Punk, psych, metal and plenty of surprises at The Far Out Lounge!
There are music festivals where the conversation seems to be just as much about the celebrity sightings, the outfits, the brands and the social media posts as it is about the actual music. LEVITATION 2026 felt different.
Spending a few days at The Far Out Lounge in Austin last weekend reminded us why festivals built around music can still feel special. There was no pressure to fit everything into one particular sound or scene. One minute you could be watching punk, then noise rock, then something completely strange, and later find yourself standing in front of a psychedelic or progressive metal band. That variety is exactly what made the weekend work.
Levitation took over Austin from September 10–13, with The Far Out Lounge serving as one of the festival’s main hubs and featuring two stages. The festival itself described this year’s lineup as a mix of psych rock, punk, metal, darkwave, indie rock, electronic music and everything in between. That description turned out to be pretty accurate.
For our coverage, we spent Friday and Sunday at Far Out, and even though the two days sounded completely different, they shared the same feeling: people were there because they genuinely wanted to hear music.
The weather helped create its own soundtrack, too. Parts of Friday were sunny, other moments were cloudy, and there was some light drizzle. Instead of killing the mood, it somehow fit the festival.
Friday started with Grocery Bag and Powerplant, easing us into a day that would eventually move through several different corners of alternative music. The nice thing about Levitation is that you don’t necessarily have to know exactly what you’re walking into. You can follow the schedule, but you can also just wander toward whatever sounds interesting.
That feeling became even more obvious as the afternoon moved along.
Then came Gibby Haynes, bringing decades of Texas music history into the Far Out. The set had that strange, unpredictable quality that made it feel very appropriate for Levitation. Songs like “Dust Devil,” “Hey,” “Dracula From Houston,” “Who Was in My Room Last Night?” and “Lady Sniff” connected the present festival crowd with the world of the Butthole Surfers. The surprise appearance of Paul Leary made the moment even more special, with drummer Jeffrey “King” Coffey also joining the reunion on “Lady Sniff.”
And then, almost without giving the audience much time to process what they had just seen, the festival shifted again.
Melt-Banana brought another completely different side of the day, while Sweeping Promises continued to show how wide Levitation’s musical palette really was. It wasn’t about making every band sound connected. It was almost the opposite. The fun was in the contrast.
Then came Die Spitz, and suddenly the entire atmosphere changed.
The Austin band has become one of the city’s most exciting young acts, and seeing them in a festival setting made it clear why they fit so naturally into the Levitation lineup. Their set was loud, messy in the best possible way and completely committed to having fun with the audience. They moved through songs including “Red40,” “i hate when GIRLS die,” “My Hot Piss,” “Groping Dogs Gushing Blood,” “Hair of Dog” and “Throw Yourself to the Sword.”
By this point, the crowd had really settled into what Levitation was offering. Different ages, different styles, different musical backgrounds, all sharing the same space. You could look around and see people who probably wouldn’t normally end up at the same show, but here they were, standing next to each other and watching the same bands. That was one of the things we noticed most throughout the weekend. There was a real sense of camaraderie.
The day eventually built toward Bikini Kill, and the Far Out crowd was ready. Hearing “Feels Blind,” “DemiRep,” “Outta Me,” “Double Dare Ya” and “Rebel Girl” live brought an entirely different kind of intensity to the evening. The familiar “Girls to the front” chant returned, while Kathleen Hanna updated the message to make the invitation more inclusive.
It was a strong way to close a Friday that had already covered so much musical ground.
And then we came back Sunday and basically entered another festival.
If Friday leaned heavily into punk, noise and alternative rock, Sunday moved toward psychedelic rock, progressive sounds, doom and metal. Earth Tongue got things moving before Elder, The Well, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets and Messa continued the afternoon and evening.
That change in atmosphere was one of the best parts of covering two days of Levitation. It never felt like we were watching the same festival twice.
Elder in particular represented just how far the festival’s psychedelic roots can stretch. The band has evolved from its early stoner-doom sound into something much more progressive, and the set reflected that. “Sigil to Ruin” opened the performance before the music moved through heavier guitar passages, synth textures, cleaner vocals and longer arrangements. Eventually, “Halcyon” became one of those extended moments where the musicians had room to really let the song breathe.
From there, the day continued moving between sounds and moods.
The Well brought another dose of heavy Austin music, while Psychedelic Porn Crumpets added their own colorful, unpredictable take on psychedelic rock. Messa helped push the day into darker territory, making the transition from one stage to another feel less like following a traditional festival schedule and more like discovering what was waiting around the corner.
And that’s probably the easiest way to explain Levitation. It feels like discovery.
You might arrive because there’s one band you absolutely don’t want to miss, but then end up staying for another artist you didn’t know much about. You might walk away from one stage thinking you’ve just experienced the loudest thing of the day, only to hear something completely different a few minutes later.
The festival itself has always had a connection to Austin’s more experimental and psychedelic side, and this year’s lineup continued that tradition while stretching well beyond a single genre. The Austin Chronicle described the festival as a more curated, niche experience that connects Austin’s musical history with newer and emerging artists.
After two days at The Far Out Lounge, what stayed with us wasn’t one particular stage or one giant production moment. It was the feeling of being around people who genuinely love music.
Friday and Sunday couldn’t have sounded much more different, but both days had the same underlying spirit. People came to hear bands, discover something new, hang out with friends and simply have a good time.
That is becoming harder to find at some larger festivals, where the music can sometimes feel like only one part of a much bigger entertainment package.
Levitation still feels centered on the music.
You could feel it in the way people reacted to Bikini Kill, the chaos surrounding Die Spitz, the strange nostalgia of Gibby Haynes, the musicianship of Elder, and the heavier sounds coming from the Sunday lineup.
And maybe that’s the best thing we can say about these two days. We didn’t leave talking about who had the biggest production or which artist had the most social media buzz. We left talking about the music.
That’s exactly what a festival like Levitation should be about.
