This past weekend, Auditorium Shores in Austin, TX was brought to life with music, food and thousands of people as Coca-Cola Sips & Sounds made its return at a new venue. Sponsoring the event, Coca-Cola, Cinemark, and Minute Maid, attendees were able to unwind with a silent disco, taste tests for the new orange cream coke, and get a mini movie experience with free popcorn and a drink. These additions along with the new location helped make Sips truly feel like a festival this year. And with the incredible lineup presented, featuring Halsey, AJR, and Benson Boone, its no wonder it sold out!
Day 1
The Coca-Cola Main Stage Friday opener, Ashe, kicked off her set with her dazzling hit, OMW which got the fans very excited seeing her. As she ran back and forth from the catwalk, even though her feet were burning, she sang her emotional powerful lyrics and performed other hits such as, “Moral of The Story” and brought out Suki Waterhouse for “Pushing Daisies”. Her dreamy melodies carried throughout the festival grounds setting up everyone for what the weekend had to offer. She was bopping around on stage radiantly having the time of her life even in the Texas heat.
Following Ashe on the main stage was Suki Waterhouse. English model turned singer-songwriter, Suki is known for her ethereal sound that creates a unique take on the alt-indie genre. As people were still entering the festival, she took the stage to deliver a performance of her top songs such as “Good Looking,” “OMG,” and “Dream Woman.” While the venue wasn’t completely filled yet, it allowed fans to be able to relax and listen without any issues with their view. With temps in the 70’s, her hypnotic sound, and a more relaxed crowd, Suki brought a performance that helped fans simply enjoy the beautiful day. Before ending her set, she made sure to bring Ashe back out who matched her energy perfectly. Their style blended seamlessly and gave those who couldn’t make it to the fest earlier a chance to still see Ashe perform.
Taking on the secondary stage was Melbourne based synthetic pop trio, Blusher. Newly signed to Atlantic Records, these girls brought Austin a performance full of high energy choreography with a fun and catchy sound. Consisting of Lauren Coutts, Jade Ingvarson-Favretto, and Miranda Ward, this band really encapsulated the essence of a girl group. The venue size was perfect too as it allowed people to easily catch their set, especially since no artists conflicted. Being from Europe, Blusher focused on their hits as a way to pull people in and get recognition. Their music is heavily influenced by their female friendship and navigating life as young women, seen through their lyricism. “Racer,” their newly released single, easily portrayed these traits while getting the crowd energized and dancing. While they aren’t from the U.S., its obvious Blusher has left their mark in Texas.
Next on the main stage was R&B artist, Khalid, whose music has made impacts in the industry for over a decade. This was proven by the packed crowd at his performance, where it seemed some people came just for him. With around $50 for a one day ticket, this was possibly the cheapest way to see an artist of his caliber up close. While he did release a new album last year, he made sure to mostly stick to the songs everyone knows and loves. Of course, that means songs from his roots like “American Teen” and “Location” were given his full attention as he gave a seemingly flawless performance. His flow and rhythm are key to his sound and he certainly delivered to the thousands of fans in attendance. The energy of the crowd was high, even for some of his newer songs like “Adore U” and “Altitude” which are from his newest album released last year. As he ran around the stage, Khalid had everyone singing along, creating an experience that felt more personal.
Gus Dapperton, an indie-pop artist from New York brought a similar vibe as Suki to help people unwind a bit at the secondary stage before the headliner closed out the night. His vocals provided a soothing nature that feels homey and safe. Incorporating some synth and keyboard into his music, Gus creates a sound that matches his cozy, well put together style. It truly feels like the music he creates is an extension of himself. While having a slower tempo for his songs than some, Gus made sure to keep the energy up and helped create a set founded on intimacy with his fans. He made sure to perform some of his biggest songs like “Post Humorous” and “Prune, You Talk Funny” which are well known among even his newer fans. While Gus might not have made main stage, it’s apparent that his clean vocals and calming sound pulled attendees in, while also creating a new group of fans during his time in Austin.
Closing the first night of Sips & Sounds was none other than Halsey. A strong woman who’s been a leading figure in her industry, Halsey has created a huge following for herself through her many albums. With a packed venue of fans, she needed to bring her all, and that’s exactly what she did! She danced, hopped, and ran all over the stage, singing her heart out to a packed crowd who had been waiting all day for this moment. Halsey ensured her fans that they would get every part of her music, as she performed what seemed like an eras style setlist full of not just her past hits but also her newest ones as well. “Closer,” Without Me”, and “Bad at Love” were on full blast as everyone in the crowd sang along and watched their favorite artist of the night give stunning vocals. During her performance, she made sure to give a lil info on her dress, which she reveled was thrifted and actually ended up being a schoolgirl dress. While it might not have been made for adult Halsey, she wore it with pride and made sure the audience knew she loved her style. Additionally, her performance was accompanied with pyrotechnics and a curtain of sparklers that gave fans a concert they won’t soon forget. These effects were perfect for her newest music such as “Safeword” and “Ego”, which dives into edgier vocals and a more punk pop essence than her previous music. Overall, Day 1 of sips fest went perfectly with pristine weather, perfect performances, and an amazing crowd of fans.
Day 2
Day 2 of Coca-Cola Sips & Sounds started perfectly with sunny skies and warm weather. In addition, fans were arriving earlier to the fest in order to get a good spot at the main stage while others were able to arrive earlier since it was finally the weekend. This provided Nessa Barrett a good sized crowd during her performance on the main stage, even though it was only 3:15. During her set, she really interacted with fans and made sure to use the walkway plenty so all of the crow had a good view. Lucky for her, the wind had not picked up quite yet, which was great because she was wearing a lace bra and skirt combo. Nessa stuck to playing her hits which included “P*rnstar,” “Die First,” and “Love Looks Pretty On You.” Her soft pop intros and verses were ethereal during the sunny afternoon and truly created the vibe for the day. She made sure to include her energetic songs too with choruses that pulled into the pop indie genre, displaying a slightly stronger sound to help keep engagement high. While she had an early slot for the fest, she made sure to give the performance a headliner rating.
DJ Cassandra brought the heat to Texas! She brought the energy back up right when you think you have a break. Being the first woman to earn Best Dj title in the 43rd Annual Austin Music Awards, rightfully so, she had fans dancing and singing every second. Playing hits from various artists from pop to edm, with her band on stage, it was truly a blast. We also did portraits backstage which was such a joy! She is growing so much and if you can catch a dj set from her, we highly recommend it.
Next up on the main stage was Chelsea Cutler and Jeremy Zucker presenting their collaboration Brent: Forever. Over the years, these two have become very close friends as they navigated their own independent journeys in the music industry. Along the way, they decided to come together to create a few songs together. Fast forward several years, two EP’s together, and a live set that streamed online, Chelsea and Jeremy created something special that all of their fans have come to hold dear. After a small tour to bring their collaborative discography face to face with their fans, they decided to bring the show to Austin for their first performance of Brent: Forever at a festival.
As the weather got colder due to winds, it started to feel like it was fall 2024 back when the album first came out and everyone was playing it over and over again. Of course, these two played their own instruments and were constantly switching between keyboard and different string instruments for each song. They made sure to include some older songs such as “You Were Good To Me” and “Emily,” which are both crowd favorites. Chelsea at one point made sure to point out this set was going to be solely focused on their Brent projects, which was showcased through the lack of solo songs for each of them. The way they interact with each other and sing together created an atmosphere that felt like you were at home with them hanging out and enjoying each others friendship. Even though a lot of their songs are a bit more timid and relaxed, the crowd was fully engaged, singing along to every word and feeling the emotions of the songs. Since they only had an hour slotted, they wanted to make sure the new album got most of the love during their set. Of course this meant songs such as “A-Frame,” “Terrible Things,” and “Five Minutes” were brought out with full heart and soul from the two artists. It was a performance that will not soon be forgotten, as well as an important milestone for the two as they had finally brought their collaboration and passion project to a festival.
Indie-Rock band, Arcy Drive delivered a powerful and vibrant performance on Saturday. They are currently getting prepared for their new LP, The Pit, coming out in April and they made sure fans knew what they can expect with it performing a few songs from it. The band bounced around on stage belting lyrics and had the fans dancing and singing along as well. We also got to do some portraits with them and they were such a sweet and fun group! We are very excited for their new music and to see them gain more recognition in the industry with how incredible their talent is.
AJR, made up of three brothers with explosively unique and amusing personalities, took the main stage to perform a set of their hits to a packed crowd. As they’ve progressed through their history, they have gone from performing free shows at state fairs just after their first breakout album took to the charts, to selling out arenas and giving insane shows full of incredible set designs, interactive components, and surprises. While they couldn’t bring all these components to the stage at Sips and Sounds, they made sure to provide the audience with a high energy set full of their most known songs with some of their newest album sprinkled in. Frontman Jack is most easily known by the trapper hat he is seen wearing at every performance, and his brother Ryan is best known for his backup vocals and amazing skill with keyboard and music theory. The third brother of the band, Adam, was unfortunately not present at this festival, as he needed to take a step back from performing for some time. Even though one third of the band was missing, the performance they gave captivated the crowd.
Jack danced, ran, jumped, squirmed, flopped, and more all over the stage as to create a compelling and driving force that couldn’t possibly be missed by one single fan. At one point of their show, they took a second to teach fans about how they create their music, showing people how sounds can be tweaked and worked on. As they built a rhythm from scratch, they messed with BPM and reverb to lead into one of their biggest hits, “Bang!” It was a really cool way to show their fans how everything has to start somewhere. At some points they brought out some additional instruments such as trumpet and big drums to aid in some of their songs like “Burn The House Down” and “Worlds Smallest Violin.” AJR, simply put, puts own a performance like none other, and really makes sure the audience gets every penny they spent and then some as their infectious spirit and catchy songs take hold of any space they perform.
Closing Saturday night off on the Coke- Studio stage, Indie-pop artist Claire Roskinkranz played many never-heard music before and we can’t wait for it to be released. She stated after running on stage, “I’m going to be playing some new music tonight, I hope you like it!” We for sure loved it. She was so fun and could tell she absolutely loved being on that stage with the fans cheering her on. Playing the mix of new music and other popular fan-favorites, she truly was magical moving on stage with her incredible vocals.
Closing out the festival was highly sought after, Benson Boone. A singer-songwriter who has captivated not just the U.S. but the whole world with his debut album Fireworks and Rollerblades, Benson has created a truly individual and special experience with his performances as he has toured the past year and performed as much as he could. He’s won numerous music awards globally and always meets his fans with gratitude and love. For his performance at Sips and Sounds, Benson changed up some of his set to give festival attendees a brand new performance. Beginning his set with a visual intro that led into his newest single, “Sorry I’m Here For Someone Else,” he had front row and back of venue fans swooning from his insane vocal strength and passion. His flashy red and white vest with fitted pants definitely had a part to play in the attention he got from his fans, as his chiseled upper body was on display. At one point, Benson had to apologize to fans further to the ends of the stage as he was so focused on the runway for the main stage that helped bring him seemingly into the middle of the crowd.
Of course, it isn’t a Benson Boone show without a few backflips in the mix, although for this performance it seemed he cut back some on the amount of flips he did. With it being a brand new setlist and first time performing it, it’s no wonder he was going all over the stage, especially since he was unaware of the walkway until he got to the venue. While he made sure to focus mainly on his biggest hits, he was given an hour and a half for his set, which allowed for most of his songs to be performed without having to skip over anything. Toward the middle of his set, he took a moment to explain one of his unreleased songs, “Momma,” and how it was the next album’s equivalent to one of his most popular and personal songs “In The Stars.” As the night progressed, Benson made sure to look at every fan he could, interact with them, and even jump down off the stage a couple times to get up close with those lucky enough o be in the first few rows of people. While some performers simply perform on stage and rush their setlist in the sake of time, this man always makes sure to slot in time to talk with the people who got him this point in his career. And even though the set didn’t vary heavily from his original, the festival made sure to include smoke cannons and a wall of sparks to really give fans an otherworldly performance. With a performance full of fan favorites and a few unreleased songs, Benson Boone provided everyone in attendance with a show that was worth triple what they paid.
Overall, this years Coca-Cola Sips & Sounds Fest was a huge success! The new venue truly helped it come together as a festival, and that view of downtown across the river can’t be beat. There were plenty of food trucks and drink areas for the amount of attendees which was a plus. Similarly, the line sizes were never bad for anything, which is definitely a benefit of a smaller festival that takes measures to ensure satisfaction. The crowd was very respectful of one another which made it safer for families to have a better spot and still stay together. Artist performances were out of this world and it’s only expected for next years lineup to be even better!
Keep up with Coca-Cola Sips and Sounds Fest here: Website // Instagram //Facebook // X
