If one thing was apparent after two weekends of the annual Austin City Limits festival, it’s that the never-ending cycle of nostalgia is shining a renewed spotlight on indie rock of the 2010s. With a lineup featuring darlings from that era such as Empire of the Sun, Cage the Elephant, Passion Pit, Phantogram, Dr. Dog, Rainbow Kitten Surprise and MARIN, ACL felt like stepping back in time with just enough of the right modern twists.
Fans chasing the throwback sound were faced with several scheduling dilemmas. On Friday, Empire of the Sun and Cage the Elephant took the stage at the same time across the massive Zilker Park from one another, with some spry attendees attempting to catch some of both. Cage’s set on the American Express stage was highlighted by fireballs and frontman Matt Shultz’s acrobatic stunts, while Empire of the Sun packed fans like sardines into the smaller Miller Light stage for a kaleidoscope of of EDM and trippy visuals.
Likewise, Passion Pit’s set at the Tito’s tent was often drowned out by T-Pain’s performance on the main stage, but songs such as “Sleepyhead” were still potent enough to jolt one back to the era of oversized shirts and Tumblr logins.
One of the weekend’s top names, the Strokes, were at a time a blueprint for many 2010s-era acts, and even frontman Julian Casablancas commented on the seeming generational divide on display at ACL. “It sucks that they make you choose, not to get political,” he said after joking that the band was going to take a break to watch some of Sabrina Carpenter’s simultaneous headlining set. The group’s 17-song performance featured nine songs from their first two albums, including five from 2001’s landmark Is This It.
As for Carpenter, she delighted not only Texans but fans of a certain age by welcoming the Chicks for a cover of their chart-topping 1998 single “Wide Open Spaces” and a version of Carpenter’s own “Please Please Please.” Red hot U.K, singer Olivia Dean served as the nightly audience member who is comically “arrested” during the song “Juno.”
Acts such as Joey Valance, gaming- and meme-loving hip-hop duo Brae and queer indie pop star King Princess drew large crowds of young fans throughout the weekend, while MJ Lenderman bridged the gap between indie rock and more jam-leaning sounds, creating the perfect vibe for a midday festival set on a shaded side stage. Wet Leg balanced punk attitude with dream pop, while Magdalena Bay juxtaposed bedroom pop vocals with cheekily retro set design.
Beyond dueling Sunday headliners the Killers (who busted out a rare cover of the Pet Shop Boys-popularized “You Were Always on My Mind”) and EDM star John Summit (who often spins cuts by 2010s artists such as Tame Impala, Kesha and the Temper Trap), Gregory Alan Isakov gave heartfelt thanks to the crowd for warching his first ACL set some 20-plus years into his career, Doechii impressed with her energy and stage presence and Gigi Perez cut threw the hot sun with her powerful singing at the Lady Bird stage.