On Sunday, June 1st, Drive-By Truckers and Deer Tick brought their Charm & Decadence Tour through Austin, with an outdoor show at Stubb’s, with support from Thelma & The Sleeze. It was a muggy night in Texas, and being on a Sunday night just after Memorial Day Weekend, this show was a bit undersold, but all three bands still delivered the goods.
Thelma and the Sleeze stole the show with a set that started not long after doors opened. They are a queer southern rock & roll band I’ve seen at the 200-cap Royal American tiny dive bar stage in Charleston several times, and to have them out here in Austin at a place as big as Stubb’s was cool to witness (although I didn’t get there in time, Zachary reported they were his favorite of the three).
Deer Tick was up next, and the biggest thing I noticed about them is how much they roll with the punches. They exemplify the spirit of rock & roll. The bass cuts out? Keep going, possibly don’t even notice until the stage hand runs out and plugs it back in.
Frontman John McCauley mentioned that the band just recorded a new album, before playing the new track “Mary Singletary.” “Me and My Man” included an intro of the Beatle’s “Octopus’s Garden.” This was a great set for my first time seeing Deer Tick.
Finally Drive-By Truckers came out after dark with a politically-charged set that spoke directly to the current American climate. This is a signature of their recordings ever since Donald Trump was elected, and they made their opposing stance quite clear.
Frontman Patterson Hood shouted out Bruce Springsteen and his recent vocal stance against the President (context), stating that he was proud to be a lifelong Bruce fan. Then they played a cover of Springsteen’s “Adam Raised a Cain”.
Overall, this was a nice Sunday night rock show in sweaty Austin, TX. Enjoy a photo gallery from the evening below.
Drive-By Truckers, Deer Tick, Thelma and the Sleeze at Stubb’s – 6/1/25 (Photos)
All photos by Zachary Salas (@zacharysalasphotography).
