Clusterfest: 20 April 2012 – Georgetown, TX

Southwestern University is situated about 25 miles north of Austin in the ever-expanding city of Georgetown. Despite the school’s small size (around 1,400 students), they have attracted some top-shelf talent to play at the Corbin J. Robertson Center over the last several years, including a two and a half hour pre-Hazards of Love set from The Decemberists in 2008 and last year’s inaugural installment of Clusterfest featuring Matt & Kim, Del The Funky Homosapien and The Octopus Project. This year’s version of Clusterfest upped the ante, as the student organizers managed to pull three incredible headlining acts in Sleigh Bells, Future Islands, and Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears. With nearly seamless transitions between sets and Robertson Center’s great show handling capabilities, it is safe to say that Clusterfest is well on its way to becoming the premier university concert event in the Austin area.

For Austin-based Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears, Clusterfest was a kind of homecoming for the group’s guitar virtuoso and front man. Joe Lewis grew up in Round Rock, about a ten minute drive from Southwestern, and he candidly admitted to the crowd “I never thought I’d come back to Williamson County” between songs early on. True to form, the band played a loud, soulful, and entertaining set that got a sizable amount of the crowd dancing. Although blues and soul music has seen a popular reemergence over the last five years, Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears embody those genres’ raw spirit better than most of their contemporaries. Lewis’ guitar skills and howling voice is the centerpiece that ties the funky bass lines and blasting horns together, and it made songs like “Sugarfoot” and “Mustang Ranch” an absolute joy to listen and move to. The band has become an Austin institution, and their solid performance at Clusterfest and the crowd’s enthusiastic support served as a testament to that fact.

Baltimore’s Future Islands were easily the least well known of the three headlining acts, but they managed to make converts out of an increasingly large crowd by simply doing what they do best. Though front man Samuel T. Herring said the band members hadn’t seen each other in two weeks, one would be hard pressed to tell from their tight and cathartic set. Amid Gerrit Welmers soaring synth arrangements and William Cashion’s nimble bass playing, Herring proceeded to infuse his highly personal lyrics with his uniquely theatrical voice and movements onstage. Whether it was the lush and restrained beauty of songs like “Balance” and “Walking Through that Door” or the guttural and mesmerizing release of “Tin Man”, Herring was a spectacle that commanded the attention of the uninitiated. Future Islands’ performance reminded longtime fans that the group has lost none of their vitality despite their usually booked touring schedule and prolific output, and those fortunate enough to experience them for the first time were treated to an excellent set from one of the hardest working groups around.

Sleigh Bells needed no introduction to the sizable crowd that had assembled before they took the stage. Now a touring trio, they burst out of the gate with “Demons” and longtime fan favorite “Crown On The Ground.” Their combination of Derek Miller and Jason Boyer’s hard rock guitars, pulsating beats, and Alexis Krauss’s contrastingly sweet voice and punk rock attitude gave the audience a reason to let go of any of their inhibitions, and within the first few songs they were crowd surfing and gleefully throwing their fists in the air. More than anything else, the group’s set highlighted how much Krauss has embraced her role as the group’s front woman. She has developed a commanding stage presence while remaining engaged with the crowd, dedicating “Tell ‘Em” to all the ladies and getting close to the first row on multiple occasions. Meanwhile, Miller and Boyer’s guitars filled the space with noise, though the acoustics of the Robertson Center kept them from completely shattering eardrums. The group’s slightly more subdued songs from this year’s Reign of Terror like “Comeback Kid” and “End of the Line” translated well to a live setting, and they hit just as hard as Treats highlights “Infinity Guitars” and “Riot Rhythm”. Although their set lasted a little over 45 minutes, there was more than enough firepower and enthusiasm in Sleigh Bells’ set to where it felt like it was just enough. At one point during the encore, Krauss and Miller collided with each other and burst out laughing, a sign that they were having just as good of a time as those in attendance. Inadvertently, it was a perfect encapsulation of Clusterfest, as the carefree and fun atmosphere lent itself to some great performances and the hope that things will be just as good next year.