Music for the masses

ACL Music Fest sets the stage for epic return with must-see performances for weekend one

Calling all music fans. Austin City Limits Music Festival is here! Double-check the festival’s COVID-19 safety protocols and then jump below for 10 non-headlining acts (and our daily headliner picks) that you don’t want to miss during the fest’s first weekend, October 1-3.

By the way, check back with CultureMap next week for our weekend two music picks.

Friday, October 1

Nané, 1 pm, Lady Bird Stage
Nané will kick off ACL Fest this Friday afternoon on the Lady Bird Stage. Part soul, part indie rock, and thoroughly fun, this Austin band is poised to be one of the breakout acts at this year’s festival.

Claud, 1:45 pm, VRBO Stage
Phoebe Bridgers has more than just her own music at ACL Fest. She also has Claud, the first signee to her record label, Saddest Factory. Fans of hooky indie pop would be wise to catch Claud’s set this Friday on the VRBO Stage.

Tkay Maidza, 5 pm, T-Mobile Stage
Coming in hot from Australia, it’s singer/rapper Tkay Maidza. With a slew of high-concept songs that showcase a versatile sound, she’s sure to have one of the more interesting and engaging sets at the festival.

Black Pumas, 6 pm, Lady Bird Stage
If you weren’t able to attend the band’s multi-night run at Stubb’s in Austin recently, then this weekend is your chance to finally indulge in the soulful sounds of Black Pumas. The oft-championed Austin act will play this Friday evening on the Lady Bird Stage. They’re opposite Megan Thee Stallion, but you should still expect a big crowd.

Headliner pick: George Strait, 8 pm, Lady Bird Stage

Saturday, October 2

Phoebe Bridgers, 4:20 pm, Lady Bird Stage
Considering just how popular Phoebe Bridgers has gotten in the last year or so, it’s hard to believe she’s playing in the afternoon and not at night at the fest. In any case, the singer-songwriter will perform this Saturday on the Lady Bird Stage. Expect the crowd to know every single word from her acclaimed 2020 album, Punisher.

Doja Cat, 6:20 pm, Lady Bird Stage
Fresh off hosting the 2021 MTV VMAs, it’s the always entertaining Doja Cat. If you’re on the hunt for what’s sure to be a colorful performance, don’t miss this singer/rapper, who has skyrocketed from viral sensation to superstar in the last year. Watch her perform this Saturday on the Lady Bird Stage.

Dayglow, 7:20 pm, VRBO Stage
Dayglow (aka Sloan Struble) is an Austin-based indie pop artist, and his ACL Fest performance is happening this Saturday evening on the VRBO Stage. With one of the year’s best singles, “Close to You,” in his repertoire, his set will definitely be a dance-worthy good time.

Headliner pick: Billie Eilish, 8:30 pm, Lady Bird Stage

Sunday, October 3

TC Superstar, 2:15 pm, Tito’s Stage
Electronic act TC Superstar recently released a very good album titled As Seen On TV, and now they’re following it up with a weekend-one-only appearance at ACL Fest. If you want to dance or would at least like to just observe the band’s plethora of dancers, don’t miss their set this Sunday afternoon on the Tito’s Stage.

Tierra Whack, 7:30 pm, VRBO Stage
Tierra Whack, the rapper and R&B star behind the acclaimed album Whack World, will play the fest this Sunday evening on the VRBO Stage. This will surely be an inspired, creative set.

St. Vincent, 7:30 pm, T-Mobile Stage
The goal was to avoid schedule conflicts in these recommendations, but with St. Vincent (aka Annie Clark) only playing weekend one of ACL, she warrants a mention here. She takes the stage this Sunday evening. She’s got a ton of material to choose from, but the songs off her 1970s-inspired new album, Daddy’s Home, should sound particularly great at Zilker Park.

Headliner pick: Duran Duran, 8:30 pm, Honda Stage

Doja Cat takes the Lady Bird Stage Saturday evening.

Doja Cat/Instagram

Doja Cat takes the Lady Bird Stage Saturday evening.

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Movie Review

Jude Law hunts down white supremacy in real-life thriller The Order

Photo courtesy of Vertical Entertainment

Jude Law in The Order.

White supremacy has long been a stand-in for evil in movies, with the correlation easy to make with through well-known archetypes like those of Nazi Germany. Whether a film puts forth white supremacists as its main characters or supporting ones, their usefulness in a story is as people who are easy to hate and that deserve to be held to some sort of justice.

While that idea holds true in the new film, The Order, the nature of the group featured is somewhat muddled. The central figure is FBI agent Terry Husk (Jude Law), who essentially sets up a one-man task force in the Pacific Northwest to track a group known as The Order. Husk is convinced that the group, which is an offshoot of a larger white supremacist organization, is behind a series of bank robberies to fund anti-government schemes.

Husk recruits local police officer Jamie Bowen (Tye Sheridan) to help follow the group, which is led by Bob Mathews (Nicholas Hoult). The two, joined occasionally by FBI agent Joanne Carney (Jurnee Smollett), do their best to keep up with The Order’s increasingly bold crimes, which morphs from “just” bank robbery to murder.

Directed by Justin Kurzel and written by Zach Baylin, the film is at its best when it delves into the personalities of its characters. Husk’s monomaniacal nature is great for his job, but not so much for his family life. Bowen has a solid bond with his wife and kids, but his greenness in law enforcement leads to some questionable decision-making. Mathews, like many cult leaders, is a charismatic person with very misguided tendencies.

The filmmakers set up the plot (which is based on a real-life story) well, but the details get a little loose as the film goes along. While The Order has a hatred of Jews, a plot against radio personality Alan Berg (Marc Maron) doesn’t make much sense in the context of the film. The geography of the group’s operations is also confusing; they’re located in Washington, but they range out as far as Colorado and California to commit their crimes.

Still, the inherent appeal of good-vs-evil keeps the plot mechanics going, and the side stories of the main characters give them a depth that makes up for other faults. The filmmakers also make sure to demonstrate how the scourge of white supremacy has never been limited to one particular era, and continues to infect American society to this day.

Law commits fully to the lead role, giving a performance with a convincing American accent that is far from the suave British parts which have dominated his filmography. Hoult proves equally believable, giving his character a nuance that somehow makes him more detestable. Sheridan adds another interesting role to a career that would be enviable for any other young actor.

While The Order doesn’t rise to the level of an awards contender, its story is still relatively compelling with antagonists that, unfortunately, never go out of style. A great cast playing characters with engaging lives keeps the film watchable even when it goes into some odd detours.

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The Order is now playing in theaters.

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