Just 88 miles from UTSA’s Main Campus, the Austin-based promoter Resound brought together a phenomenal group of artists to perform at Austin Psych Fest 2025. With big names such as Godspeed! You Black Emperor, Kim Gordon, StrFkr, Boa, Yo La Tengo, Geordie Greep and Dinosaur Jr., Psych Fest was guaranteed to pull crowds — and pull crowds it did. Taking place Friday through Sunday, Psych Fest was a trip for those in attendance.
The most memorable experience from the first day came from Godspeed! You Black Emperor. Taking the Willie stage at 8:45 p.m. on Friday, Godspeed! drew in a massive crowd. Everyone attending the festival that day was there for the set, and reasonably so. The band, consisting of nine-members, spread across the stage and filled the gaps between their set with dark lighting and beautiful projected visuals. With no vocals, Godspeed! feels like a true psych-rock experience, letting fans close their eyes and focus on the music, with nothing flashy to distract from the melodies.
Day two, the most exciting day, came and flashed by with non-stop exciting performances. Geordie Greep, Strfkr and Kim Gordon consecutively played on the Willie stage, leaving many fans camping for all three phenomenal performances.
Hot off his debut solo project, former Black Midi guitarist Geordie Greep amassed an impressive crowd. Geordie’s modern take on jazz-rock is incredible live, with room to let the notes ring and ample space for improvisation. Attendees could tell Greep and his band derived pleasure from their performance. Another indicator of this was seen in how engaged the crowd was.
Following Greep, StrkFkr’s striking style held its own. Following suit like artists performing festivals in the Tumblr era, StrFkr came out in eccentric outfits and equipped with confetti cannons. Their entire set remained energetic and nostalgic, truly capturing the essence of the early Coachella experience.
The most impressive performance of the night had to come from Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon. Her set was downright phenomenal. Performing songs from her newest album, “Help,” her experimental, art-punk sound is genuinely infectious.
Songs like “BYE BYE” have her nonsensically listing out items she would keep in her purse, all while an aggressive instrumental fills the air behind her vocals. The backing for all her songs excites, with every song feeling new — aptly fitting her experimental rock routes from her time with Sonic Youth. While Gordon is not a new artist or the next big thing, her sound remains fresh and exploratory.
Finally, day three closes off the fest with indie-scene powerhouses.
Notable performances of the night come from Dean Wareham of Galaxie 500, Yo la Tengo, Boa and, of course, the headliners Dinosaur Jr.
The last set of the night at the Janis stage came from English indie-pop legends, Boa.
When frontrunner Jasmine Rodgers came out, the crowd erupted into screams — it really is a wonder what TikTok fame can do to a band. For most of the set, Boa played songs other than what was put out with their classic, “Twilight.” Though, of course, at the end of their fantastic set, the band finally played their hit song, “Duvet.”
Being the final act, Dinosaur Jr. naturally drew the largest crowd. With an ever-growing sea of fans, the band played the entirety of their 1994 classic, “Without a Sound.”
Resound’s APF 2025 went off without a hitch, bringing three days of excitement and music to Central Texas. While APF may be a smaller festival, Resound brought together a lineup on par with ACL — an achievement for the promoters and a win for music lovers.
