Austin City Limits Day 1: Muse, Depeche Mode, QOTSA, Arctic Monkeys REVIEW

Now in its 12th year, the three day Austin City Limits (ACL) Festival in Austin, Texas, kicked off the first of its two weekends today, with iconic groups Depeche Mode and Muse who return to Australia in December, closing out the night.

Earlier in the day, Fun. pulled one of the biggest crowds, with the entire festival singing along to their hit singles “We Are Young” and “Carry On”. Savages, who will be playing Laneway next year, impressed, while hometown heroes The Black Angels brought along a massive, supportive crowd, as they jammed through their celebrated material. Vampire Weekend, Arctic Monkeys and Queens of the Stone Age, rumoured to hit Australia with Nine Inch Nails next year, all performed a mix of their greatest hits and newbies from their latest releases, including Queens of the Stone Age’s acclaimed and ARIA #1 charting Like Clockwork…. Kaskade performed the only electronic set of the day.

Headliners Depeche Mode pumped through a hit filled ninety minute set, with fans staking out spots for the rare experience from early in the day. Singalongs were found from start to finish, though voices particularly picked up during iconic tracks like “Personal Jesus” and “Just Can’t Get Enough”, which was a part of a thirty minute encore. Muse, meanwhile, brought a stripped down version of their impressive stage set up to play to the notably younger festival attendees. They closed the set with “Starlight” ahead of the sound system cutting off in what would have been an additional track. Reportedly this was not the only black out and technical problem from the set. Kindly, the band returned for “Knights of Cydonia” as the festival closed up twenty minutes past curfew. Drummer took the time to thank the crowd for bearing through the “bloody PA problems”.

The festival continues through Sunday with headliners The Cure, Lionel Richie and Atoms for Peace, among others – and then they do it all over again next weekend. Stay tuned to Noise11 and our friends at The AU Review for all the latest from the event. For more details about the event visit aclfestival.com – there will be live streaming over the second weekend.