LEVITATION 2026 | Day Two: Die Spitz, Grocery Bag, and The Garden
Day Two at Levitation kicked off at the festival’s hub location, Far Out Lounge. In addition to evening shows across town at Stubb’s, Mohawk, and 29th Street Ballroom, festival-goers could also choose to stay at the Far Out Lounge for the entire day. Far Out Lounge showcased sets on two different stages with no overlap so that music fans could walk a short distance between each set.
Despite being a Friday afternoon, when I arrived just after doors, the grounds were already full for the sold-out day! I moved back and forth between the stages at Far Out, before heading down to Stubb’s and Mohawk on Red River to catch a few late shows. Follow along below for highlights of the Day Two!
DIE SPITZ & GROCERY BAG | FAR OUT LOUNGE
It’s not often that I go to a festival and the opening set is already crowded with fans. That was the case with Grocery Bag, the local Austin rising psych-garage rock band. The band has earned a large following over the past few years, playing Levitation, SXSW, and supporting acts such as Osees, Frankie and the Witch Fingers, and Psychedelic Porn Crumpets.
Though they are described as psych-garage and sometimes punk, to me Grocery Bag’s songs are more reminiscent of 70s and 80s rock bands that I grew up watching on MTV — they have a throwback vibe to them. They will be opening a few shows for Billy Idol this month, which will add to their American rock band trajectory. They will also be performing at Austin City Limits Festival Weekend 2, and some local Austin dates this Fall.
Another hometown favorite. Die Spitz was clearly a big draw for the sold-out day. If you asked anyone who they were excited to see that day, they all said, “Die Spitz.” Known for their incredible stage shows and die-hard fans, they bring a fun but intense energy and never disappoint.
At a Die Spitz show, unless you are holding on to the rail, expect to be packed so tightly in the pulsing crowd that you move like a wave, unable to gain your footing. Over your head, dozens of crowd surfers will pass over you and sometimes the band members themselves. They often jump into the pit, climb on things, and walk above the crowd.
And the Levitation show was no different — arms and people were flying, bodies were squished, and everyone was along for the (literal) ride. All Die Spitz shows end with the highly anticipated call for “Girls to the Front” - in which any men in the first dozen rows are shoved back and replaced by ecstatic women and girls. Die Spitz tap into what people need to experience and express: anger, adventure, and sisterly bonding.
After Levitation, Die Spitz continues their US tour through many cities until the end of November, so definitely check them out if they come to your city. Hopefully we will be blessed with another Central Texas Merry Spitzmas show this December.
It was a difficult decision to leave the Far Out Lounge before Bikini Kill took the stage; I planned to catch one or two songs, then head downtown for three sets on Red River. The Bikini Kill set was slightly delayed, so I regretfully headed out, but I still caught “New Radio” as I drove away from the venue with the window down!
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS FROM FAR OUT LOUNGE:
Powerplant (London synth-punk and goth metal)
Gibby Haynes | Butthole Surfer’s Mania (Performing the Butthole Surfers catalog with a partial band reunion)
Melt Banana (Veteran Japanese noise rock duo)
Sweeping Promises (American post-punk)
THE GARDEN | STUBB’S
Arriving at Stubb’s, I wove my way through a sea of The Garden fans in white and black jester face paint to get to the pit. The Garden, the Orange County duo of twin brothers Fletcher and Wyatt Shears, is an experimental art-punk band they call “vada vada”. Though they are known for performing in jester make-up, hence the crowd aesthetic, they took the stage without face paint for the set.
The stage was hazy and minimal, with the only decoration being the backdrop of their album cover for their recent release “Bootleg”. They kicked off the set with a handful of their more mainstream songs before moving into the noisier, experimental ones. As the chaos ramped up, fans in clown makeup danced on the lawn and surfed the crowd.
If clowncore, art punk, and mosh pits are your thing, watch some YouTube tutorials on The Garden makeup application, and see them for yourself. They continue touring the US until early October, with stops in Northeastern cities, Denver, and Flagstaff.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS FROM FAR OUT LOUNGE:
Temples (English psych pop)
Her New Knife (Philly-based shoegaze)
