ACL 2026: Labrinth

Friday at 6:30pm.  I previewed a hard rock band called Labrinth that I thought played ACL in 2023.  Preview here.  That's not the Labrinth that played.  It was this Labrinth then and now. Oops. I'm out of touch.

This Labrinth, according to Wikipedia:

Timothy Lee McKenzie (born 4 January 1989), better known by his stage name Labrinth, is a British singer, songwriter, composer, and record producer. Labrinth signed as a recording artist with Simon Cowell's record label Syco Music in 2010.

It also says:

He has been referred to as "one of the most important British musicians of his generation". Labrinth has worked with numerous artists as a songwriter and producer including Beyoncé, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Eminem, Kanye West, and the Weeknd.

He scored the soundtrack for the TV show "Euphoria". "Formula" is on it.  It looks like that show was his breakthrough.

So is "Still Don't Know My Name".

Here is "Never Felt So Alone" at Coachella. With somebody named Billie Eilish.

This is his most streamed song. 

ACL 2026: Steve Aoki

 Friday at 6:30pm.  From Google AI:

Steven Hiroyuki Aoki is an American DJ, record producer, and music executive who blends electronic music with pop, hip-hop, and rock. Born in Miami in 1977 and raised in Los Angeles, Aoki started by putting on hardcore shows. He founded the independent label Dim Mak in 1996, which releases music ranging from indie rock to trap. In the late 2000s, Aoki shifted his focus to production, collaborating with EDM artists like Afrojack, Tiësto, and NERVO. 

Here is a live show from Brazil.

This is a newer release. 

ACL 2026: Turnstile

Friday at 6:15pm.  Hard rock from Baltimore. They've been around since 2010.  According to Wikipedia:

Originally a hardcore punk group, Turnstile's breakthrough third album Glow On was released in 2021, earning critical acclaim and three Grammy nominations. Their fourth album Never Enough was released in 2025 and charted in the top 10 of five countries, including the U.S. The album received five Grammy nominations, making Turnstile the first band to be nominated in the rock, alternative, and metal categories in the same year. The band won the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance for their song "Birds" and Best Rock Album on February 1, 2026.

Not really our thing but here are a few songs.

"Birds" is what won them the Grammy.

"Blackout" is their most streamed song on Spotify. Reminds me of RHCP.

"Look out for Me" is one of their bigger hits.

This is more mellow.  It's the title track of their latest album.

 

ACL 2026: BUNT.

 Friday at 4:30pm.  According to Wikipedia:

Levi Wijk (born January 3, 1996), better known as Bunt (stylized as BUNT.), is a German folk DJ and record producer...BUNT's musical style is described as "electronic folk music" and noted to be heavily influenced by late electronic music pioneer Avicii along with influences from musicians such as Justice, Basement Jaxx, Swedish House Mafia and Calvin Harris with elements of Fred Again..

 10 MILLION monthly listeners on Spotify.

"TRIPPIN" has 8.5M streams on Youtube. I like it.

This is his biggest hit.

ACL 2026: Rusowsky

 Friday at 4:30pm on the Beatbox stage.  According to Wikipedia:

Ruslán Mediavilla (born 1999), known professionally as Rusowsky (stylized in all lowercase), is a Spanish singer, songwriter and record producer. His music explores underground and avant-garde genres such as bedroom pop, R&B, reggaeton, techno, hip hop and even jazz...Rusowsky was born into a Belarusian family; his mother was a member of a Belarusian folk group. He has a classical music background, with knowledge of solfège, and plays instruments such as the guitar and piano.

Here is his NPR Tiny Desk Concert. Nice chill session.

This is his most streamed song. Catchy.