As festival lineups continue to homogenize, leave it to Levitation in Austin, Texas to forego its own ethos of psychedelia-first live music lineups and invite headliners ranging from bass-led jazz funk to Latin soul to rambunctious Swedish garage rock revival in lieu of typical large-font festival bands like Tame Impala or King Gizzard. With ubiquitous indie-rocker Japanese Breakfast and heavy metal stalwarts The Sword rounding out the list of headliners that included Thundercat, Chicano Batman, and The Hives, 2021 was yet another year where the wide range of talent performing at the event shared a knack for intense and engaging—if not downright bizarre—live shows.
Kicking off last week and extending through Halloween weekend, we were fortunate enough to get a front row spot to all the action. Check out the best of the fest as captured by FLOOD photographer Daniel Cavazos below.
black midi
black midi
Thundercat
Thundercat
Japanese Breakfast
Japanese Breakfast
Japanese Breakfast
The Hives
The Hives
The Hives
The Hives
Sasami
Sasami
LA Witch
Shabazz Palaces Sweet at Levitation 2021 credit Daniel Cavazos
Shabazs Palaces
Nation of Language
Nation of Language
Nation of Language
No Joy
Orange Tree Boys
Kikagaku Moyo Band
The Paranoyds
The Paranoyds
Urban Heat
Sweet Spirit
Andy Shauf
Andy Shauf
Boy Harsher
Boy Harsher
Boy Harsher
Drab Majesty
Drab Majesty
HOOVERiii
Sailor Moon
Rosegarden Funeral Party
Rosegarden Funeral Party
