Legend has it that a vehicle encounter with a wild hog delayed Fuzz’s arrival in Austin at Red 7 on Friday night. Though the packed crowd grew restless when the band still hadn’t showed after 12:30 am, the frustration gave way to an equally powerful enthusiasm when Ty Segall walked onstage to start setting up gear. The crowd remained enthralled the entire time, creating a pit of sweaty fans who shoved and slammed into each other relentlessly.
Segall has garnered fans en masse in the past few years, as he has proven that he can crank out one distortion addled garage rock track after the next as well as strip down arrangements to edgy acoustic songs. Friday night he proved that he can sing in a band while delivering an impressive barrage of bombastic drums. Under dim lights, the three-piece band blasted through songs and bantered about their road woes.
While ACL packed Zilker Park all day, Friday’s show emphasized that two distinct brands of music lovers exist in the capital city, and the punk rock pure at heart turned out enthusiastically to see Fuzz deliver an amazing set. Segall has clearly become a lauded underground music icon, respected as a purveyor of all things psych and garage. Earlier in the evening CCR Headcleaner built a set on sprawling songs of imposing noise. Some photos of both bands follow, and the suspension of judgement is welcomed. Taking photos of garage rock in a cave is hard enough, but when you’re surrounded by a mosh pit, it becomes next to impossible. However, the intensity and energy of an evening with Fuzz is well worth the trade off.
All photos © Bryan Parker & Pop Press International. Click any image to open in slideshow viewer.
