ended the night with a disco flair that included “Honey Bee” and “Can’t Stop Checking My Phone”.
-words: Alex Freeman & Lindsey Sutherland
-photos: Alex Freeman
