On Saturday, day two of ACL weekend one, Declan McKenna’s performance on the American Express stage kicked off with a recording of “Dedicated To The One I Love” by The Mamas & The Papas. The recording only played for a few bars before McKenna hit the stage with an acoustic guitar and began his first song “Why Do You Feel So Down.”
After the song, he said, “Thank you so much, Austin, I’m Declan McKenna, how you doing?” which received a chorus of cheers from the crowd. He then launched into “Listen to Your Friends,” a song about feelings of depression resulting from civil unrest. McKenna makes himself no stranger to political messages within his music and performances.
Before starting his next song, McKenna acknowledged the Texas heat — despite the Saturday high hovering at 76 degrees — saying, “Shit, the sun’s hit the stage already. Just in time for us to dance, huh?” His band then launched into “You Better Believe!!!” a song off his 2020 album Zeros. The project proves more danceable than his freshman effort, What Do You Think About the Car — a welcome change, especially for festivals like ACL that revolve around dancing and making lasting memories with friends and family.
McKenna then shed his guitar and sat at the electric keyboard behind him, playing the opening notes to “Be an Astronaut.” The song starts out on a somber note, with the opening lyrics saying, “Daniel, do you remember / You were in such a state / The boys that wait outside your house / Have got your number and are not afraid to use it.” With this song, McKenna evokes a powerful message about working under capitalism.
When the techno riff of “Isombard” began, the crowd ignited. Another deceptively catchy tune with political undertones, the crowd matched McKenna’s frenetic energy. With constant support from his band/background singers, the song’s energy escalated endlessly, ending with a short guitar solo. McKenna then rehashed a joke from earlier in the set, telling the crowd, “Let me tell you what I see: I see Austin city… I see no limits.”
Audience members responded ecstatically when McKenna began playing his biggest hit to date, “Brazil.” The crowd sang along to yet another politically-charged song which talks about FIFA’s practices when hosting The World Cup. The chorus echoed throughout Zilker: “I heard he lives down a river somewhere / With six cars and a grizzly bear / He’s got eyes, but he can’t see / Well, he talks like an angel, but he looks like me.”
McKenna closed his set with “British Bombs,” a song that criticizes his country’s government, depicted by the lyrics, “Great Britain won’t stand for felons / Great British bombs in the Yemen.” During this last song, McKenna hopped off the stage, running up and down the center of the crowd, carved out by barricades, giving fans one more look at him before he made his exit.
