ACL in review

ACL in review: Electric Touch brings a Brit-punk inspired dance party

Photo by Mark Stock
Photo by Mark Stock

Some bands are just plain happy to play a festival. Hometown post-punk heroes Electric Touch are such a band, feeding off both an infectious 10th anniversary giddiness and the first raindrops Austin has seen in many months. The Austin-by-way-of-Nottingham quintet played ACL on Friday, choosing tracks mostly from their eponymous debut, harboring the dance-punk tendencies of similar acts like Friendly Fires and Arctic Monkeys.

Yet, Electric Touch's grittier side reared its head, speaking to a youth huddled around vinyls from Shane Lawlor's native England. The Kinks and Sex Pistols emanated through the band's bolder tracks and on this opening day of ACL; Electric Touch was nothing if not brazen.

"Are you with us?" singer Shane Lawlor asked, somewhat rhetorically. He panted briefly before jumping back into a swift 45-minute set. ACL is all about punctuality, but the bands tend to adapt, packing sets with a density of power normally reserved for Texas chile.

During one of several buzzing interludes, Lawlor paid homage to his musical peers, blending a track from fellow ACL-ers Foster the People with Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction." The band rifled off rampant versions of "Don't Stop" and "Magnetic," turning the stage to springs with tireless bouncing. And when the sweat came on so intensely that towels were required, Electric Touch unplugged a bit and turned out emotive ballads like "Alone." With Lawlor hunched over the keyboard and belting hoarsely, he bared a striking sonic resemblance to Axel Rose.

"They say this is the music capital of the world," Lawlor stated mid-set. "Let's prove them right today." With a heavy nod, he jump-started another full-bodied number.

The band's youthful, relentless nature fit well in the overall scheme things. Every opening day of Austin City Limits requires the proper kick-off—one built around high energy and fist-clenching rock. And while Electric Touch should exist in or at least near the punk section of your local record store, the band's cleanliness and poppy leanings came to the fore during their afternoon set. Much to their credit, that's what need be done when you are competing with over 100 bands and four other stages. In the end, the band's smooth avant-punk beats and calculated thrashing drew fans in like a moth to a flame.

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Meet at the Moontower

John Waters, Aziz Ansari among added headliners for 2025 Moontower fest

Photo by Greg Gorman

John Waters is one of the longest-reigning comedy greats attending the festival.

Austin's main annual dose of comedy has been prescribed: Moontower Comedy Festival is returning April 9-19, and just the first wave of talent includes more than 100 performers across 10 venues. Now a second wave of talent has been announced for the festival's 13th year.

Attendees will see shows and stand-up showcases, live podcasts, sketch comedy, musical comedy, and more. There are also parties and other special events tying everything together.

New headliners in the second wave include:

Aziz Ansari, creator of the series Master of None and actor behind the whimsical, sometimes whiny Parks and Recreation character Tom Haverford.
Pete Holmes, star of HBO's Crashing and host of the You Made It Weird podcast, who is specifically bringing his Feelin' It Tour to Moontower.
Hank Azaria, the voice behind Simpsons characters like Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum, Superintendent Chalmers, and who will be playing with his EZ Street Band.
John Waters, known lovingly as the "Pope of Trash," having directed movies like Pink Flamingos and Hairspray. He's bringing a new show for his Moontower debut.
Tiffany Haddish, author of The Last Black Unicorn, known for standup comedy, and a breakout role in Girls Trip.
Zarna Garg, known for addressing the Indian diaspora as a self-proclaimed "overbearing Indian auntie," who is bringing her Practical People Win tour.

A bit more insight on some of the headliners:

Adam Ray parodies (and dresses up as) the famous talk show host Dr. Phil on Dr. Phil Live. He also interviews celebrity guests and uses audience interaction to get the crowd going.
Handsome Pod Livefeatures Tig Notaro, Fortune Feimster, and Mae Martin — all big-name comedians in their own rights — and answer questions from friends about really any topic imaginable.
Atsuko Okatsuka's HBO special The Intruder has been lauded by The New York Times as the Best Debut of 2022, the same year she was named one of Variety's Top 10 Comics to Watch.
Joey “Coco” Diaz, bestselling author of Tremendous: The Life of a Comedy Savage, brings his storytelling skills to the stage.

Although there are tons of very famous performers on the lineup, there's also local talent: a press release lists Liza Splatt, Andrew Murphy, Ashley Sharma, Avery Moore, Brett VerVoort, Chris Tellez, Colton Dowling, Danny Goodwin, Doug Mellard, Dylan Carlino, Genivive Clinton, "and many more."

Badges (starting at $150) are available now at moontowercomedyfest.com. A promotion called the Bestie Badge offers $25 off of every badge to those who buy two or more. Badges can also be purchased at the Paramount Theatre box office or by calling (512) 474-1221. Like any festival lineup, this one is subject to change.