What started out as Psych Fest and later evolved into Levitation, Thursday’s Showcase at Hotel Vegas was a celebration of the more indie side of SXSW. Sharing an alleyway with the reborn Fader Fort, the lines where long and unmoving for a good portion of the evening as the fire marshal’s impromptu neighborhood visit kept even platinum badge holders waiting at the gate.

Returning to Austin after a visit a year ago with Cold Cave, the dark wave music project Drab Majesty took a prime slot on one of the outdoor stages. Dressed in Andy Warhol fright wigs with matching white face paint and dark sunglasses, the duo’s futuristic music was haunting and surreal.

Next up was New York indie rockers Sunflower Bean, led by Julia Cumming in a lacy red floor-length dress and Jacob Faber in a white jumpsuit with an embroidered rainbow on the back. Cumming’s sweet lyrical stylings in songs such as their latest single “Twentytwo” lifted the mood in the club contrasting well with the evening’s the previous band and closer.

Having punished Austin with their aggressive lighting and wall of sound last year when they opened for Levitation founders the Black Angels in May, New York noise rockers A Place to Bury Strangers are getting more exposure this year playing several showcases around town. Shrouded in darkness and fog with only a couple kaleidoscopic lights illuminating them, the trio lived up to their reputation as the loudest band in New York by assaulting the crowd with their furious playing. Midway through their set the group stopped suddenly to welcome Native American drummers to the stage to perform alongside them which made for an interesting juxtaposition of primal expression.

A Place to Bury Strangers closed out the evening with bassist Dion Lunadon grabbing his guitar and walking into the crowd to play their last song while being lifted up in the air by the large audience.