Music, perfect weather, and celebrating 25 years of ACL's second weekend

The American Express Stage and Austin Skyline

Except where noted All Photos © Steve Galli for Full Access Magazine

Story by Chloe Catajan for Full Access Detroit

The scene at the 25th Austin City Limits Festival might have gone from mud to dust, but that didn’t stop the music. ACL Weekend Two closed on a high note, with stellar performances from Kings of Leon, Rüfüs Du Sol, Twenty One Pilots, and more.

Steve Galli shares his photo highlights below.

Friday turned up the folk

What would a music festival in Texas be without a little twang? Weekend Two went full swing on folk, with performances that showed just how much the genre has evolved.

S.G. Goodman’s performance was heavy and haunting in a beautiful way, her sound reminiscent of Phoebe Bridgers with more lap steel guitar. Songs off Old Time Feeling and Planting By The Signs put Goodman’s Appalachian vocals forward, as her band built nostalgic rhythms around them. Goodman is also known for doing a cool cover of Butthole Surfers’ “Pepper,” which has easily become a fan favorite in her sets.

Indie folk also had a big moment across several stages, with Bo Staloch, Bella Kay, Happy Landing, and Joe Jordan representing emerging talent in the scene. Bo Staloch and Joe Jordan took a stripped, confessional approach a la Noah Kahan, their vox and acoustic guitars taking the spotlight. Bella Kay followed a similar route, leaning a bit more into bedroom pop, while Happy Landing took on a vibrant, folk-pop sound.

Then there was World Famous Pets, who brought jam-band goodness to the Beatbox Stage. Edie Brickell’s were warm, playful, and perfectly matched by the joyful instrumentals from guitarist Mason Stoops, bassist Kaveh Rastegar, and drummer Matt Chamberlain.

Some of the punchiest sounds kicked off the weekend as well, which felt fit for a Friday.

Amyl & the Sniffers, Brigitte Calls Me Baby, Radio Free Alice, and LIVE came in swinging in alt-heavy fashion and attitude to match. Leon Knight mixed that edge with hip hop influences for a sick, singular, standout performance.

Those who came to dance found reprieve in Almost Heaven’s and BUNT.’s electronic sets. Meanwhile, Girlfriend, Labrinth, and Sienna Spiro kept things smooth and easy with their signature soul and R&B stylings.

Amyl & the Sniffers

Kings of Leon photo by Roger Ho for ACL Music Festival

Labrinth

Bella Kay

+LĪVE+

Edie Brickell of World Famous Pets

Brigitte Calls Me Baby

Sienna Spiro

Bo Staloch

Charli XCX photo by Henery Redcliffe Austin City Limits Music Festival

Happy Landing

Joe Jordan

Radio Free Alice

Leon Knight

Almost Heaven

BUNT.

Saturday popped off

Saturday held a special place for pop icons and fans alike, with the headlining set from Lorde a perfect cherry on top. She opened with “Royals,” dove deep into tracks off Virgin, and closed with “Ribs,” each cut a soundtrack to the nuances of girlhood and womanhood. Onstage, Lorde’s presence was free and effortless, which made her performance an evident catharsis for fans who were singing along word-for-word.

Chloe Qisha had a similar effect bringing lush pop perfection to the BMI Stage. Though the British singer-songwriter sang a lot about romance, from “Sexy Goodbye” to “Sex, Drugs & Existential Dread,” these were not the standard love song. These were anthems for romantics ready for their redemption arc, a mentality quite literally summed up by Qisha’s hit cut, “21st Century Cool Girl.”

Montclair and Macy Todd dove into folk-pop territory, with softer sounds and sentimental lyrics. Montclair had an undeniable twee charm, distinguished by jangly guitars and quaint vocals; while Macy Todd brought a touch of twang to Y2K-coded pop, which sounded awesome on songs like “mean!” and “so ruthless.”

And while Saturday’s schedule was decidedly pop, there were of course standout sets across more genres.

Łaszewo remixed pop hits like Lola Young’s “Messy” and Lykke Li’s “I Follow Rivers” into electroclub classics, while Gabriel Jacoby opened the Snapchat Stage with a smooth delivery of R&B bangers.

Damaris Bojor gave a beautiful performance that combined elements of regional Mexican campirano music and Americana, a genre she dubs as “Folkpirano.” Her first full-length album was fittingly titled Folkpirana.

Additionally, Common People rocked the BMI Stage with infectious riffs, reminiscing a range of styles from Ben Kweller to Cage the Elephant. The band even brought out Cage the Elephant frontman Matt Shultz for a surprise cover of Pixies’ “Gouge Away.”

Lorde

Common People with Cage the Elephant’s Matt Shultz

Chloe Qisha

Łaszewo

Macy Todd

A mighty home stretch

The last day of a music festival is always a bittersweet one, but leave it to ACL to find an antidote for the Sunday scaries. The home stretch of ACL was stacked with feel-good vibes, from FCUKERS’ dance party at the Tito’s Stage to Blood Orange’s eclectic aura at Beatbox. This wasn’t a day for taking it slow, but one for taking everything in.

Dreamy sounds were all around this day, with performances from Charlotte Lawrence, Grace Ives, Noga Erez, and Sunday (1994) setting prime examples via electronic and synth-driven melodies. Hip-hop and R&B were also key to setting Sunday’s atmospheric mood thanks to sets from Vwillz, Marzz, and Chelsea Jordan.

Country and folk were a must as well, and beautifully provided by Jason Scott & the High Heat, Max McNown, Joshua Jensen, Kevin Atwater, and Calder Allen, who performed with Charlie Sexton on guitar.

And finally, alt-pop had a huge moment. From genre staple Saint Motel to rising act Thomas Day, things were only looking up(beat) from here. And then came Twenty One Pilots.

Seeing a Twenty One Pilots show can change a person. Their headlining festival sets, in particular, have a way of converting even a skeptical listener into the slightest definition of a fan.

The theatrics, crowdwork, and music are quite something to behold in person. There’s nothing quite like witnessing Tyler Joseph sing atop the crowd for “The Contract” and Josh Dun climbing the festival towers to play drums from above. And the fact that all of this is done by a two-person band? The amount of energy was as unreal as it was infectious.

Of course, Twenty One Pilots left ACL on a high.

So nice, we had to see them twice

Artists from Weekend One sounded just as good the second time around, including Annie DiRusso, Arcy Drive, Balu Brigada, Bleachers, Claire Rosinkranz, Finn Wolfhard, Jesse Welles, Leon Thomas, Lola Young, Lykke Li, Night Tapes, Paris Paloma, Ryan Beatty, Skye Newman, Snow Strippers, Temper City, Turnstile, and Young Miko.