Lucy Dacus with illuminati hotties at Barracuda

American indie rock singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus recently made an appearance in Austin, TX on February 9th. Despite the freezing weather, her outdoor concert at Barracuda was sold out with a crowd to show for it.

Illuminati Hotties opened for Lucy, a rather upbeat indie rock band out of Los Angeles. While their tempo is unlike that of Lucy’s, they didn’t fail to capture the crowd. After a solid half hour performance from illuminati hotties that included sing-alongs and rapid guitar solos, Lucy came out. She appeared at the beginning of her set bundled up, keeping her attire practical and letting her vocals speak for themselves. She opened up with “Addictions”, followed by a personal favorite, “Troublemaker Dopplegänger”. These songs, while at their core simple rock songs, toe the line between beautiful and grunge. She managed to relay her complicated lyrics with a tenderness that didn’t deter the rock music underlying it, something difficult for many artists.

She ended her hour long set with “Night Shift”, a nearly 7-minute song that builds to a climactic end. This is a song that whether or not you see it live, will remind you what truly great music can be. Each minute of the song holds something new to be discovered, without giving the audience time to rest (in the best way possible). After this amazing performance, Lucy came out for one more song, the namesake of her debut album, “Historian”. This song, like many of Lucy’s, has complex lyrics that are carefully crafted and delivered even better.

While Lucy Dacus is not a flashy performer, don’t let this fool you into thinking she’s not a great one. She made standing in the cold worth every second, as her talent and sweet demeanor wasn’t lost on anyone in the crowd. Overall, Lucy Dacus is the type of performer everyone hopes they could be, and I would recommend seeing her if you ever get the chance.

Lucy Dacus during her set in Barracuda Austin.

illuminati hotties during their opening set.