Muggy air lingered after an uncharacteristically rainy Austin autumn morning. The humidity honed in on unsuspecting out-of-towners who traveled to the live music capital of the world for Austin’s annual levitation music festival.
Moister was abundant and untethered – Pop duo, Water From Your Eyes’ stellar boiler room-inspired electronic set in the back of Empire Control Room also didn’t help.
“Water From Your Eyes - Yeah A.K.A Tears,” said Rachel Brown the voice behind the project.
Sporting a white sweater vest, black baggy pants lined with parallel dragons soaring up each leg and their iconic sunglasses now synonymous with the cover for Everyone’s Crushed, the singer cocked their elbows 90 degrees and glided through the stage.
Brown’s delivery on the album personifies a certain idea of melancholic resistance displayed in an art pop package, down to cover art by New Yorker illustrator, Nicole Rifkin. The slog of making it through life contrasts with a guitar screaming in pain, tortured by Nate Amos.
“It’s very spacious up here – probably bigger than my apartment in New York. I could live up here,” said Brown before Water From Your Eyes exited the stage.
“They probably won’t let me stay here forever though.”
They didn’t.
The stage would stay at a similar capacity through the rest of the night as British-based band, Jockstrap took to the stage at 10:40.
The Guildhall graduates, Georgia Ellery and Taylor Skye, returned to Austin after their last performance in March for SXSW – another rainy day show.
Jockstrap’s performance encapsulates the opening lines of “Jennifer B” off their latest album, “I Love Jennifer B.”
“Like a DJ,
Like a dancer.”
Ellery’s whispery voice gives a “quality-over-quantity” aspect to the performance. The singer allowed Skye to control an exhilarated barely costumed crowd of dancers. Remixes and extended editions of popular tracks like Debra and Jennifer B energized the crowd in the beginning and built up to a guitar pick-up.
The confidence of the sequenced singer was seen when she unleashed her stringed instruments. Her violin was heard on Concrete over Water, an emotional ode to a lover's connection on a bridge.
An illuminating smile made the Empire light crew’s job easier as, Glasgow showcased Ellery’s joy in performing.
As the set drew to a close, the crowd drew to the front in anticipation of a fan-favorite first release for their debut album, just as the song began it swiftly was cut short.
“This has never happened before,” Ellery said.
What are the chances?
As an angsty audience crowd stood in anticipation, hoping this festival wouldn’t cut their performer off early like another has, 50/50 played and Jockstrap screamed into the open air of downtown 7th street, “I gotta go, gotta think about that,” leaving Austin with another unforgettable show.
KVRX was not able to see the opener FONT. For more information on Font, read out ACL Coverage of their performance. Font's W2 Performance at ACL