Austin’s genre-blurring LEVITATION festival has revealed its sprawling 2026 lineup, once again mixing psych rock, darkwave, doom, punk, electronic music and underground oddities into one massive four-day event set for September 10-13 across venues throughout the city.
While not strictly a metal festival, this year’s edition should strongly appeal to fans of darker and heavier sounds, with artists like MOLCHAT DOMA, UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS, ELDER, MONOLORD, MELT-BANANA, NITZER EBB, CABARET VOLTAIRE and PSYCHEDELIC PORN CRUMPETS sharing the bill alongside a wide range of experimental, indie and electronic acts.
Among the most talked-about names on the lineup are the mysterious and wildly hyped ANGINE DE POITRINE, post-punk phenomenon MOLCHAT DOMA, industrial legends CABARET VOLTAIRE, doom favorites MONOLORD and ELDER, as well as PETER HOOK & THE LIGHT performing material tied to JOY DIVISION and NEW ORDER’s legacy.
The festival’s multi-venue setup once again turns Austin into a choose-your-own-adventure weekend of underground music culture, with performances spread across RADIO/EAST, STUBB’S, MOHAWK, ELYSIUM, 13TH FLOOR and more.
Highlights include:
- BIKINI KILL, MELT-BANANA and DIE SPITZ at RADIO/EAST on September 11
- MOLCHAT DOMA, CABARET VOLTAIRE and PETER HOOK & THE LIGHT on September 12
- ANGINE DE POITRINE and MAN OR ASTRO-MAN? at STUBB’S
- MONOLORD and REZN sharing a bill at MOHAWK
- UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS, ELDER and MESSA closing out the weekend on September 13
LEVITATION began in 2008 as Austin Psych Fest and has since evolved into one of North America’s premier underground music gatherings, known for combining vintage psych culture, crushing doom, hypnotic electronic music and experimental art into a uniquely immersive experience.
Additional artists — including a still-secret Sunday headliner — are expected to be announced in the coming months.
