Nov 9, 2022 | ktru
by Alexa Scott
Hailing from Perth, Western Australia, Spacey Jane was a long way from home when they found themselves at Warehouse Live in Houston Texas as part of their Here Comes Everybody International Tour. As soon as the band stepped on stage the set opened with “Sitting Up”, with the fitting line “how’s that for an intro?”. It was an excellent intro according to the crowd, who roared with cheers, giving the Aussie band a classic Texan welcome. RIght off the get go, guitarist Ashton Hardman-Le Cornu set the tone for the high energy show, flipping his long curls back and forth as he played. As a fellow long curly-haired person, part of me thought this was mostly due to the lack of peripheral vision that inevitably comes from rocking the curls, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt. After the second song, “Lunchtime”, lead singer Caleb Harper stated “We’re gonna be playing for the next hour or so, and just try to fit as much as possible in”, this proved an accurate description as the show progressed with little to no breaks between tracks.
Throughout the first half of the show, Spacey Jane did a great job of keeping the energy up, with an ample amount of bouncing and rocking across the stage which the crowd naturally fed off of. This continued until around halfway through the show when both the band and the crowd got a break as the opening of “Bothers Me” played. A majority of the themes within Spacey Jane’s music deal with processing emotions and life experiences and this was evident as the crowd sang the words back to the melancholy song. The intimate venue fostered this sense of connection that was beautifully compatible with the music being played.
The show continued with much of the higher energy from before, especially with the track “Feeding the Family” which originally jump started the bands early career. Ending the show with an encore featuring “Booster Seat”, Spacey Jane wished us farewell. Houston marked a near end of the US part of their international tour with only two stops following it. After this, Spacey Jane will take a stop in Mexico City before hitting Europe for the rest of their international tour.
Never listened to Spacey Jane? Songs I’d recommend:
Booster Seat, Bothers Me, Feeding the Family
Nov 7, 2022 | ktru
By Jacob Pellegrino
Beabadoobee has a sound that can range from indie pop to shoegazy alternative rock. This contrast makes for a great dynamism in performance that keeps the audience engaged throughout the show.
I got to the venue after the opener, shortly before Beabadoobee performed to see a packed house. I’d only previously been to White Oak’s outdoor venue before the show, but this show took place in the indoor part of the venue, which contained both a lower level, close to the stage and a raised upper level. I was on the lower level and slowly moved forward through the crowded room to find a good viewing spot.
It was a very different crowd than I am used to, filled with excited high schoolers who videoed the majority of the songs throughout the night. While this had some downsides with visibility, and comfort in general, it was nice to see such an engaged crowd that sang along with every word for a number of tracks throughout the night.
One of the highlights of the show was Beabadoobee’s guitarist, who excelled at a range of styles and really stole the show at times.Additionally, Bea’s vocals were impressive to see live, varying between confessional bedroom-pop and angsty alt-rock.
Her setlist, culled from her discography with an emphasis on her most recent album, included many of my favorite tracks of hers, such as “The Perfect Pair” and “Charlie Brown,” along with many others that I had forgotten about or not heard for a while.
Overall, it was a great show that proved that she will be a good opener for Taylor Swift’s upcoming tour and provided a great balance of acoustic and electric music to escape to.
Oct 24, 2022 | ktru
by Amy Lam
The first standout was The Chicks’ incredible headliner performance on Friday night. I’ve been listening to a lot of The Chicks recently, so finally hearing them live was pure joy. By the time they came onstage, the sun had gone down and the stars were out – a perfect backdrop for the music to come. The Chicks were sure to include their biggest hits in their set. “Wide Open Spaces” and “Cowboy Take Me Away” were fantastic performances, with Martie Maguire’s fiddle and Emily Strayer’s banjo truly shining. These were some of my favorite songs all weekend; lead singer Natalie Maine’s sweet, sincere delivery of lyrics like “I wanna sleep on the hard ground/In the comfort of your arms/On a pillow of bluebonnets/In a blanket made of stars” blended perfectly with the warm Texas night air. These beautiful words resonated with the whole audience- everyone was swaying and singing their hearts out, especially me.
Another exceptional performance from Saturday was Habibi, a five-member, all-female band with origins from Brooklyn and Detroit. They attracted a sizable crowd, but we were able to snag a spot for our picnic blanket near the front. With their cool black sunglasses and simple red costuming, their stage presence was down-to-earth with a fun, fiery spirit. It was clear that all five members were truly connected with their instruments. I could admire up-close how lead singer Rahill Jamalifard moved with this self-assured energy and how guitarist Lenaya Lynch shredded her electric guitar with such intensity. Overall, Habibi’s sound shone with influences of surf rock and psychedelic rock, with some Middle Eastern melodic elements mixed in. Some song highlights included “I Got the Moves,” “Sweetest Talk,” and “Come my Habibi.” All of these featured fun, bass-driven melodies that were very conducive to happy head-bobbing in the Austin sun (very much appreciated).
Next was Tai Verdes. I immediately noticed the incredible charisma of his stage presence. He interacted with the audience in a way that was friendly yet snarky and confident yet authentic, making him stand out from other acts of the weekend. His performance style was highly engaging; he’d conduct the audience in his choruses and urge everyone to wave their arms in sync. Even as someone who had never heard his music before, he had me smiling and sing-screaming during infectiously fun songs like “A-OK” and “Let’s Go to Hell.” He incorporated lots of joking and storytelling in his set too; before performing the hit “sheluvme” from his newest album HDTV, he painted a playful picture of showing the song to your date in the car – “one hand on the wheel, so she knows you’re cool.” Overall, his music had an easygoing feel and was extremely easy to enjoy, but songs like “Solamente” still made clear that his confident stage persona didn’t compromise more introspective, low-key styles of lyricism and performance. Tai Verdes ended his set with an energetic performance of “LAst dAy oN EaRTh,” which was as much of a motivational speech as it was a memorable closer. He urged us – almost Shia LaBeouf “Just-Do-It” style – to go home and change our lives in the way we’ve always wanted to. It was amusing and endearing and heartfelt all at the same time – a perfect end to the concert.
Finally, Lil Nas X: this set was spectacular, showstopping, life-changing, an absolute standout. My favorite all weekend. Lil Nas X possessed this intense charisma and laser-focused confidence that made his performance absolutely shine. His performance style was more detached from the audience; instead, he was fully dedicated to transforming the stage into an immersive visual spectacle. I also loved the unapologetic energy he brought to the stage – he joyfully stated that his performance was a place to be “feminine.” Between his pink bejeweled costumes, shirtless backup dancers, and theatrical displays of onstage physical intimacy, I think he surely was successful in challenging the hyper-masculine stereotypes of rap and hip-hop music. In short, as a live performer, he was absolutely unforgettable. In addition to the sheer talent that Lil Nas X displayed, his set was incredibly elaborate and well-produced. It was organized in a three-act structure that reflected the themes present in his 2021 album MONTERO, and it was filled with conflict, drama, and more costume changes that I could keep track of. The audience energy was incredibly high throughout the whole set, erupting at hits like “INDUSTRY BABY” and, of course, “Old Town Road.” Lil Nas X is undoubtedly one of the standout artists of this generation, and I’m so grateful I got to experience his theatrical energy live.
Oct 20, 2022 | ktru
by Alexa Scott
We arrived in Austin at 7pm and after a quick bite at Arlo’s, Austin’s grab-and-go all vegan burger joint (pictured below), we bolted over to the Long Center, which would become our stable parking spot for the rest of the weekend. Although located a mile from the park grounds, we only paid $15 for all day parking and the walk was pleasant, especially during the mass exodus in the night. After a sprint to the ticket pickup only minutes before it closed we were finally in. The ACL gates awaited us.
The Chicks
We arrived at the Austin City Limits grounds just in time to see the Chicks, an American country music band active since 1997. Notably this was The Chicks first ever appearance at a festival, with an appearance at both weekend one and weekend two, performing a two hour set both weekends. We arrived just in time to hear “Traveling Soldier” echoing through the crowd at the American Express Stage, what I’m sure was an absolutely stellar moment for The Chicks after that song was pulled from country stations after it came out. Soon after they followed with “Wide Open Spaces” and “Cowboy Take Me Away” both hits sung by the crowd. Lead vocalist Natalie Maines shared the stage with both her father and son who were playing supporting instrumentals, with her father, famous producer Lloyd Maines, stopping to take a video of the three of them together in a heartfelt moment. This was followed by the Chicks surprising the audience with a cover of “Landslide”, by Fleetwood Mac, during which Martie Maguire and Natalie Maines absolutely shone on the fiddle and omnichord, respectively. This wasn’t the only cover by the Chicks that prime saturday night, with Beyonce’s “Daddy Lessons,” making a feature. The show took a more sober turn as the beginning of “March March” began to play, with the backing visuals showing the locations of shooting and the number of casualties, with the names of victims of gun violence around America also included. The honky tonk country set ended with an absolute fan favorite, “Goodbye Earl” as the crowd’s screams sent them off.
We started our 1 mile trek back to the Long center soons after that, but not before stopping by ACL’s Hydration Stations, basically giant water bottle filling stations developed under the plan to both avoid showgoer dehydration and promote recyclability. Combined with this was the “Rock and Recycle” program which rewarded festival-goers who walked and filled a plastic bag with recyclable cans with a cool t-shirt. For the record, this was actually super effective, wish I had figured out the process earlier.
The next morning we started our day at Bouldin Creek Cafe, a local woman owned vegan/vegetarian restaurant. Where we feasted on their migas breakfast plate and vegan eggs benedict. The star of the show was the vegan blueberry cornbread with vegan butter, it set us up perfectly for the delectable day ahead (pictures obviously included). Traffic, and the cafe wait, caught up to us and we missed spill tab, a French-Korean artist who I was very excited for. I mourned it with the cornbread.
Habibi
We walked into the park just as Habibi was playing on the American Express stage. The all-woman rock band from Brooklyn-based quintet whose psychedelic rock vocals echoed through the field in front. The band’s backdrop pictured an Iranian woman with her fist raised in the air with the words “Women Life Freedom” in the corner, clearly displaying their support for Iranian women. We sat in the field in front of the stage for this performance, laying out on a blanket and allowing the delicious bass lines to wash over us. Although neither of us had heard of Habibi before we were instantly entranced with the red-garbed women on the stage. The group had clear Motown vibes, a nice nod to Habibi’s original Detroit roots. Their set closed with “Come my Habibi,” which is also my recommendation for those looking to get into this stellar band.
Tai Verdes
The set ended and we packed up our things, beelining to Honda stage to line up early for Tai Verdes. The moment his band stepped on stage, the energy was infectious with everyone ready to see the man himself swagger up onto stage. If nothing else, Tai is a Performer and with his initial success attributed to blowing up on TikTok this is no surprise. Throughout the show he was clearly having fun with the crowd, by incorporating the “left side” and “right side” component of audience interaction he had us all screaming the choruses and catchy bits of his songs. Having recently released his debut album “TV,” I was expecting mostly new songs, but he featured a delightful mix of new and old, playing fan favorites like “Stuck in the Middle” and “DRUGS,” which originally garnered him his success on TikTok. The show took a more heartfelt turn during “Last Day on Earth,” where Tai encouraged the audience to chase the things they would if it were their final day, obviously incorporating the aforementioned “left side” “right side” mechanic. The concert ended and the crowd left energized with high spirits, successfully avoiding the 3pm slump.
Samia
Looking for a more chill concert experience after our energized stint with Tai Verdes, we mosied our way over to the Miller Lite stage, where Samia was playing. “It’s going to be pretty sad for pretty much the whole time,” Samia warned us early on – and boy was she right. For those unfamiliar with Samia, she is an alternative singer-songwriter artist from New York, known for her heartfelt and often gut-wrenchingly melancholic music with themes of growing up and drifting apart. The majority of her songs came from her debut album “The Baby,” with the first song of the set also being the first song of the album “Pool.” She followed with “FIt and Full,” an upbeat song that disarmed us for the melancholy ahead. Shockingly transparent about her on-stage nerves, at one point she said, “I can’t believe all of you chose to be here, listening to me,” a clear testament of the humility that sets her apart from other up and coming indie artists. Laying on a blanket, we allowed her beautiful voice to wash over us once again.
Wallows
After Samia we quickly hustled over to catch Wallows at American Express, both ready for lunch and the American alt-rock band that awaited us. ACL was clearly ready for Wallows with a large crowd already there by the time we arrived. We laid out our picnic blanket and munched on our sandwiches, ready for the two hour set list. Early on Wallows surprised the crowd by feeding their song “Sun Tan” into a cover of One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful” (the crowd loved it, needless to say). Wallows filled their set list with a mix of old and new, despite having recently released their sophomore album “Tell Me That It’s Over.” The band kept it interesting by having Dylan, Braeden, and Cole alternate vocalist responsibilities, with Dylan displaying his ability to play the drums while Cole sang. The set ended with the hit “Are You Bored Yet?,” with Dylan complimenting the crowd as they sang Clairo’s part “You guys sound just like Clairo” (how sweet, but if Dylan had heard me singing this part, he would have not said that).
Lil Nas X
Well fed, and energized we stayed in the area for Lil Nas X, hoping to score a good view of the stage. The effort was successful as 6:05pm hit and we were hit with ACT 1: REBIRTH on the stage screens, setting up what quickly became the most impactful and life changing two hours of my life. Soon after the title flashed on the screen, a futuristic Black queen popped on the screen, introducing herself as the so-called “Wizard of Naz” and establishing herself as the storyteller of the life of our young protagonist “Montero.” At this, Lil Nas X himself stepped onto the stage, settling into the most energetic rendition of “Panini” known to man. Soon after this, the second surprise of the show came along, beautiful, ripped background dancers, glistening in the light of the setting sun. The entirety of ACT I, and the set in general, dripped with sensuality, with Lil Nas X commanding the audience with his performance and presence. Before we knew it, we were in ACT 2: TRANSFORMATION, warranting a costume change for all parties on stage, proving the perfect introduction to a performance of “That’s What I Want,” roared by the crowd. This led us to ACT 3: BECOMING, with the Wizard of Naz herself, welcoming us to Montero and to the dancers crawling on stage as “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” began. Montero himself appeared on stage with yet another costume-change. Here he introduced his upcoming song, “Down Souf Hoes,” inviting the crowd to shake their asses one more time, with a couple of lucky concert goers getting the opportunity to shake ass on stage (shoutout assless chaps). In a heartwarming (as heartwarming as throwing it back and twerking can) moment, the dancers were all introduced in their own solo dance moment. The show ended with the words “LONG LIVE MONTERO,” a reminder that our protagonist’s journey is not over.
FLUME
By this point we were dog tired, but we knew our final battle awaited us….Flume. On the way there we passed a genuine sea of people watching Diplo, by far the densest crowd I had seen at ACL. We knew a similar fate awaited us. A message on the screen promised us good visuals and the crowd roared as Flume took his rightful place between two mixing tables, his side facing us. He started the set off strong with his most popular song, “The Difference” featuring Toro y Moi. The crazy, trippy visuals started from the beginning, with Flume transporting us into a sweaty head bumping rave at the Honda stage of Zilker Park. With his recently released Palaces, we expected nothing less, easily controlling the ebb and flow of the crowd. He had us in his vice grip, till the very end, head banging along with the crowd. The set ended as he thanked us for having him (we would rather no one else Flume).
Exhausted we trekked the mile back and ended our ACL trip the only way we knew how.. a vegan burger at Arlo’s.
Oct 14, 2022 | ktru
by Max Cunningham
This past weekend marked the second post-pandemic iteration of Austin City Limits. This year’s festival spanned a wide variety of genres, with the headliners coming from country, R&B, rock, pop, and EDM. Without further ado, here is my EDM-free list of highlights from each day of the festival.
Friday:
James Blake showcased his limitless vocal range, instrumental prowess, and attention to detail with a light show that perfectly complemented his music. He mostly spent time playing his most recent album, Friends That Break Your Heart, which celebrated a one year anniversary the day after his performance. However, that didn’t stop him from playing crowd favorites like Mile High, which features notable rapper Travis Scott.
Most concertgoers immediately moved over to Omar Apollo’s set. The major highlight of his set was the live band he brought to accompany him, which featured an excellent guitar player who had plenty of time to do solos during the set.
SZA had one of the most enjoyable sets of the weekend. She was clearly taking in the moment of headlining a music festival for the first; she mentioned it at one point and had tears in her eyes, which made for an especially poignant moment. One notable moment during her set occurred during Doves in the Wind, where the visuals behind her were showing a storm and the dancers acted like they were about to be blown away. The clear attention to detail in the choreography, visuals, and stage design made for a particularly enjoyable performance. This was the highlight of Friday.
The Chicks, who were performing on the other side of Zilker Park, also enjoyed a large, very engaged crowd.
Saturday: This day started with a set by rising artist Samia. Her self proclaimed “depressing music” combined with fun dancing and a great live band was a sight to see. On the other side of the park was rapper Tyla Yaweh, who got the crowd going through various tactics such as crowd surfing and running off stage and around the crowd at one moment.
The major highlights of Saturday occurred later in the day. Lil Nas X electrified the crowd with an elaborate display of costumes, highly skilled choreography, and visuals that perfectly augmented his music. It didn’t hurt that he has also released some of the biggest songs of the last few years, including Old Town Road.
Big Boi held his own during the same time slot, performing a fun mix of new songs from Big Sleepover as well as classics like International Players’ Anthem and Ms. Jackson.
My favorite set of the weekend belongs to Houston native, Tobe Nwigwe. He said it was going to be the best, most elaborate performance he has ever done; he did not disappoint. His stage design largely mirrored the cover of his recent EP, moMINTS. It contained a large piano structure, three singers standing on top of it, elaborate floral garments, a choir, and plenty of green foliage that stoked religious imagery akin to the Garden of Eden. Not only did Nwigwe impeccably rap all of the songs he performed (which went for an extra 15 minutes), but he did so alongside his wife, Fat Nwigwe, and their two children. For lack of a better phrase, this performance was truly special. It is a shame there were not more people in the crowd to enjoy the full-scale production he put on. This was the gold standard of festival performances.
Sunday: The Marías had one of the best performances of the day. Their set consisted of excellent vocal performances by María Zardoya and a great trumpet player who had strong solos when called upon. The visuals were mostly slow shots with a similar theme to the CINEMA album cover.
Following them was 6lack, whose set had some strange dichotomies. He had a DJ come out and hype up the crowd and then proceeded to play deeper cuts to a fairly unengaged crowd. It was strange watching people create mosh pits to his sadder songs, but that is becoming more common at rap/R&B performances.
Marcus Mumford was a welcome surprise right before the headlining sets. His voice is truly exceptional live. His inclusion of Danielle Ponder, who performed earlier in the day, was a great addition as well.
The headliners were both excellent on Sunday. Kacey Musgraves commanded the stage through her laundry list of hits; her set also included a cover of Dreams by Fleetwood Mac that was very well received. On the other hand, Red Hot Chili Peppers gained attention through their excellently refined instrumental skills and trippy, psychedelic visuals. It is hard to make a particular critique on either set; both acts are seasoned veterans of touring and have deep catalogs of music that people love.
Oct 10, 2022 | ktru, Showstoppers
Hadestown North American Tour photo by Kevin Berne
Broadway at the Hobby Center hosted the final show of the 2021-2022 season this week with the long-awaited Tony Award-winning production of Hadestown. Postponed since January 2022 due to Covid, the show was definitely worth the wait and I would argue the rest of the audience would agree with me. From the first moment the cast entered the stage the audience’s energy was palpable. Hermes’ first entrance was met with over a minute of applause, and many other jokes and show-stopping scenes throughout the show had similar reactions from the house. Anais Mitchell’s musical follows the mythological love story of Orpheus and Eurydice in a storytelling format narrated by Hades, the messenger of the Gods. The touring production, introducing many new leading cast members on opening night in Houston, was incredibly talented and kept the audience on the edges of their seats throughout the roller-coaster of a story. Mitchell’s musical is entirely “sung-through” with original tracks ranging from chants to ballads to epics. The characters subtly addressed topics such as love, heartbreak, trust, and power, while inviting the audience multiple times to think to themselves about how they would’ve acted if they were in their shoes.
(more…)
Sep 3, 2022 | ktru
By Rachel Bui
This year marked the 4th annual Head in the Clouds (HitC) festival. Started in 2018 in Los Angeles,
the festival has only grown (the festival will also happen in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Manila,
Philippines later this year). Started by 88rising, a music platform and record label primarily for artists
of the Asian Diaspora, this year the festival partnered with Golden Voice, the force behind
Coachella. This partnership so early in such a niche festival’s history establishes that the music
industry is slowly understanding that consumers crave more authenticity without the pandering. This
festival invited the 626 Market as well as other local Asian small businesses (Bopomofo was
especially a significant, started by one of the founders of Wong Fu Productions, Philip Wang. Wong
Fu Productions is an independent production company that highlights Asian short films).
(more…)
Aug 20, 2022 | ktru
Eric Huffman (Damian Hubbard) and the National Touring Company of Mean Girls
Credit: © 2022 Jenny Anderson
It’s so “fetch” that the Mean Girls national tour is making a stop in Houston this week. This stage adaptation of Tina Fey’s hit movie follows the same story as the film version, however the creative team made an effort to change it enough that it’s even better for the theater. Featuring new scenes and new jokes, along with a great soundtrack by Jeff Richmond and Nell Benjamin, Mean Girls was a hit with everyone in the audience at my rescheduled Friday matinee. Although I did not attend the Wednesday performance, there was still plenty of pink among the audience. The story follows the progression of high school friendships and cliques as they develop and crumble through the fight for power and jealousy. This show is definitely a must-see while it is playing at the Hobby Center.
(more…)
Aug 5, 2022 | ktru
By Rachel Bui
As festivals are operating back to normal, KTRU decided to explore more festivals outside of Texas.
Lollapalooza 2022 was KTRU’s first festival outside of the Southern region. This festival was incredibly
well-ran, with chipped wristbands, cardless payment, and few, if any, technical issues on the stages.
Some general tips:
- Do NOT play with your wristband, especially the chip – it will break!
- Treat it like SXSW and pace yourself- it’s a long festival, even if you don’t go the full 4 days
- You’re probably not going to see all the acts you want (this festival spans across Grant Park in
Chicago), so use this time to explore other acts you’ve been curious about - Bring a reusable water bottle and stay cool and hydrated – even in Chicago, heat exhaustion is a
dangerous possibility you want to avoid
(more…)
Jul 1, 2022 | ktru
Collin Baja as Sven and F. Michael Haynie as Olaf in Frozen North American Tour. Photo by Deen van Meer.
A cool wind brought the far-off kingdom of Arendelle to Houston as Disney’s Frozen arrived as part of Broadway at the Hobby Center’s 2021-2022 season. Children of all ages (and the child in all of us) will enjoy this beautiful production of the (now) classic Disney film. In front of a full house with many excited kids singing along, Lauren Nichole Chapman (Anna) and Caroline Bowman (Else) belted out classics such as “Love Is an Open Door” and “Let It Go”. If you are looking for an air-conditioned family outing this summer, take your whole family to the Hobby Center for a performance of Frozen before the skies clear and the Scandinavian winter wonderland heads to its next destination. (more…)
Broadway at the Hobby Center hosted the final show of the 2021-2022 season this week with the long-awaited Tony Award-winning production of Hadestown. Postponed since January 2022 due to Covid, the show was definitely worth the wait and I would argue the rest of the audience would agree with me. From the first moment the cast entered the stage the audience’s energy was palpable. Hermes’ first entrance was met with over a minute of applause, and many other jokes and show-stopping scenes throughout the show had similar reactions from the house. Anais Mitchell’s musical follows the mythological love story of Orpheus and Eurydice in a storytelling format narrated by Hades, the messenger of the Gods. The touring production, introducing many new leading cast members on opening night in Houston, was incredibly talented and kept the audience on the edges of their seats throughout the roller-coaster of a story. Mitchell’s musical is entirely “sung-through” with original tracks ranging from chants to ballads to epics. The characters subtly addressed topics such as love, heartbreak, trust, and power, while inviting the audience multiple times to think to themselves about how they would’ve acted if they were in their shoes.
