Female musicians steal the show at Austin City Limits

PHOTOS COURTESY OF KAITLYN WILKES

Two things that are almost guaranteed at Austin City Limits: It will be super hot, even though it is technically fall, and the dust will cause attendees to have a post-ACL cough for at least a day after the festival. Despite these seemingly unpleasant guarantees, the environment, music and food make the festival worth going to. 

This year’s line-up showed the promise of current musicians, especially the women on the lineup, who could draw massive, energetic crowds despite the heat. They knew what to do to have the audience in the palm of their hand, eagerly lapping up anything the ladies were willing to give. 

Saturday

My sister and I hadn’t originally planned to watch The Criticals, a Nashville based rock band. However, the group's divey, garage rock could be heard from the tent where we were eating our lunch, enticing us to check out our unintentional mealtime entertainment. 

The duo, accompanied by their touring band, bounced around their catalog, from latest releases to old fan favorites, keeping the early afternoon crowd energized for the upcoming day. A personal stand out was the 2019 track “Good Looking.” Its slightly abrasive sound creates a sense of intrigue, and made me want to know more about the band and its musical stylings. 

After interviewing Rett Maddison, I dragged my friends to see indie-rock girl group The Beaches. The four-piece’s set was lighthearted and fun, everyone in the crowd (even the jersey wearing young teenage boys) danced and sang along to songs like “Shower Beer,” “Edge of the Earth” and “Takes One To Know One.” Even though I was the only one of my friends who knew about The Beaches before the show, afterwards, I had friends telling me they were going to listen to the music again later on Spotify.

When Renee Rapp bounced onstage, the first thing I noticed was her shirt. It was a quote from Texas U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett to Georgia U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene: “Bleach blonde bad built butch body.” Both a political statement, and perhaps Rapp making a quip about herself. Being a theater kid, Rapp knows how to keep an audience hooked on a song, waiting to see what will unfold next. She perfectly balanced her upbeat hits with her more somber tunes, creating a push and pull seen in any good musical. 

Dua Lipa closed out Saturday’s sets as the headliner. I haven’t seen Lipa live since she toured her first album. Needless to say, this was a much larger venue, but no matter the crowd or venue size, she knows how to entertain. She has a knack for ensnaring the attention of the audience and taking them through a setlist that has so many songs everyone knows it might as well be a “greatest hits.” She also mentioned performing in Austin when she was just starting out at the SXSW conference. It always gives me a sense of town pride knowing Austinites have supported artists like Dua Lipa from the beginning stages to the largest one available. 

Sunday

Student band West 22nd seemed to have every University of Texas student who was at the festival in the crowd of their show. This worked in the group's favor as this is the audience most familiar with their work. Having the chance to introduce a wider audience to their twinkly indie-rock tracklist will hopefully lead to them performing at Austin venue staples like Mohawk, Stubbs or Antones. 

I have been listening to MisterWives since their first songs came out nearly a decade ago. Even in the ridiculous heat, the show proved emotional for my sister and I, finally seeing someone we’ve been following for so long. This was the first time the group had performed at ACL in a long time, and hearing songs from MisterWives’ Nosebleeds live was an ideal way to let out pent up rage and enjoy some truly well made tunes. 

Closing out my Sunday night, some friends and I “camped” for Chappell Roan, getting there about two hours early, but ultimately decided to be farther back, amongst those with chairs and blankets. Even though we were farther back, we were nowhere near the end of the Midwestern Princess’ crowd, which covered nearly the entire festival grounds –– and that’s only a slight exaggeration. Although the crowd was monstrous and the audio wasn’t stellar, part of the Pink Pony Club experience is having fun with your friends. Dancing with my friends to Chappell Roan at ACL is an experience that made me feel like a kid again, which is something I’m not soon to forget. 

Successfully covered in a thin film of dust, leaving ACL weekend tired but happy was the mark of a good time. Artists always seem to get a kick out of the energy of the crowds, which creates a cyclical effect of both artist and fan having a great time in the middle of the city, with the Austin downtown skyline watching over.