LEVITATION 2026: Everything You Missed

Blake Burton

Music Journalist 

LEVITATION took over multiple venues across the city for four nights of noise, bringing together a wide range of genres and sounds. I was fortunate enough to spend most of my festival weekend at the Far Out Lounge, where I enjoyed every minute of it. With two stages running throughout the weekend, there was never a quiet moment and nearly every act brought something different to the festival experience.  

FRIDAY: 

The first band to open the festival was Grocery Bag, and man…  Those guys rip! Their guitarist Dillion brought some serious energy to the stage and wasn’t about to let anyone in the crowd just stand there and listen. As a local Austin band, their sound is raw, gritty, and on edge. For their LEVITATION debut, they did not hold back. They played some material from their “Deadvolt” EP that really leaned into the whole unpolished garage-rock feel. At KTSW, we were lucky enough to interview the band. We love bands that love college radio!  

After that set, Gibby Haynes was next on the set list. I have contemplated all weekend on the best way to describe his set. His set was chaotic in the best way and impossible to ignore. I mean, I was pretty confused at the start of the set as he played with a police siren and megaphone for 10 minutes. For some of the younger crowd, I’m not sure they fully understood what they were witnessing, but that didn’t stop the smiles and laughter at the festival. I couldn’t help but crack up at the complete chaos happening onstage. It was definitely a sight to see! 

Friday was sold out at the Far Out Lounge and deserving it was. Hometown heroes, Die Spitz took the main stage at 8pm and the festival grounds were absolutely packed. As a highlight of my evening, I was surrounded by people and have never seen a pit move the way it did at a Die Spitz show. These girls are always so fun to see live. After touring extensively for their newest record, a little hometown reunion was much needed for the city of Austin.  

After securing some last minute tickets, I headed out to Stubb’s to see Her New Knife and The Garden. I have never seen The Garden before nor was filled in on how you’re supposed to dress. I’m still not filled in on all the lore yet, but countless people were dressed up in face paint depicting a clown or a jester. This was the loudest set of the entire weekend. Her New Knife was a chef’s kiss for shoegaze. I could literally feel my chest cavity bumping to the kick drum for their set. When The Garden came out, I was thrown into the pit for the full experience. Everyone was there to mosh. The twins from The Garden know how to throw a party. That’s exactly what it was. Friday night ended with an unforgettable evening at Stubb’s. Not to mention, the visual effects that LEVITATION did across the top of the stage were stunning and really catered to the feeling and experience of the night. I’m still thinking about The Garden’s set! 

SATURDAY: 

I headed back out to the Far Out Lounge to see what more LEVITATION had to offer. The headliner for the evening was Molchat Doma. While I was not familiar with them, nor the synth centered music scene, today was the most experimental day of the weekend. Peter Hook and The Light played some classics from Joy Division in which the crowd was completely mesmerized. I saw more Joy Division shirts than anything in the crowd this day and Peter Hook definitely instilled nostalgia in all of the concert goers. While Peter Hook might have brought the light, he definitely brought the rain. Shortly after his set we caught some pretty heavy rain that evening which pushed back some set times, however we kept moving.  

I am eternally grateful to have stumbled onto the band DITZ’s set. This was by far one of my favorite experiences of the weekend. DITZ had some of the craziest energy, their vocalist had the crowd moving and as far as I know, they’re the only artist to stage dive at this festival. Not many people knew who they were, but I can guarantee that EVERYONE who was there now knows who they are. They have a similar feel musically to IDLES or Amyl and The Sniffer. They have a sound I’ve been chasing. The UK underground sound is just hard to beat. After speaking with other people throughout the weekend, this was a lot of concert goers favorite set. They are the real deal. I even got to talk with the vocalist of DITZ, Cal, at their tent. I’ve never been more happy to have been called a “posh boy” by anyone else. 

Molchat Doma ended the night with a set I never thought I would experience. I’m not familiar with the darkwave scene, nor know really too much on what to expect. However, this band are true showmen. They have a high energy set with in my opinion music that doesn’t match that feel. Their lead singer carried their stage presence with the most interesting dance moves. He was in an absolute flow state, and quite honestly this was a great experience. I mean, my eyes were peeled. I’m not sure if I’ll ever experience a band like this again, it’s pretty unique. The visuals were complementary to the music. Molchat Doma commanded the stage and closed out the evening.  

SUNDAY:  

As the last day at the festival, things were still picking up. This was about to be the most psychedelic focused evening so far. I was fortunate enough to be able to see some absolute legends in the scene like The Well, Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats, and Sleep.  

When I got there, there were already people lined up for merch, and I understand why. Sleep and Uncle Acid are some of those legendary bands that when you see them, you gotta pick up a shirt. I was guilty of that. The first set I was able to catch was The Well. I’ve followed this band for a little bit and have picked up their most recent release on vinyl. If there’s any gear heads listening, their guitarist, Ian, has an incredible vintage Orange amp that had some sounds that were way too big for the stage they were playing. It was pure psych bliss getting to hear them live for the first time.  

Did I mention the merch line? After The Wells set, the merch line wrapped all the way to the sound booth! Not to mention there were even two lines going at the same time. Some people waited over an hour and a half for a shirt, I had never witnessed anything like that before. There were some serious fans with some serious dedication.  

Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats have been on my bucket list for a while now and I had a full circle moment seeing them live. Their whole set was over an hour of Sabbath styled riffs accompanied by psychedelic visuals depicting vintage horror movies. Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats are one of those must see bands. The festival grounds were packed, guitar solos were ripped, and faces were melted. I’m still replaying the visuals in my head from their set. I hope everyone gets the chance to check this band out if you haven’t already. Their sound is hallucinogenic! 

After trying to pick my jaw up off the floor from the set I saw at Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats, Sleep was set to take the stage. With their highly controversial record since the departure of famed guitarist Matt Pike, I didn’t know what I was in store for. I love Sleep and I love Matt Pike, however this feels like an all new band to see live. Sleep did not disappoint one bit, I got my fix of sludgy, fuzzed out riffs. Their visual effects were amongst the best of the weekend. Having a legendary band close out LEVITATION was unforgettable. What’s not to love about a little botanical rock music?  

Overall, I am extremely grateful for my time at LEVITATION this year. If you weren’t able to attend the festival this year, be sure to keep an eye out at the beginning of the summer for the early LEVITATION 2027 announcements. I can’t wait to see what is in store for next year. I will definitely be coming back to LEVITATION, and I hope you all get to experience this festival.