The 2015 line up for Austin City Limits is now out, and it’s an absolute belter. Foo Fighters, The Strokes, Drake, Florence & The Machine and Disclosure are just a few of the names to play across two weekends in October. Tickets for Austin City Limits are available now. In the meantime, re-live last year’s best bits.
Austin City Limits
If you’ve been lucky enough to be in Texas for the past few days, you’ll have been enjoying one of the year’s finest festivals: Austin City Limits, which spans two weekends over eight stages and hosts performances from 130 bands. Eminem and Skrillex were among the big names to play over the weekend, but who else turned heads in Texas?
Childish Gambino
Actor-turned-rapper Donald Glover, aka Childish Gambino, provided one of Friday’s (October 3) highlights with his set. The hip-hop musician’s second album, ‘Because The Internet’, was released in December 2013.
St Vincent
Has any artist’s reputation as a stellar live performer exploded like St Vincent‘s this year? Her self-titled album is one of the year’s finest, and it’s even more engrossing performed live: Annie Clark was in Texas on Friday afternoon to bring its splintered charms to the festival.
Spoon
And now for some hometown heroes! Spoon were greeted like all-conquering favourite sons by the Austin, Texas crowd during their set, buoyed by the success of their eighth studio album ‘They Want My Soul’, released earlier this year.
Skrillex
Whomp-whomp-whomp-THUD: bringing some nasty dubstep beats to Austin City Limits on Saturday evening was DJ Skrillex, who headlined the festival’s second stage. He may have been playing second fiddle to Eminem, the main stage’s headliner, but he still gathered a mighty crowd to his set.
Real Estate
A slightly mellower vibe lied in wait for those who flocked to see New Jersey indie-pop experts Real Estate on Sunday evening. The band bought the best cuts from their most recent LP, ‘Atlas’, to the RetailMeNot stage on October 5.
Pearl Jam
Grunge legends Pearl Jam were among the heavyweights to play at Austin City Limits yesterday evening (October 5). Their most recent album, 2013’s ‘Lightning Bolt’, was their first for four years.
Outkast
Outkast‘s world-reunion tour has been one of the year’s best-received reformations, and the lustre of seeing André 3000 and Big Boi onstage together again hadn’t worn off at Austin City Limits, either. The hip-hop duo’s set on Friday evening was scarily good.
Moats
Less fêted than Outkast, certainly – but there was gold to be found during the early afternoon at Austin City Limits, too, with UK band Moats turning in a stellar performance.
Mac DeMarco
Wherever Mac DeMarco treads, excitement and chaos are sure to follow. As usual, the Canadian raconteur was on splendid form on Saturday afternoon, playing tracks from his most recent LP ‘Salad Days’.
Lana Del Rey
Lana Del Rey was criticised during her ‘Born To Die’ days for being a shaky live performer, but new album ‘Ultraviolence’ seems to have brought the best out of her: she sounded confident and full of dark swagger when she took to the stage on Saturday evening.
Gaslight Anthem
Unlike the unpredictable Del Rey, you always know what you’re going to get with the none-more-sturdy Gaslight Anthem: anthemic rock’n’roll and good-time riffs a-plenty. Brian Fallon and co were on top form at Austin City Limits with their jagged, lovelorn melodies.
Iggy Azalea
Controversial rapper Iggy Azalea put her money where her mouth is on the Saturday evening, delivering a rapid-fire set.
Belle & Sebastien
Scottish heroes Belle & Sebastien were honoured with the Outstanding Contribution To Music gong at this year’s NME Awards. And in the sunshine of Austin, Texas, their gorgeous set reminded everyone of exactly why they were more than worthy of the accolade.
Chvrches
If you have any sense, you’ll be off to see Chvrches when they tour the UK this November. As expected, the Scottish trio – whose debut LP, ‘The Bones Of What You Believe’, was one of 2013’s best – gave one of the standout performances of this year’s Austin City Limits.
Interpol
The smart money was always on Interpol making an excellent return-to-form record, but few would have expected something as staggering as ‘Interpol’, released last month. The NYC darlings were on hand to treat fans to tracks from the new LP – as well as some old favourites – on Saturday afternoon.
