As expected, the 2022 version of the Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL Fest) presented a myriad of opportunities to discover artists booked down the bill. Festival organizers led off day one of the two weekend-long events with high-quality acts even if they weren’t headliners. From Austin-based, TheBrosFresh (yes, it’s all one word) to L’Impératrice, the red-hot French New Wave act that packed the Barton Springs Stage, there were plenty of lesser-known bands to enjoy on an Austin afternoon that presented ideal weather conditions.
TheBrosFresh, an act that describes themselves as “Guitar and B” might be the aptest way of presenting these guys who dress in matching Western wear with a crack band behind them. There may not have been a ton of folks at Zilker Park early on Friday to see the duo originally from Baton Rouge who now call Austin home but those who made it were treated to a fun performance that highlighted their incredibly well-presented harmonies while appearing to have the time of their life playing. It was the perfect way to kick off the 25th Anniversary of ACL Fest.
Next up was another act most fans are unfamiliar with, Nation of Language which sounds like LCD Soundsystem, and The Smiths had a torrid affair that produced an uber-talented love child. The three-piece formed in Brooklyn is led by the deep-voiced Ian Richard Devaney who has been the lead vocalist for Machinegum, a side project created by the Strokes’ drummer, Fabrizio Moretti since 2018, the same year Nation of Language began. 80’s style synth rock is quite fashionable these days. Not many acts present it as well as Nation of Language who demonstrated a mastery of songwriting in their set yesterday.
Lubbock-born solo singer-songwriter Kevin Morby has enjoyed a consistent, steady rise in music since releasing his debut album in 2013. He has since released six more LPs each garnering critical acclaim while growing his fanbase rapidly. The talented singer is touring his latest release, This is a Photograph which dropped on the Dead Oceans label in March of this year. Fans of Morby have noted he’s gotten increasingly louder as his career has progressed. From simple acoustic guitar-driven ballads to more complex arrangements with a full rock band behind him that sound more like Drive-By Truckers than Townes Van Zandt. Either way his songwriting is music fans enjoy.
Perhaps the most intriguing act of the day was Australia’s Genesis Owusu, the African-born singer and performer who presented like Prince in a dramatic, monochromatic red (not purple) suit singing with smooth R&B precision one moment, then rapping with the freshest flow the next. Owusu’s band was tight, and crisp and had the packed Tito’s Tent hopping up and down with delight. This might sound like gratuitous hyperbole but Owusu has nowhere to go but up. He is truly talented and has largely flown under the radar this long due to the worldwide COVID pandemic, his youth (he’s 25), and the relatively isolated Australian music scene. That won’t last long given his massive talent.
The Barton Springs Stage crowd for L’Impératrice yesterday at 5:00 p.m. was massive for a set taking place that early in the day on Friday which is usually the most uncrowded day of the weekend told much of the story with this rapidly rising, synth-based French band. Although the six-piece group released its first EP in 2012, the group did not drop its first full-length record, Matahari in 2017.
Also identified as Nu-Disco or Electronic music, L’Impératrice’s sound is more nuanced than those labels. The diminutive Flore Benguigui (vocals) is non-stop movement on stage, singing, gyrating, and twisting around the stage as the band behind her; Charles de Boisseguin, the group’s founder (keyboards), Hagni Gwon (keyboards), David Gaugué (bass guitar), Achille Trocellier (electric guitar), Tom Daveau (drums) gleefully play. Their joyous energy was both infectious and authentic. This band may have had the most fun at ACL Fest yesterday. From the looks of it, their audience did too.
Musically, the most impressive performance of day one came from Billy Strings, the meteoric Flatpicking guitarist who has set American jam band audiences on their collective ear with his prodigious performances. Garnering a Grammy award for Best Bluegrass Album for his 2021 album, Renewal.
His set-ending performance of “Hide and Seek” garnered the biggest crowd response but it was his blistering mid-set jam during “Dust in a Baggie” that showed the former metal guitarist’s prowess on his trusty D’Addario acoustic which he makes sound like an electric guitar at times. It’s a neat trick few acoustic guitarists can pull off that well.
Photos by Maggie Boyd
