Fun Fun Fun Fest Preview

The Lemurs

12:50pm, Stage 1

First set of the first day? That's not a very fun fun fun time slot for a band in its ascendancy. No mere creatures of the night, this Austin quintet, which marries classic indie with New Wave, always brings the energy. The Lemurs' self-released eponymous 2006 EP begs for new material soonish. – Melanie Haupt

DJs Manny & Bigface

1pm, Stage 3

Rumor has it that the sonic sensei behind Austin's DJ Dojo – DJs Manny and Bigface – will use FFFFest to unleash their latest zany creation on the masses. The "urban mobile DJ" is a sort of seatless pedicab with a tricked-out sound system and DJ setup. Don't be surprised if the relentless duo's insane collision of hip-hop, break beats, and electro-funk comes flying off the stage, barreling down at you on three wheels. – Thomas Fawcett

Zykos

1:25pm, Stage 1

After disappearing in the wake of 2004's eponymous sophomore release, Zykos re-emerged this year with a stunning set of songs, collected on brand-new EP Keep It Light (Cult Hero). The Austin quintet retains the intensity embedded in Mike Booher's charged songwriting, emotive vocal sneer, and high-pitched surges on songs like "Autographin' Bibles," while keyboardist Catherine Davis' harmonies soften the edges of the title track. – Doug Freeman

Brothers & Sisters

2pm, Stage 1

The success of last year's self-titled debut, and subsequent attention garnered from touring with Trail of Dead and soundtracking The OC, led the ATX collective to an L.A. residency, where they recorded their forthcoming LP for local label I Eat Records. Pitting Will Courtney's vocals with sibling Lily's harmonies, the new songs bounce with a slightly more psychedelic vibe. – Doug Freeman

MGMT

3pm, Stage 3

An electro-dance duo from Brooklyn? If you thought that scene was dead and buried in its skinny jeans, think again. Columbia debut Oracular Spectacular pits Andrew Vanwyngarden and Ben Goldwasser's four-on-the-floor beats against trippy effects and shouts. This is what happens when art rockers channel Seventies glam and funk. They've been touring with Of Montreal, after all. – Audra Schroeder

Evangelicals

3:10pm, Stage 1

Norman, Okla.'s Evangelicals are incapable of coloring inside the lines. Though guitarist Josh Jones' vocals sway with breezy, soulful agility, the songs on the trio's 2006 Misra debut, So Gone, defy expectations at every turn, from the staggered beats and limit-pushing range of loungy "Hello Jenn, I'm a Mess" to the swirling olio of rhythms maneuvering throughout "Here Comes Trouble." A follow-up on local imprint Dead Oceans is due next year. – Doug Freeman

Prince Klassen

3:45pm, Stage 3

Already a Beauty Bar and Whisky Bar staple, Austin's Prince Klassen expands his traveling rave of house and techno beats, pumped up with a steady dose of party bass and fly-ass horn ensembles. Be sure to cop his LA to NY mix, a blend of M.I.A., Michael Jackson, and the next generation. – Chase Hoffberger

White Denim

3:50pm, Stage 1

James Petralli, Steve Terebecki, and Josh Block clatter and bang more like a duo, spastic rhythms bolted to amped riffs – performance without a net. Workout Holiday, the new tour EP from Austin's favorite trio, picks up where their rabid 7-inch earlier this year left off: an avalanche of Swiss-cheese muffler riffs electrified through raw youth. "Let's Get Together" and "Shake Shake Shake," as if you had any choice. – Raoul Hernandez

Final Fantasy

4:35pm, Stage 1

Though Canadian Owen Pallett's violin and string arrangements have graced the work of Grizzly Bear, the Hidden Cameras, and Arcade Fire, his solo performances as Final Fantasy explore an entirely different realm, as heard on last year's Dungeons & Dragons-inspired He Poos Clouds (Tomlab). Pallett's gentle falsetto often cuts with a darker lyrical edge as he loops orchestrations like an architect laying bare the structural layers of design. – Doug Freeman

DJ Jester

4:45pm, Stage 3

Repping San Antonio to the fullest, DJ Jester the Filipino Fist has a crate full of inside jokes to share, every mix eliciting as many appreciative smiles as head nods. More likely to flip Willie Nelson than Wu-Tang, Jester marries oddball musical couples like George Strait and Young MC in his unique genre-bending. His latest mix, 2006's Secret Love, is a tale of lost love woven together with delightfully cheesy Eighties glam. – Thomas Fawcett

Battalion of Saints

5pm, Stage 2

These San Diego hardcore legends were among the first wave of SoCal thrashers to fuse metallic riffs with punk rock ire. Their classic 1984 paint-stripper, Second Coming, with its blistering cover of Motörhead's "Ace of Spades," defined an era, even though nearly every original member other than frontman George Anthony died of unnatural causes years before the Eighties were over. Fuck resting in peace: This is the real Second Coming. – Marc Savlov

Sick of It All

5:50pm, Stage 2

A decade after issuing their widely influential and critically acclaimed sixth album, Built to Last, which essentially paved the way for metalcore in the new millennium, Sick of It All was honored with an appropriately titled tribute, Our Impact Will Be Felt, released in May and featuring Sepultura, Napalm Death, and Hatebreed, among others. The NYC punks are still thrashing, thanks to last year's brutal battle cry, Death to Tyrants. – Austin Powell

Grand Buffet

5:50pm, Stage 3

In a world of self-aggrandizing MCs, don't accuse Pittsburgh duo Grand Buffet of taking themselves too seriously. The Iron City boys put on a show equal parts improv comedy and rap concert and have garnered cult status with self-deprecating and self-defecating (yes, they actually rap about shitting themselves) rhymes. What saves this from disaster are the oft-overlooked facts that Grape-a-Don can actually spit and that Lord Grunge's frenetic lo-fi beats are surprisingly catchy. – Thomas Fawcett

Angry Samoans

6:40pm, Stage 2

Rumor has it these Los Angeles garage punk icons and 13th Floor Elevators fans' first gig was opening for Roky Erickson & the Aliens way back in '78. Expect classic, stop-start first-wave punk culled from their glory days at the Masque, the Starwood, and, natch, Samoa. Lights out. – Marc Savlov

Cadence Weapon

6:40pm, Stage 3

Rollie Pemberton's indie-rap hits somewhere between J.T. and Dizzee Rascal, but this writer from Edmonton, Alberta, plays his own Timbaland, dicing up beats and blasts that equal his flow. 2005's Breaking Kayfabe, released stateside on Epitaph this year, was only the beginning. The 21-year-old gets personal and political, loves to dance, and cites Steely Dan as a MySpace influence. Beat that. – Darcie Stevens

The Sword

7:30pm, Stage 2

The clouds will part when Austin metal fourpiece the Sword hits the stage, but there will be no downpour. Knights will ride in from Red River wielding giant blades yielded from ancient depths. Dragons will take to the skies breathing fire and dive-bombing evil. We will stand with fists in air, heads flailing to the mighty power of last year's hungry Age of Winters (Kemado), as J.D. Cronise narrates the fantasy. – Darcie Stevens

Girl Talk

8:40pm, Stage 3

Thank you, Gregg Gillis, for not being afraid to freak out on your laptop. Thanks for having the balls to collapse boundaries, mashing up Grizzly Bear and the Knife with Slim Thug and Clipse. Thanks for coming from Pittsburgh with 2006's Night Ripper in hand and leaving all pretension at the door. Because a Girl Talk party is a workout, and we need our exercise. Get ready to dance. – Darcie Stevens

Explosions in the Sky

8:40pm, Stage 1

Austin's post-rock darlings are like a perfect romance: Not a word is spoken, but emotion is felt for days. This year's fourth LP, All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone (Temporary Residence), continued the trajectory of isolated guitar surrendering to climactic euphoria and expanses as great as the West Texas sky. And that's just on album. Live, the fourpiece brings home the noise. – Darcie Stevens

Saturday Schedule

Stage 1

12:50 The Lemurs

1:25 Zykos

2:00 Brothers & Sisters

2:35 Emma Pollock

3:10 Evangelicals

3:50 White Denim

4:35 Final Fantasy

5:25 Okkervil River

6:30 Of Montreal

7:35 New Pornographers

8:40 Explosions in the Sky

Stage 2

12:40 Down to Nothing

1:10 Iron Age

1:45 Viva Hate

2:20 Modern Life Is War

2:55 Saviours

3:30 Witchcraft

4:15 Madball

5:00 Battalion of Saints

5:50 Sick of It All

6:40 Angry Samoans

7:30 The Sword

8:30 Neurosis

Stage 3

1:00 DJs Manny & Bigface

2:15 Small Sins

3:00 MGMT

3:45 Prince Klassen

4:45 DJ Jester

5:50 Grand Buffet

6:40 Cadence Weapon

7:40 Busdriver

8:40 Girl Talk