The nationally famous ACL music festival had a killer lineup this year and I couldn’t be happier that I had the opportunity to attend this year.

As is the pattern every year, there was a great mixture of headlining and underground musicians, providing a great musical experience for everyone in attendance.

Here’s a look at how I spent weekend one at ACL.

Friday-Young and Sick

I kicked the day off early on Friday with Young and Sick, an LA indie pop band. people were just arriving to the festival, making a front-row spot relatively easy to obtain. However, despite the small early turnout, by the end of their set, Young and Sick had attracted a sizable crowd, and ended the show leaving both fans, such as myself, and newly-exposed listeners satisfied with the performance.

Temples

The next group on my must-see list was Temples, an English neo-psychedelic band with a killer combination of exceptional guitarists and keyboardists. Having performed at SXSW music festival, Temples is practiced in the art of performing in Austin and despite being one of the first bands of the morning, the crowd really filled up for their show. The band played all of their hits and left the crowd hyped for the rest of the day.

Chvrches

From Temples, I made my way over to the Honda stag for Chvrches, a techno-pop band, also from England, and was pleasantly surprised to see such a large turnout. Having only been around since 2011, Chvrches made their way to the top of the music charts pretty early in the game, and the crowd that formed for their performance was proof of their talent and widespread appeal among music lovers. I am always skeptical that electronic groups  may not sound as good live as they do recorded however, Chvrches impressed me with a fine-tuned performance and lots of friendly crowd interaction that kept the audience engaged.

St. Vincent

The next musicians on my list were St. Vincent and Foster the People. I went to half of each and was impressed by both. St. Vincent, an indie rock singer-songwriter, whom I have never seen in concert, particularly blew me away. Not only does her voice sound just as perfect live as it does recorded, but the passion she has for the lyrics she writes and sings is beautifully conveyed through her performance on stage. She was both engaging and genuine in her movement on the stage and although some may find her avant garde style to be a bit odd, I appreciated the authenticity in her act and I left her show wanting to see more.

Foster the People

As far as Foster the People, an American alt-pop band, went having seen them in March for SXSW, I wasn’t necessarily surprised by their performance, but I was definitely satisfied with it. They played all of their hits and a great combination of songs from both of their main albums. The crowd they attracted was astounding in both size and energy. The band’s versatile sound was proven by the audiences wide age range.

Beck

I finally closed the day with Beck, an alternative rock multi-musician and songwriter who’s been around since the mid 80’s. I have been listening to Beck since I was a kid, and when I found out he was going to perform at ACL I was ecstatic. I attended this show with my father, who had seen Beck’s late-night show at Stubbs the night before, and despite being nearly the youngest person there, the show was everything I had hoped for. I was initially nervous because Beck has a bit of a reputation for putting on some pretty wacky shows, however, he put on a great show, playing all of his big hits and a few songs from his newest album. The light show and backdrops throughout the performance were amazing and Beck really interacted with the audience and the rest of his band mates, livening the crowd and living up to my hopes for the show.

Saturday- Chain Gang of 1974

Saturday’s lineup had me at the festival on the earlier side again with my favorite musician, Mac Demarco, playing at 1:30. So to ensure a front-row spot, I hustled over to the Retail Me Not stage to catch the preceding show by a band whom I was not familiar with called Chain Gang of 1974. Although the band’s genre of music is not something I would normally listen to, I appreciated all of the elements of their group, from the lead-singer’s clear and melancholy tone, to the precision and energy of the rest of the band mates.

Mac DeMarco

The Mac DeMarco show however, blew my expectations out of the water. Mac DeMarco is not only a rising indie rock musician, but an amazing and versatile stage performer. DeMarco was engaging with the audience, on and off the stage, even taking the time to pull a fan on stage and improvise a song with him. Being in the front row, I didn’t miss a second of the action on stage, and when DeMarco began to crowd surf, I was the first fan to meet him on the fence, having the awesome opportunity to snap a posed photo of the goofy music guru before he sailed into the rest of the crowd. DeMarco and his band played a great mix of their bigger hits, songs from their new album, and covers or improvised songs. Overall, I left the show with a delirious smile and a strengthened sense of my inner fan-girl tendencies.

Icona Pop

After taking some time to recover from such a fantastic show, I headed over the the Miller Lite stage to catch Icona Pop and grab a spot for Broken Bells. I was not super familiar with all of Icona Pop’s music, just their big hits, but I was very impressed with their set. The Swedish DJ duo Caroline Hjelt and Aino Jawo really turn on the charm for their shows, remixing the songs and dancing in sync to create the ultimate experience for both long-time fans and newcomers such as myself. Competing with Lana Del Rey’s time slot, the crowd could have been larger but there were still masses of people flocking to the show and I am happy that I decided to see a more upbeat and interactive performance that afternoon.

Broken Bells

Following Icona Pop at the Miller Lite stage was Broken Bells, an indie rock band created by Brian Burton and James Mercer of The Shins. Having been up close for Icona Pop, it was easy for me to get a spot on the fence for Broken Bells, and I am so happy that I did. Not only did the band play amazingly but their light show, graphics, and crowd interaction was phenomenal and it was a great way to end the night.

Sunday- Mø

I decided to take it easy on Sunday, grabbing a late breakfast downtown and catching the back end of Mø, a Danish singer-songwriter, whom I was not familiar with but have, since the show been researching avidly. Mø was quirky and interactive with the audience, drawing a lot of people in, despite being one of the early afternoon shows. Her music runs along the indie pop/dance music border and was a great way to pump up the festival goers for the rest of the day.

Real Estate

From Mø I made my way back to my favorite stage, Retail Me Not, for the last two shows of my ACL weekend. First up that afternoon was Real Estate, one of my all-time favorite bands, who are known for their beachy riffs and chilled mood. I have listened to them for years and was beyond impressed to hear how well they play live. I was lucky enough to be front row for the show and even luckier to receive one of the band mate’s hand-written set lists. As a smaller band, they were very grateful to be playing at such a large festival, and even happier to have drawn in such a sizeable crowd. Overall Real Estate’s show was one of the better shows of my ACL experience and I definitely recommend seeing them live.

Chromeo

Last but most definitely not least, Chromeo, a dance/electronic music duo, completely thrilled the crowd, playing the last set on the Retail Me Not stage for the weekend. Their energy was through the roof that night, and it translated into the crowd. There were hundreds of people on others’ shoulders, flags out the wazoo, and dancing like no other show that weekend. As one of the last shows of the night, the crowd was gigantic and left for the last shows of the evening full of energy.

Overall I couldn’t be happier with the way the festival went. I was able to start and end the weekend on high notes, with some of my favorite musicians sandwiched in between. I had an amazing time and can’t wait to go again next year.