This is fine.
We caught up with our good friends Colourmusic, who opened for Colour Revolt. Texans Dignan kicked off the night, Colourmusic brought the noise, and Colour Revolt left everyone happy.
And when we say Colourmusic brought the noise, we mean it. Colourmusic was about as loud as we can remember anyone ever being at Emo’s, and that is saying a lot. Earplugs were complaining to the management. It was awesome.
Click the link for pictures.
You could tell who was from Austin at ACL by their reaction to the rain. While I loved seeing the bits of green, yellow and red on the radar Wednesday night, we had an outside show at the Mohawk to hit. Junior Boys were in town and I will freely admit that since I first heard “In the Morning”, I have been a big fan.
The rain fortunately parted sending water from the skies to areas just North and South, leaving a wall of clouds filled with lightning as a backdrop for those on the upstairs patio. And while you could sense the weather kept the crowd down a bit, I think it only kept the lesser fans away as everyone at the Mohawk was way into it.
Egyptrixx opened, more on the show and a few pics after the break…
So this is a little off-topic for us, consider it a retro IT Department post. Erasure tickets were a final birthday present to the wife and I was given the opportunity to take photos of the show. This may surprise people, but it was one of the best shows this year. The sold out crowd was ready to have a great time, so many overheard conversations about the last time seeing them live. The venue was ideal. Andy Bell let it loose and left most of the crowd in awe that he still has it vocally.
There are a few more comments and plenty of glorious Bell/Clarke goodness after the break.
The Parish hosted the Horrors last Wednesday night. It was a lovely way to break the ACL hangover. It takes a few days to get over the festival mentality. You have a craving for tall, expensive cans of beer. You constantly check a schedule. You complain about cell service.
What better way to break the cycle than go see a band in a dark, smallish club atmosphere with expensive bottles of beer? Here are pics and few impressions from The Horrors set at The Parish, The Stepkids opened.
The news of the Longhorns’ victory lifted spirits, Cut Copy killed it – Saturday was a good day. I was tired, yet nervous and excited. The rain, though nearby and luckliy watering our lawns, never really pounded the grounds. Sunday was a day with a few bands I knew I wouldn’t see otherwise.
Head on past the break for the final batch of images from Sunday.
Friday night’s headliners meant leaving the park early and challenging my liver at a friend’s house upstairs from Zilker. That first hill is brutal. We snacked, reminisced, planned and then went our separate ways to get some sleep for Saturday. Would we get the big rain?
Head on past the break for some images from Saturday.
ACL is more festival than music and I am fine with that. No pit access meant getting to spend more time with friends meandering from stage to stage. I did have my “little” camera with me so I could share some of the random things seen during the three days.
Head on past the break for some images from Friday.
Going to be a quick one, preparations are in full swing for the annual pilgrimage to Town Lake …erm Lady Bird Lake, to listen to music by bands we already like while standing on the Great Lawn. The IT Department brings an exclusivish track from Fujiya & Miyagi, a new one from Toro Y Moi, mellowness from Geotic and pretty chilly track from The Parish of Little Clifton. The IT Department is back from vacation. Hi.
Update: Ok, adding one more track, new stuff from Jonti.
Welcome to the next edititon, welcome to the IT Department V1.1.
I have a feeling that like most of you out there, the headliners for ACL aren’t the real reason for going to the festival. At first glance, this year may be a bit weak, but even early walk-ins will find excellent acts like Cults, Telekinesis, The Head and the Heart, The Antlers, An Horse, and so on. The middle of the lineup is great with Cut Copy, Kurt Vile, Smith Westerns, The Moondoggies, TV on the Radio, The Walkmen, Broken Social Scene, Empire of the Sun – I could go on. The headliners are left with the task of clearing the venue, the triggers for the long walk back to the car, the soundtrack for a mosey. Here are my Top 5 (anticipated) songs from this year’s Headliners to make me head out.
Seriously, I am sick of the heat. This has been a brutal summer, but everyone that was at the Mohawk Friday night braved the radiant warmth and put their energy into the show. Handsome Furs’ performance was contagious. Dan and Alexei were giving themselves to the crowd, thanking us fans for allowing them to be on stage, to perform for a living. It was too much almost, but the profuse appreciation for the audience never came across as staged or as pandering. It was genuine.
Austin’s Lean Hounds set the crowd up for the exhausting performance. More notes and some of the favorite pics I’ve taken in a while are after the break.
