Even with Kingdom’s air conditioning on full blast, we can’t promise this dance floor will be much reprieve from July’s steamy post-sunset temperatures. The Chronicle has partnered with Red River Cultural District to present a Hot Summer Nights showcase worth sweating for, featuring energetic upstart duo DJ Garty, noise rockers Witches Exist, and indie sleaze revivalists Almost Heaven.
The side-project-turned-sensation of Chronicle contributor Genevieve Wood and friend Marty Czvikli, DJ Garty has quickly garnered a reputation for starting the party – or keeping it going into the early morning. These two eclectic music buffs kick off the party at 9pm, bringing their extensive, cutting-edge knowledge to high-energy, cross-genre DJ sets full of easter eggs for any music fan.
We first caught psychedelic noisegaze act Witches Exist, next on the bill at 10pm, at Hot Summer Nights 2023, where their “raucous energy came to a gurgling boil onstage, before fizzling out into a wavering transmission of feedback.” Their debut album, Crashing, came out later that year, a stirring concoction of moody melodies, distorted breakdowns, and catchy riffs studded with electronic experimentation. A few more years, several singles, and an EP under their belt, their sound has only grown more diverse, adding a power-pop ballad feel with 2025’s shelter in the cocoon.
LCD Soundsystem meets the White Stripes in Almost Heaven’s polished production and Y2K aesthetic. This duo may have a small onstage footprint, but their energetic output is unmatched thanks to Jaelyn Valero’s (Farmer’s Wife) precise drumming and Stefan Barraza’s larger-than-life persona. Their dance floor rock and electric performances have cultivated a quickly growing fanbase in town. “We were put into a vortex,” Barraza told the Chronicle last December. Since the release of their debut EP, RAW CRANIUM, in January 2026, that vortex has only been speeding up. The duo brings the showcase into Saturday morning, where Kingdom’s DJ pick for the night, Provider, will end the party with an electronic set until 2 am.
Whether dancing, headbanging, or a combination of the two, these three innovators bring alternative synth stylings and danceable distortion made for movement. Hydration and an all-nighter attitude are must-haves for this Chronicle-partnered Kingdom party.
