Austin City Limits Review: Highlights From Day One at ACL 2015

There’s no better place to mess with Texas than in Austin. The city prides itself on the best BBQ a carnivore could ask for, as well as being the self-proclaimed live music capital of the world. It takes the designation seriously, as we’ve seen over six years covering the Austin City Limits festival – one of the best damn festivals in America.

This year, we leaned back from the desperate rush to hit every band and post photo galleries of every performance to actually experience the music as a fan once again. The result was a fantastic day in Zilker Park’s rolling fields of green on Friday as the Foo Fighters, Royal Blood, Albert Hammond Jr., Run The Jewels, Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas and Gary Clark Jr. delivered an incredible day of music.

New Discovery: Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas

Who the hell are these deliciously soulful Detroit rockers? Jessica Hernandez has a gorgeously lush voice, framed perfectly by a band of boys who couldn’t have seemed more into the moment if teir lives depended on it.

Local Legend Rises: Gary Clark Jr.

We’ve seen Gary Clark Jr. plenty of times over the years, but never before has he seemed so confident and genuinely happy. Perhaps it was his recent antics with the Foo Fighters on recent tour dates, or the knowledge that he’d be joining them later that night, but through a glossy-eyed grin he pulled new life out of selections from his released-last-month sophomore album, The Story of Sonny Boy Slim, as well as familiar favorites like 2012’s “You’re Gonna Know My Name” as well as “The Healing” and “Grinder.” From shredding fret acrobatics to slow, soul-driven walks through a groove, Clark showed us once again why he’s the torchbearer for the blues in 2015.

A Stroke of Greatness: Albert Hammond Jr.

In the midst of a North American tour in support of his new and tremendously good Momentary Masters LP, Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. has polished his frontman charisma to the point of full conviction. The rocker led his five-piece through an astoundingly sharp set of pop-rock gems – watch for our exclusive interview with Hammond later this week, where we discuss a new album from The Strokes, his own plans to reimagine a few Sinatra songs and more.

UK Snarl: Royal Blood

We need more Royal Blood in our lives. And as you’ll soon be able to see in our ACL interview with the guys, we’re not taking “later” for an answer. But the UK duo swaggered and blasted their way through an incredible early-day set on Friday, tearing through the majority of last year’s eponymous crusher LP. The UK rockspaz duo sounded like a spiky lovechild between Refused and Japandroids as they punched up hits “Come On Over” and “Figure It Out”. Rock needs to drop its silly-ass inferiority complex and realize that Dave Grohl isn’t the only one holding the paint can at the wall of modern music history. Chopping riffs, purposeful passion and potent sneer shape this Brighton bass-and-drum duo’s sound as much as their explosively infectious choruses, and the distinct lack of bullshit makes it perfectly sensible that these cats are the most breathlessly deified new UK rock outfit we’ve seen in a decade.

Bring Your Kids

Shoulder-riding offspring were a relative constant on Day One, and while taking kids to music festivals is generally a terrible idea, Austin City Limits provides an ideal festival experience for kids that’s refreshingly low-impact. Between the Austin Kiddie Limits stage, available shade, tons of grass to play on and an end time of 10pm, ACL caters to families seeking comfort without diminishing the general experience whatsoever. Besides, how badass is it to see little tikes singing along to Royal Blood or Foo Fighters?

Then came Day One headliners the Foos, on their mighty shitkickin’ muscle-car steeds, roaring and blasting in a modern classic-rock burst of fun. Dave Grohl is a screaming madman on a rock n’ roll throne – both figuratively and literally. There is Red Bull surging in his veins, pumping from the heart of a rock n’ roll maniac, willfully embracing his cock-rocking human caricature with the kind of gusto generally seen only in pro wrestling. Broken leg? Fuck it, let’s get high and design a crazy-ass throne framed with guitars and spotlights! Check out our full recap.

Other observations:

Billy Idol is a disturbing vision of what was, gleaming veneers, flanked by ’80s Aquanet glam-peacock dragged down an alley.

Run The Jewels own their audience. Their sunset performance was a crusher from the word go, with “We Are The Champions” bringing the mighty duo onstage.

Kevin Parker has no scarf! Did someone steal his scarf? My god, what is a Tame Impala show without Kevin in a scarf?! These questions need answering, because I need something to distract me from this godawful hangover psychedelia.