Over the past few years, no Halloween weekend in Austin is complete without the sights and sounds of Levitation – a multi-venue celebration of psychedelic music and the adjacent sounds of industrial, metal, ambient, and more. Beginning on Thursday, October 31st, and running through Sunday, November 3rd, this year’s edition featured a nightly residency by Oh Sees, a rare sighting of the ‘70s doom legends Pentagram, and an autumn sound bath by Tycho. Each performance at the event was brought to life with meticulously curated light shows spanning from ‘60s-era liquid light projections to Studio 54-era disco balls to modern LED strobes and floods. One would be hard-pressed to find another music festival so dedicated to psychedelia’s audio and material culture that also immerses concert-goers into a truly elevated experience.
In Levitation’s choose-your-own-adventure format, performances are scheduled simultaneously at venues on Red River, East 6th Street, and the Far Out Lounge in South Austin with some ending in time for attendees to rush over to another and catch a later show. Prepared concertgoers poured over the calendar to make the hard decision of who they will see and who they will have to miss. To kick off the event on Halloween night, The Black Angels headlined Stubb’s, one of the largest stages at the fest while Oh Sees began day one of their residency at the modest east side confines of Hotel Vegas.
Costumed revelers were greeted by a perfume blend of oak, hickory, and THC smoke as they descended the gravel slope of the Stubb’s entrance during magic hour to see an international showcase capped off by festival founders, the Black Angels – Austin’s preeminent psych-rock band who have made Austin a pilgrimage for like-minded enthusiasts.
The warm fuzz of a Moog synthesizer welcomed the early evening crowd as the Brazilian quartet, Boogarins, returned to Austin – a local favorite since they began coming to town for SXSW. The Boogarins build up luscious and galloping tropical soundscapes, like in the song “Tempo” from the 2015 album Manual, with ghostly vocals and enough tension to keep the crowd entranced before crashing down with their heavier sounds. In the middle of their set, they introduced songs from a new album coming out in November that veers into more dreamy synth-driven qualities echoing the sensibilities of contemporary Australian psych bands such as Pond.
As night descended on Stubb’s, the projected liquid light danced across the stage’s pointed canopy with blobs of magenta and teal swirling overhead as Mdou Moctar, the Niger-based songwriter and guitarist, and his band took the stage. Pulsing synths washed over the crowd while each band member took their position wearing turbans and robes. Inspired by Tuareg guitar music, the lanky 38-year-old lefty exuded a Hendrix-like combination of virtuosity and stage presence as he kicked out rhythmic and pumping jams such as “Chismiten” from the 2021 album Afrique Victime. Mdou Moctar demanded crowd engagement throughout the set, getting revelers to put their hands in the air and join along with rhythmic clapping. The openers of Thursday’s showcase underscored the international enthusiasm for contemporary psychedelic rock that continues to grow and evolve.
Massive Attack’s “Angel” blasted from the house speakers while the familiar black and white Black Angels projected logo swirled on the canopy above a growing crowd of festivalgoers anticipating the headliners for the evening. Dressed in all black except for the festive orange socks worn by guitarist Christian Bland, The Black Angels took the stage to bring to life one of their iconic albums. Kicking off with “Bad Vibrations”, the first track of the album Phosphene Dream (QRO review), the band played each track off their 2010 record in sequence before dipping into a trio of songs from their 2006 debut release Passover. The band’s signature reverb, note bending, and sound layering had a distinctive Middle Eastern vibe that blended well with the global lineup. Seeing guitar virtuoso Christian Bland twist and writhe as he closed out their set with the crate digger song “Molly Moves My Generation”, made many a vinyl lover’s day and set the tone for the weekend ahead.
Late nights at Levitation were reserved for smaller venues across the Red River corridor, that was the case on opening night where goth/industrial club Elysium hosted a rare Austin appearance from ‘80s industrial pioneer Nitzer Ebb. In front of a capacity crowd of costumed fans, founding member of Nitzer Ebb Bon Harris was joined by a female percussionist while the duo progressed through decades of dark and moody material. Drawing heavily from their 1989 album Belief and That Total Age from 1987, Harris brought the sexy with his twisted and gyrating dance moves as he pranced across the stage joined by dedicated fans to songs such as “Captivate”, while they pounded their fists in the air. The pairing of these performers with this macabre venue demonstrated the quality boutique festival curation that is a hallmark of Levitation.
