Lite + Brite: 38 Hunky Austin Events 8/8
Hello, what’s up, and welcome to the Lite + Brite newsletter.
Who reads this newsletter exactly? We don’t know most of you, but we can make inferences. You live in Austin. You’re capable of reading at least at a fourth-grade level. You sometimes like to leave the house. You’re gorgeous + you have great taste in music. Most of that is probably true. We’re basically scientists.
Our thesis this week is that despite the heat, despite the world being the world, you will be impressed with the slate of events the city of Austin has assembled. Events where you practice flirting, watch people competing comedically for Sonic’s heart, listen to Talking Heads covers from a water park, party in a video game bus named Peanut, cast magic missiles with some wizard puppets, watch a documentary on corporate musicals, or watch DJs performing in the back of a U-Haul. It is not hyperbole when we say that is the tip of the proverbial iceberg, so keep scrolling for the rest.
A reminder that we have been curating a guide to local events for flood relief. The flood-related newscycle has slowed down but people whose lives were disrupted are still struggling, and there are still many ways to help while engaging in activities you like. (And if you know of other events, please send them to us + we’ll add them.)
If you’re not already a subscriber to this newsletter and you want to be, click here. We do one newsletter a week, usually on Fridays, plus a bonus edition around the start of each month. If you enjoy this newsletter, please support us by contributing to our Patreon and by forwarding this email to your friends who enjoy things like listening to music and leaving the house sometimes.
Let’s do fun stuff!
—Leila + Brian
liteandbriteatx.com
OUR STUFF
Inspired by Cyberpunk 2077’s futuristic wastelands, No Humans Allowed reimagined the game’s soundtrack this week with techno, EBM, + industrial tunes from they heyday of the 80s/90s cyberpunk craze. Listen to it on demand in the Kpiss archives or scroll below for more info + tracklisting.
EVENTS WE’RE EYEING
Friday 8/8
- Art + Sounds Party at Gemstone Palace
A bus retrofitted to play indie arcade games, live music, + screen printing - Barroom Blitz at Hotel Vegas
Heavy rock bands alternate with “bar fights w/ pro wrestlers” - Hunky-Tonk at Chess Club
“Is it drag? Is it theater? Is it legal?” Drag kings + DJs find out - Glamelot at Tiny Minotaur
“Queer-coded knight and/or maiden and/or wizard costumes” party - Electrowhip at Elysium
Body Mechanics folks spinning dark techno + industrial - Queer to Tell at Capt. Quack’s Soundspace
“Queer Stories told by Queer People in Queer Businesses in Queer Austin” - Float Films at Austin Motel
Close out Austin Motel’s summer poolside film series w/disco or gospel - Black Art Airways at Distribution Hall
Celebration of Black art w/panels, galleries, live music, + DJ sets - Freak Chic at Sterling Stage
Burlesque performers inspired by 90s Black Southern culture - Art Really Talks at Trinity Street Playhouse
A night of improv comedy inspired by famous paintings - Purple Martin Party at Round Rock Crossing Shopping Center
Half a million migratory birds flying in big ol clouds. Nature is cool - How Should a Conversation Be? at Crashbox
An original play exploring the nature of queer love + meaning of time - Suspensivo at the Vortex
A play performed in Spanish (w/subtitles) about loneliness in the digital age
Saturday 8/9
- SunByrne at Volente Beach
Waterpark w/ Talking Heads + other cover bands, live music, DJ - Local Queer Pride Boat Party at Highland Lakes Marina
Board the Large Marge for drag, games, + “queer jams” - Uhauler Room at Cheer Up Charlie’s
“A dyke party w/DJ sets in the back of a Uhaul truck” - Metropolis at the Austin Central Library
Watch the early silent sci-fi film scored by live musician - Brisketfest 2025 at the Far Out Lounge
Enjoy occasionally BBQ-themed live music + eat some BBQ - Some Call It Magic at Tiny Minotaur
Black + trans drag w/DJs + vendors - Bookstore Romance Day at BookPeople
All things romance w/book blind dates, themed menu, card making, free books - Full Moon Swim at Austin Motel
Free night swim soundtrack by DJs spinning vaporwave + indie sleaze - Magick + Mischief at Hideaway Kitchen + Bar
Interactive games, wizard puppets, + tabletops full of RPGs + DMs - The Great Show at Elysium
Traditional burlesque mingles with drag performers - Writer’s Brunch at DAWA HQ
Learn writing craft in panels while enjoying brunch - Open Studios at Art Hub ATX
Check out art + artists in their own studios + attached gallery - Nature Walk + Sketch at Pease Park
Walk around the park + sketch the people + plants in provided booklets - Black Art Airways at Distribution Hall
Celebration of Black art w/panels, galleries, live music, + DJ sets - Freak Chic at Sterling Stage
Burlesque performers inspired by 90s Black Southern culture - Art Really Talks at Trinity Street Playhouse
A night of improv comedy inspired by famous paintings - Purple Martin Party at Round Rock Crossing Shopping Center
Half a million migratory birds flying in big ol clouds. Nature is cool - Toxic Avenger, the Musical at Austin Playhouse
Watch a local musical production of the play retelling the story of Toxie + his cult film - How Should a Conversation Be? at Crashbox
An original play exploring the nature of queer love + meaning of time - Suspensivo at the Vortex
A play performed in Spanish (w/subtitles) about loneliness in the digital age
Sunday 8/10
- FlirtSpace at FAILSPACE
Practice flirting at “experiment in connection, play, and, of course, flirting” - Be Kind, Rewind at Little Drinks Lounge
Swap, trade, or “just show off” your VHS tapes + hang with VHS tapeheads - Toxic Avenger, the Musical at Austin Playhouse
Watch a local musical production of the play retelling the story of Toxie + his cult film - How Should a Conversation Be? at Crashbox
An original play exploring the nature of queer love + meaning of time - Suspensivo at the Vortex
A play performed in Spanish (w/subtitles) about loneliness in the digital age - (weekly thru 8/31) Splashdance at the Austin Motel
Poolside aerobics with Austin’s most creative aerobics instructor
Monday 8/11
- Amaging! at the Central Library
Hear about aging from five 65+ LGBTQIA storytellers - Short Film Showcase at 29th St. Ballroom
The films are short, the filmmakers are Texan + of varying heights
Tuesday 8/12
- Lone Star Three at AFS
Watch a doc about Texas college students whose actions led to Roe v. Wade - Ha! Ha! Storytime! at Radio South
Comedic storytellers “compete for Sonic the Hedgehog’s heart” in gameshow
Wednesday 8/13
- Bathtubs Over Broadway at the Dougherty Arts Center
Watch a documentary on the little-known genre of corporate musicals
Thursday 8/14
- Splash at Deep Eddy
Watch a beloved mermaid-themed romcom poolside w/free popcorn - Yoi Toki at Emo’s
Touring future funk + vaporwave dance party touches down in Austin - Suspensivo at the Vortex
A play performed in Spanish (w/subtitles) about loneliness in the digital age - (weekly thru 8/28) Float-In Theater at Mozart’s
Watch movies deck-side or while floating on the lake
No Humans Allowed 244
Badlands
We’re putting the pedal to the metal and taking off to the Badlands, which turns out to be full of cacti, old techno, crazy slang words for the internet, and maximalist 90s sampling. Sit back, relax, and press play.
Tracklist
My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult – Badlife
Frank Youngwerth – Whirr (Motorway)
Masive Attack – Unfinished Symphony (Fingerman Re-edit)
Robotiko Rejekto – You Can’t Escape
Aftershock – Fade to Grey (Ambient Dub)
Girls Against Boys – Move
Sheep on Drugs – Track X
Acid Horse – No Name, No Slogan
The Shamen – Omega Amigo
Information Society – Think (Phone Phreak Mix)
Xymox – Obsession
Phantasia – Inner Light
No Humans Allowed is Brian Blackout’s award-winning, dodgy European news coverage receiving, weekly robots-themed radio show on internet station KPISS.fm. Machine vibes 4 machines. Songs for robots, androids, mandroids, cyborgs, AIs, cylons, skinjobs, roombas, wifi routers, smart devices, anything colored Bondi blue, and virtual assistants. Humans not required. Broadcasts live every Wednesday at 6pm CT on kpiss.fm, with over 200 episodes now streamable in the archives on topics like and Beach Simulations, Roomba dance parties, undersea adventures + Cyber Texas.
PATREON THANKS
A huge thank-you to our Patreon subscribers Robert B., Roman Gonzalez, Nick Ivons, Molly Fonseca, Lilly Ettinger, Michael Sales, Zach, Gino Scaramuzza, Erica Speegle, Jarrett Holtz, Thomas Refferson, Bones Malones, Amy Hayes, Katie Green, Christina Jue, Colleen MB, Alexander Freed, Kristen Backor, Timon A., and Amy Wilde. We’re deeply grateful for your support, which allows us to do things like “pay our Mailchimp fee” and “spend hours researching Austin events when technically we should be working.”
If you’d like to support us on Patreon and get access to exclusive member-only benefits, you may do so here.
SOCIALS
Recent weeks found us getting ready for Prick Up Your Ears, watching the Buda Wiener Dog Races, and experiencing a toy art exhibit at Collection Rert. Follow Lite + Brite on Instagram to keep up with our adventures. We’re now on Bluesky too. Yay federation! And come chat with us and the rest of the L+B community on our Discord server (where we sometimes post stuff early too).
ABOUT US
How do we choose which events to feature?
Honestly, it’s pretty random. We might include anything in Austin that we, personally, would conceivably want to go to, generally excluding normal concerts, comedy shows, and movie showtimes because there are many other good resources for finding those. (We especially recommend Showlist for live music, The Darker Side of Austin for goth and metal stuff, Concept Animals’ ATX Art for You for gallery openings + artist talks, and the 60+ Weirdest Things in Austin for exactly what it sounds like). This list is by no means exhaustive; it’s just stuff that caught our eye this week. If you have an event that you want us to consider including, send it over.
Who are we?
We are Leila + Brian. We make this newsletter. We do our own events, most often No Lights No Lycra, + also BYOT, a party where we share very good YouTubes (here’s a playlist from the last one). We go very hard seeing bands at SxSW (here are playlists of our favorites from 2025). We once got called “local Austin couple” by KXAN. We do some other stuff here and there. We love going out to creative events in Austin, and we want you to join us. Visit us at liteandbriteatx.com, and support us on Patreon if you like what we do.