Levitation Materializes 2018 Lineup

Following September’s announcement that Levitation would return next year as a series of late-April club shows, organizers today unveiled the full lineup, including appearances from elusive UK doom unit Electric Wizard, shoegaze vets Slowdive, and hometown hosts the Black Angels.

The psych summit, also featuring scene staples Brian Jonestown Massacre, Thee Oh Sees, and Dead Meadow, plays out in Red River venues – Barracuda, Stubb’s, Empire, Mohawk, Cheer Up Charlies – and Emo’s April 26-29. Consider it a concert series more than a traditional festival as each show will be individually ticketed. Whereas fests represent a buffet of music, Levitation now serves à la carte.

Along with Electric Wizard, industrial demons Ministry arrive as something of a rain check for Sound on Sound Fest, which was canceled in October due to a loss of financial backing.

The 15-show blowout also imports noisy Japanese destroyers Acid Mother’s Temple, Algerian desert rock tribe Imarhan, Alynda Segarra’s indie project Hurray for the Riff Raff, heavy heartland rockers the Men, doom trio Om, led by Al Cisneros from Sleep, and heavy stoner psych act Ruby the Hatchet.

Meanwhile, the capital city scene gets representation from minimalist Moog muses Dallas Acid, Afro-psych circus Golden Dawn Arkestra, rising garage psych act Annabelle Chairlegs, psychedelic beatmaker Al Lover, and synth squad Survive.

The story of the event formerly known as Austin Pysch Fest has been one of building up, crashing down, and rebuilding. The decade-old fest helped catalyze a psychedelic revival in Austin, spearheaded by the Black Angels, and grew from a venue-based fest in its first five iterations into a large outdoor festival. In 2016, as Levitation crested with its most ambitious lineup, the festival was canceled at the last minute due to concerns of dangerous weather.

Afterward, organizers were sued by a production partner for unpaid service. As a result, last spring’s fest was minimized to a trio of local shows under the Levitation banner. Now, a stellar 2018 lineup rich with psych, doom, shoegaze, electro, and world music previews a new beginning.

Individual concert lineups can be viewed on Levitation’s Eventbrite page. Additional artists will be announced in January. Here’s everyone booked so far:

Slowdive
The Black Angels
Electric Wizard
Ministry
Brian Jonestown Massacre
Ty Segall
Panda Bear
Thee Oh Sees
Parquet Courts
Om
Survive
Chelsea Wolfe
Dan Deacon
Baths
Dead Meadow
Föllakzoid
Wooden Shjips
Windhand
Geologist
The Garden
La Luz
Waxahatchee
Hurray for the Riff Raff
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith
The Men
Golden Dawn Arkestra
Acid Mothers Temple
Imarhan
Ruby the Hatchet
Omni
A Giant Dog
Stonefield
Mien
Annabelle Chairlegs
Botany
Al Lover
Dallas Acid
Vuelveteloca
Prettiest Eyes
Rishi Dhir
Lake of Fire