We Asked Writers To Review Bands They’d Never Seen Before at Free Week in Austin

Whether by generally balmy weather or lighter viral counts than previous years, Free Week 2023 landed the largest in recent memory. Long lines wrapped venues in the Red River Cultural District, whose unticketed edition landed last Thursday through Saturday.

Per the annual tradition’s purpose, four Chronicle writers checked out previously unviewed artists in the Downtown district and beyond.

Dregs Frantically Thwart Midnight Fatigue

Closing out a stacked bill at Hotel Vegas on Friday – some feet away from the ceaseless noise of the late 2000s-heavy DJ set blasting at a nearby Revelry (when was the last time you heard Young Money’s “BedRock” bumping in the early hours of the morning?) – punk fire starters Dregs took the stage around 12:20am. “Thank you for sticking around until midnight,” vocalist Evan Jones said to an at-times reserved, but overall inexhaustible, crowd. She joked about drummer Eli Deitz turning into a pumpkin at the stroke of midnight.

The fourpiece was a profoundly refreshing force, bound to make even the most tapped-out, cynical hardcore punk lifer do a double take. Jones and guitarist Mark Nolan divvied up vocal duties à la X’s John Doe and Exene Cervenka, commanding the room with each wail and snarl beside Lindsay Hornbeck’s spiraling basslines.

Jones shimmied and writhed across the stage to tumbling percussion on the set list’s more frantic numbers, rousing the crowd into what quickly turned into a midnight fatigue-thwarting mosh session. While belting out “Everytime I’m walking! Walking down the street! They always holler, holler, holler at me!” the singer leaned into the front row, re-creating that sense of discomfort all too many women are familiar with. She held those closest to the stage in her unflinching gaze. Catcallers be damned.  – Nayeli Portillo

Chief Cleopatra Spins Golden Grooves

Following opener Blue Tongue’s raucous electric whirlwind, fellow locals Chief Cleopatra opted for the alternative – spinning laid-back, golden grooves to a packed Stubb’s crowd Friday night. Vocalist Jalesa Jessie, donning cool shades and a $100 dress (complete with Benjamin Franklin’s face), launched the set at 11:30pm sharp, no introductions. Just guitarist Buddy Lenny’s flashy indie rock jangle, and keyboardist Jackson Presley’s flying hair and fringe.

Passive attendees and enthusiastic listeners got with the program immediately, following the sway of Jessie’s spirited hand gestures as she delivered hearty declarations of affection during opener “Afrodite.” Between her casual stroll through latest EP Luna, the Corsicana native eagerly revisited a handful of catalog classics: the deceptively upbeat “Friday Night” from 2019’s Lesa X Lenny Vol. 1, and the entirety of 2020 follow-up collection Chief Cleopatra. Jessie kept banter to a minimum throughout the evening, even after evoking heartbreak, disappointment, and frustration in her songs.

When the singer did speak, the audience held on to every word. The bandleader commanded, “I want you guys to get down to this one for sure,” before sliding into the meandering atmosphere of determined soul rally “Belushi.” Chief Cleopatra closed the night with the carefully layered arrangement of “Friends,” a danceable track propelled by bassist Tre Pham’s lengthy slap solo and drummer Javier Mendez’s hammering snare. Lenny’s “Careless Whisper” guitar tone and Jessie’s impressive vocal runs added bonuses to the 47-minute performance. Groovy indeed.  – Kriss Conklin

Exotic Fruits Set a Prickly Post-Punk Precedent

When Austin quintet Exotic Fruits hit the Mohawk inside stage just before 10pm on Thursday, it was clear that most people had no idea what they were in for. To find out required some patience.

Opening song “Fuxx” began with sparse vocals from singer/guitarist Jon French over the quiet pitter-patter of drummer Aaron Gilligan tapping on the edges of his kit, eventually expanding into subtle psychedelia that put the audience into a dreamlike state. And then … BOOM – the trance was shattered by soaring synths and guitars, crashing drums, shouted lyrics, and, above all, an unstoppable stampede of bass.

Four-string slinger Elik Jazdzewski flung himself to the ground without missing a note, setting a precedent for the relentlessly explosive, 40-minute set. The audience, once merely curious, now couldn’t help but groove, easily picking up on the synth-driven danceability of following track “Star.” Like most of the band’s compositions, especially recent single “Panda Vision,” the tune coalesced into a chaotic post-punk breakdown.

Yet woven into those signature walls of sound were consistently satisfying earworms: blues-stomp riffs (on “This Neighborhood Is Effervescent”); snarky shout-along choruses cut from the same cloth as British upstarts Idles and Shame (see “Calm Means Less Anxiety”); and cathartic, industrial-toned crescendos. If you dig what Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor have been doing in Nine Inch Nails lately, you’ll be hooked. Like a lot of for-real exotic fruits – a bit prickly and imposing at first glance – the music overflows with decadent flavor once you break the skin and dig in.  – David Brendan Hall

Nuclear Daisies’ Unexpected Industrial Energy

A midnight show? On a Thursday? I’m 23 in body, 45 in spirit, and typically asleep by 11pm. But Nuclear Daisies boast members of Ringo Deathstarr, Still Corners, and Nevil – a no-brainer for anyone (ahem) into shoegaze. I traded my Scrooge nightgown for pants and begrudgingly trekked to Hotel Vegas.

Fortunately, the band veers more toward industrial than dream pop live, keeping me happily alert. (Flaring strobe lights from experimental artist drip//cuts aided.) Deathstarr drummer Daniel Coborn’s heavy hitting blended with electronic beats for the dark set opener “Cinnamon Kiss.” Then, in “Sarafem,” Deathstarr bassist Alex Gehring, keyboardist Robert Williams, and singer Rob Glynn tackled depression with melodic, quick-spitted rap delivery, wondering aloud, “What the fuck is wrong with me?”

This unexpected energy came to a head when Glynn announced during a brief intermission that the sextet had “rocked off” an instrument cable. Nevil bassist Katelynn Garza triumphantly raised the clipped cord in the air before an unknown hero provided replacement. From there, the group continued to soundscape without incident – Glynn screeching on a recorder and Williams connecting his keyboard to a talk box.

The Free Week show proved Gehring’s last local gig before moving out to Los Angeles, but Nuclear Daisies confirmed the distance wouldn’t keep her from the band. Next time she comes around, I’ll be paying for the show.  – Carys Anderson

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Check out David Brendan Hall's photo gallery from Free Week 2023.