Ty Segall performed at the Mohawk at the beginning of the summer, and last night he returned for a show in these closing weeks of the season. Despite Segall having played Austin several times within the past year, fans still showed up en masse to watch the psych rocker perform his new album Sleeper in its entirety. Those fans who decided they’d seen enough Segall this year missed out on an atypical acoustic set that did eventually explode into an acoustically driven yet powerful string of old material that had the crowd moshing and crowd surfing.
Segall plowed through the set, delivering song after song, spending little time to banter with the crowd. Even a couple broken strings during the set couldn’t delay the band. For one song, Segall abandoned his guitar to deliver an explosive final segment on the drums. After the performance of Sleeper ended, Segall’s old material incited fervor among steadfast fans. The Mohawk neared capacity as concertgoers looked on from a packed floor and all three of the venue’s crowded balcony tiers. For many, this was the first glimpse of Segall’s new stripped-down, acoustic album, since no singles were released from the album.
Earlier in the evening, Hidden Ritual performed an entrancing set of downtempo psych rock before Holy Wave played a solid set of subtly melodic and organ-laden psych. Holy Wave also showcased their dexterous musicianship by switching off instruments multiple times. Psych rock was at its height last night and within that genre, styles and nuances proved diverse. Don’t forget that Segall will be back with his full (and new) band Fuzz in October. It’ll definitely be a good one, so get your tickets now.
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