Artist Spotlights: 5 Austin-Based Garage Punk Bands You Need To Be Listening To
Let’s get grunge, cowboys! Get your black boots on and liberty spikes styled to check out these rising punk-rock artists hailing from the live music capital of the world.
Artist Spotlights introduces you to artists that may not be on your radar yet, but should be. There’s no time like the present to find new (and old) talent to support.
Written by Catalina Perez
Photos courtesy of Kyra Ganson, Sarah Eisman, and Further Creative Studio
Austin, Texas, is a bubbling hub of live music where catching a show while grocery shopping at Central Market is just as normal as going to see a band at Mohawk, a downtown music venue. Its mosaic of diverse music genres is a melophile’s paradise with options galore, but one style in particular seems to be having a revival right under Austinites noses … punk! Raul’s on Guadalupe Street used to be the venue to check out new punk rock bands in the early ‘80s, however since its departure, the scene has dissipated. But don’t toss your Sex Pistols shirt yet, for these next five bands will have you moshing till sunrise and screaming till your vocal chords are raw.
Die Spitz.
Photo courtesy of Isabella Martinez
Recommended If You Like: Amyl and the Sniffers, THE BOBBY LEES, L7
Mistresses of mayhem, Ellie Livingston (guitar, vocals), Ava Schrobilgen (guitar, vocals, drums), Chloe Andrews (drums, vocals, guitar), and Kate Halter (bass) release a hurricane of sound and calamitous stage presence with every blustering chord they play. In high school, Livingston, Schrobilgen, and Halter joked about the notion of creating a band; but, it wasn’t until the pandemic propelled the idea forward that they picked up instruments and began practicing. Picking up UT Austin psychology student Chloe Andrews along the way, they got involved with the Austin scene under the name Die Spitz. The ear-perking moniker combines “Die” from the German word for “the” and “Spitz” from the quartet’s fondness of the word “spit.” The ferocious four have caught the public’s eye, winning ‘Best Punk,’ ‘Best Music Residency,’ and ‘ Best New Act’ at the 41st annual Austin Music Awards. Their debut album Teeth features Livingston’s hell-bent screams and Schrobilgen’s rip-roaring riffs sprawled over a rigid bedrock of Andrews’ propulsive drumming and Halter’s electrifying basslines. Upcoming performances include 2023 Levitation festival, and supporting Amyl and the Sniffers on their upcoming U.S. tour.
Photo courtesy of Isabella Martinez
Recommended If You Like: Heart, The Pretty Reckless, Hole
A deadly cocktail of punk rock, garage, and grunge, The Dead Coats’ high-voltage atmosphere is sparked by an amalgamation of lead singer Lauren Warner’s wailing vocals and the group’s quirky performance escapades. Pruning their Baltimore roots and repotting themselves right in the heart of Texas, the group’s local presence sprouted at Austin’s Kick Butt Coffee and has flourished since 2017. Their notable onstage presence can be represented through a performance at Kick Butt Coffee during which the band members, dressed as nurses, carried Warner out on stage in a body bag. Boasting a sold-out album release show in 2021 at Empire Garage and Control Room, Best Rock Group award at the 40th annual Austin Music Awards, and a 2023 SXSW performance, the dynamic troupe is nothing short of spectacular. Their latest single “Reach” features an impassioned Warner delivering roundhouse kick vocals, and a blistering Joshua Jones on guitar, encapsulating the fervent spirit of The Dead Coats. Upcoming performances include a show with Heavy Velvet on November 17th at the 13th floor in Austin.
Photo courtesy of Catherine Lenz
Recommended If You Like: The Cramps, New York Dolls, Dead Kennedys
Self-labeled as a “dollar store trash-glam-punk band,” sibling duo Felix and Sloane Lenz’s vibrant ambiance transcends their sound with eccentric stage garb, effervescent bodily movements, and whimsical lyrics. Spawned in Athens, Texas, the boisterous pair frequented Austin growing up before relocating to the Lone Star Capital in 2015. A homeschooled childhood in a small town of 12,000 people allowed for a free-spirited and creative upbringing, consisting of community theater programs where the dyad was able to express themselves. Once in the Bat City, they got their grounding in film before spawning the marvelous monster known as Lord Friday the 13th. With a palatial catalog under their wings, the budding duplet has performed at Third Man Records in Nashville, Tennessee, toured with Skating Polly, and are currently getting ready for a tour in Europe. Their latest EP Disaster Piece is soaked with Felix’s lyrically-reflective glitter-glazed persona, and sprinkled with Sloane’s cherry-on-top vocals creating a mischievous soundscape bursting with fiery drumming, distorted guitars, and experimentality. Upcoming performances include a European tour beginning October 26th, and South by Southwest 2024.
Listen to Lord Friday the 13th on Spotify and Bandcamp. You can find them on Instagram at @Lordfridayland and Twitter @Lordfridayland.
Pussy Gillette.
Photo courtesy of Ismael Quintanilla III
Recommended If You Like: Surfbort, Gustaf, Ramones
Masani Negloria’s gap-toothed grin, don’t give a damn aura, and rigid vocal undulation echo Pussy Gillette’s distinctive personality, contrived of jesting lyricism and punk-laced sonics. Guitarist Nick Calhoun and drummer Brent Prager met in Austin after Calhoun moved to the Texas capital from Pennsylvania in 1990. Three decades later, friends Negloria, Calhoun, and Prager formed the spunky sound machine, Pussy Gillette. The tenacious triad’s impressionistic productions have garnered them an award for Best New Act at the 40th annual Austin Music Awards, as well as a 2023 touring opportunity with Brooklyn punk band Surfbort. Pussy Gillette’s latest single “Permanent Trash” unleashes a biting declaration of satire, entwining distortion-saturated guitar and Negloria’s attitude-dripping vocals for an in-your-face barricade of sound. Upcoming performances include a November 15th and 16th performance at the Chess Club.
Photo courtesy of David Brendan Hall
Recommended If You Like: Mannequin Pussy, Bikini Kill, Veruca Salt
Raw indignation bleeds through Bella Borbon’s gnarly screams as they scratch their way out of the incandescent vocalist’s throat for a vivaciously impassioned atmosphere of femme rage. Established in 2019, the fierce five of The Pinky Rings have little public information about how they came to shred on the streets of Austin, but nevertheless display bottled-up potential as they have been featured in a No-Comply x Thrasher magazine video and SXSW 2023 unofficial showcases. The band’s burgeoning artistry has also taken them around Austin, leaving a taste of their frenzied spirit in Austinites’ mouths. Their latest release, a self-titled debut which epitomizes their rambunctious essence, fuses fuzzy guitars, hellish howls, and raucous drumming for a riot-grrrl-dunked pit of ardor. Upcoming performances include an October 31st Halloween set at Hotel Vegas.