Christina Aguilera, Don Toliver, Wyatt Flores, and More Reviews From Friday at SXSW

Gus Englehorn’s Quirky Punk Carnival

The most surprising aspect of Gus Englehorn onstage is just how charming and sincere he comes across. His records can collapse in a cataclysm of off-kilter and jagged punk that careens into dark corners, but kicking off Pooneh Ghana’s Freaky Friday day show at Radio/East, Englehorn exuded more childlike playfulness than psychedelic mayhem. Taking the stage in a brown suit and slicked-backed hair that resembled a caricature of a Seventies used car salesman, the songwriter offered a stripped-down setup, with only his electric guitar and Estée Preda on drums. It was enough to capture the smattering of early attendees, though. Leading with “One Eyed Jack Pt. I and II (The Interrogation/The Other Side),” the sparse guitar and percussion caterwauled in a rolling train barrage before the slow Velvet Underground groove of “Suburban Garden of Eden,” from this year’s The Broken Balladeer LP – produced by Butthole Surfer Paul Leary. Yet even as Englehorn spiked into the maddening whirl and narcotic dread of spider odes “Pepperina” and “Tarantula,” the eccentric crawl felt less intimidating than wondrous, like drifting through a night carnival. Closing the 40-minute set with the gashed kaleidoscope of “Better Watch Your Step” and self-deprecating “Hounds Are Out,” Englehorn’s madcap world unveiled as undeniably inviting.  – Doug Freeman  

Tokyo Calling Puts its Loudest and Most Interesting Voices Forward

Back in Ye Olden Tymes, Japan Nite was a must-see for generations of SXSW attendees. Now rebranded Tokyo Calling and ensconced in the Downright Austin courtyard, the 2026 edition featured two obvious standouts. 

Gokumon ratcheted up some heaviness while soundchecking, via Atsushi Osawa’s razor-edged guitar tone. Once go time arrived, the scruffy power trio shattered punk, pop, and thrash, slamming the pieces back together with maximum force and a goofy grin. Between “I Wish I Could Speak English” (sung, of course, in English), “I Don’t Want to Get Out of Futon” and its “Freezing! Freezing!” interjections, and “Muscle My Friend,” which not only advocated for exercising your muscles but called upon the crowd to do a round of squats with the band, Gokumon gave big noise and bigger fun. 

Banshimoku also tipped their hand early during soundcheck, with a quick run through the first verse and chorus of Nirvana’s “Breed.” The trio’s punk-infused power rock hearkened back to the Nineties, but their youthful attack and avoidance of specific thievery made them sound fresh instead of retro. Even if they had been blatantly plundering the sonic wave of 1995, their songs’ catchy hooks and diminutive frontwoman Shion Chiga’s offbeat charisma easily carried the day – as evidenced by the horde descending on the merch table for CDs and selfies. Name change aside, Tokyo Calling is still one of SXSW’s most reliable parties.  – Michael Toland

New Spotify Co-CEO Hails AI and Ignores Everything Else

It was clear from the first few minutes of Gustav Söderström’s presentation that Spotify’s new artificial intelligence innovations would be the focus of the afternoon. But for many people, the name Spotify now brings to mind a slew of recent controversies faced by the company, including former CEO Daniel Ek’s $600 million dollar investment into AI military defense technology company Helsing and the running of advertisements for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Several artists left Spotify last year in protest, and musicians have long complained how little they are paid per stream on the platform. Inside a packed ballroom at the JW Marriott, however, you might have thought the company was in high spirits as Söderström turned on his Swedish charm to sell Spotify’s latest AI advancements in user experience. 

The company leader didn’t field any questions. In fact, he spent the second half of the hour asking the questions to David Friedberg, CEO of agriculture biotechnology company Ohalo, and the somewhat out-of-place country star Lainey Wilson. The panelists briefly brushed on the negative effects of AI unspecifically, offering the line, “Anything can be bad in the wrong hands.” They instead opted for techno-optimism as Friedberg mostly threw out ideas for new Spotify features and expressed dismay at a recent poll he saw where Iran was rated more favorable than AI. For now, it seems like the music streamer’s strategy is to act like everything’s fine and keep marching forward toward its definition of progress. The jury’s still out on whether that’ll work. Outside the entrance to the hotel, a small group of protesters waved Palestinian flags and held signs displaying antiwar messages.  – Joseph Gonzalez

The All American Rejects Bring the Stage Back to the Fans 

Following their explosive opening night performance at Stubb’s, the All-American Rejects sat down with longtime friend and Austin Town Hall founder Nathan Lankford to discuss their viral 2025 house party tour and how becoming fully independent brought the Oklahomans closer to their fans. The session opened with prepared remarks from frontman Tyson Ritter, who took to the podium to reflect on the band’s unlikely DIY resurgence and the venues that shaped it, from a skatepark and bowling alley to an Iowa cornfield. 

“This wasn’t something calculated with some sort of certainty of return,” he shared. “But there was a heart to it, and it was all centered around the hope that we could connect to our fans again and, as a band, find our love for what we do anew by sharing new music.” 

After seeing the success of their first impromptu performance at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, the outfit issued an open call asking fans where they should appear next, generating 31 billion impressions and more than 25,000 venue submissions. “If this was a pipe dream, it was alabaster and it would make even Gandalf jealous,” the group’s co-founder quipped. He also introduced Playhouse, a platform designed to help artists gauge demand and organize small-scale events directly with fans, teasing its use for their next wave of tour stops.

From there, the 41-year-old bassist joined Lankford and the rest of the band to discuss how the intimate performances rekindled their early Aughts spirit and underscored the impact of face-to-face shows. “For many years now, I think we’ve played very high stages with far barricades, and there’s a distance there,” guitarist Mike Kennerty recalled. “Getting back to playing with nothing separating us, it reminded us of the excitement we had when we first started doing this.” When asked what he would tell his younger self, Ritter kept it simple: He wouldn’t change anything. “I feel like we were always the songs that had that band, and I feel like last year we finally created something that made us a band with those songs and that we did it on the back of this sort of blue-collar crusade,” the “Move Along” singer admitted. “I’ve never been more proud to be a reject.”  – Miranda Garza

The Future Is…

According to Rolling Stone’s Future of Music showcase, the Latin edition, on Friday (the 13th) for a sold-out ACL Live at the Moody Theater, tomorrow’s soundtrack to Abya Yala – a utopic, indigenous reimagining (redistricting) of the Americas – is horny, alcoholic AF, and completely devoid of women. Over the course of four hours, the always expertly produced and curated experience drove home trending by the fistfuls. Literally horn-y, as in a tuba-anchored brass contingent plus a pair of acoustic guitarists and both acoustic and electric bass, mañana sounded raucously backyard, particularly in that three of the four acts drove in from the other great Mexican state of the union, California. Stockton openers Linea Personal best embodied that barbecue aesthetic, pumping out accordion-led trad-regional Mexicana while pouring large quantities of tequila down their upturned throats. Clave Especial, from Salinas, flashed a warning that “los corridos aquí no paran” (here corridos don’t stop), so leather-shirted front jefe Alejandro Ahumada paced, punched, swigged, and all but spit the storytelling delivery system of that other great brown valley. Cristian Vega, from Guanajuato, represented the OG Mexico as Chino Pacas, crooning regional balladry high, sweet, and shirtless. Onetime cover band Fuerza Regidal from San Bernardino – and crucially, all acts utilized the Great Mexican Songbook as set glue – filled headliner status aptly all in leather cowboy wear, front smolderer Jesús Ortiz Paz preening and posturing and pouring liquid courage into himself. The screaming theatre slowly filled to a full-on SRO journey through the looking glass.  – Raoul Hernandez

Karma Sheen Sages the Flamingo Cantina

It wasn’t clear that the crowd at Flamingo Cantina – many still lingering after a set from flashy Indian American rapper KOAD – would easily connect with the wild progressive raga-rock sounds of Karma Sheen. But as the traditional Hindustani singing of Sameer Khan traveled through the room, the audience quickly got on board. The remarkably polished London-based group seems as though they were born out of a psychedelic, South Asian pilgrimage, pairing sitar-infused funk with outfits that look just a little bit too much like Sixties hippie cosplay. In the second-to-last set of the South Asian House showcase, incense wafted through the air as the crowd danced in a midnight haze. The band has a knack for shifting from the soft and meditative to burn-the-house-down intensity. In the lengthy, epically arranged set closer, Khan pulled out a flute for a tasteful solo, adding another layer to their colorful sonic texture. It shouldn’t be a surprise that Karma Sheen found a natural home in the state that birthed Khruangbin – and who’s to say they couldn’t go just as far?  – Joseph Gonzalez

CMA Convenes a Songwriter Group Therapy Session

The idea behind the CMA’s Friday night SXSW songwriter session at Central Presbyterian Church was to bring together four rising artists to discuss mental health issues and the stories behind some of their songs. Like any therapy session, it started a bit awkward, reticent, and unsure of itself. The four songwriters – Wyatt Flores, Ingrid Andress, Chase McDaniel, and Tiera Kennedy – have all been outspoken about mental health even beyond their songs, and psychotherapist and Amber Health co-founder Zack Borer achieved an admirable balance of prodding the panel with questions and getting out of the way of the music. Flores opened the first round with “Orange Bottles,” poignant in his smooth drawl and high twanging howl, while Andress delivered “Lady Like” with a low breathiness behind her keyboard to McDaniel’s baritone croon on “Lost Ones” and Kennedy’s uplifting “The Giver.” By the end of the second round, the group had found its vulnerable footing in discussing some of their journeys, especially with McDaniel’s show highlight “Born in a Burning House.” Andress’ wit likewise broke a lot of the sincere heaviness of the songwriters’ testimonials: “Part of my mental health journey is that a lot of my problems were caused by churches,” she quipped, gesturing around the sanctuary. But by the end of the two-hour song circle, a genuine catharsis and joyfulness had overtaken the stage and the crowd.  – Doug Freeman

Don Toliver Brings the Energy

Houston-bred hitmaker Don Toliver closed out Billboard’s sold-out showcase with a high-octane headlining set packed with pyrotechnics and pulse-pounding production. The wordsmith opened his hourlong set with “E85” and “Body,” back-to-back cuts from his January LP OCTANE, which the overflowing crowd already had memorized word-for-word. Across his performance, Toliver balanced material from his latest release with longtime favorites and earlier hits. Guitarist Spikes helped drive the night’s momentum, adding an electric live dimension to tracks like “OPPOSITE” and “BANDIT.” Mosh pits broke out and crowdsurfing followed, while the rapper matched the energy with restless dancing and stage movement. 

In between tracks, the 31-year-old paused to acknowledge the anniversary of his debut studio album, Heaven or Hell. “You know I got so many goddamn albums it be an anniversary damn near every other month, but today is very special. I feel it in my heart,” the headliner shared.Toliver also worked through a series of standout collaborations, including Travis Scott’s “CAN’T SAY,” and Metro Boomin/Future joint “Too Many Nights,” sending the crowd into overdrive. The night closed with a climactic “After Party,” capped by Spikes’ behind-the-head guitar flourish. With his live ensemble still in place, the set appeared poised for an encore – until the lights flipped on and the crowd groaned in audible disappointment.  – Miranda Garza

Christina Aguilera Performs Sharp Trills, Quick Thrills

“What a beautiful journey we’ve had since I was, what, 17 years old?” Christina Aguilera crooned to an eager crowd at Coca-Cola Sips & Sounds Music Festival, tossing a lock of long, blond hair over her shoulder. Legacy was on the Y2K pop star’s mind as she dedicated 1999 single “What a Girl Wants” to those fans who’ve “been there since day one,” and treated them to a jarringly composed supercut of her catchiest hooks. 

The singer has explored many pop terrains throughout her multi-decade career, including two Spanish-language albums and a host of collaborations like Friday’s opening number, 2002’s “Dirrty (feat. Redman),” and a feature on A Great Big World’s radio hit “Say Something,” which contained Aguilera’s longest and most emotional vocal performance of the night. 

Her powerful alto vibrato has been the unifying note in these at-times disparate sounds. While it still carried a gravelly prowess, the vocalist used it sparingly Friday, opting to ad-lib signature runs while backup singers or a backing track carried the melody. Only occasionally did she complete a verse on her own. Jumping between performance styles and audio mixes, some hits, like “Candyman,” were drowned out by bass, while others, restructured to emphasize crescendo after crescendo, lost their sing-along quality. Adding to the sonic whiplash was a sharp variation in visual presentation on the big screens, switching from music video-esque montages to stylized translations of the onstage action, including a particularly bizarre pixelated version of Aguilera and her eight backup dancers during “Genie in a Bottle.”

Still, the crowd, nostalgic and hungry for their favorite tracks, seemed to forgive the abrupt transitions and limited vocal performance. Aguilera’s upcoming album and documentary may be lovingly received, even as she struggles to adapt a legacy-encompassing stage setup.  – Caroline Drew