MA and make peace with the emptiness of a loss

MA Tour at Lucia Vienna, Austria 20260711

Anyone who knows me well knew beforehand that this would be an exceptional show for me, and it was indeed.
Starting at 20:30 sharp were the locals Modula Nation with a sound that made us think of a neo-grunge surfing on the nu-metal revival wave that has been going on for a while now. With hints to Incubus, NIN, and even Korn, Modula Nation warmed up the crowd for what was about to come. Their set was well thought out and connected, as the bridges between songs made it feel cohesive to keep the energy up.

Austin TV then came to take their spots on the stage, wearing the new attire from their upcoming album, MA. Aligned with the concept of it, the new masks portrayed a crying face without features, loyal to their life motto “Tu cara no importa, importas tú” (your face does not matter, you matter).
Their set started strong with the first single of the album MA, “171 (∅ ⊆ A)“, which sounds even more powerful live than in the recording. Followed up and linked to the perfection with “Caballeros del Albedrio” and “Como un Demonio en Una Nube“, another new song.

Making a short trip along their discography, the band played “De la Orquidea y la Avispa“, “Marduk“, and “Hazme Sentir“; from Rizoma (2023), Fontana Bella (2007), and La Última Noche Del Mundo (2003), respectively. This last one with an induced cathartic moment where Rata (bass) suggested letting ourselves feel and go wild together with the band.

Followed up by the second single of the new album, “Kokoro“, and an unreleased song named “MA”, which represents the whole concept of the homonym album linked to its meaning in Japanese. With this word/song, Austin TV proposes to make peace with the emptiness of a loss; this same emptiness is not an absence, and it has a purpose. Without that free space, there wouldn’t be room for sound. *
And like in a sort of resonant poem, they followed that moment with “Lo Bonito de la Muerte“, to close the circle of mourn and grief with a positive note.
A couple more songs enclosed the prepared set, “El Hombre Pánico” and “Rucci” with its lovely sample from the film “Veneno para las hadas”. However, an overexcited crowd successfully convinced them to perform a two-song encore that included their beloved early hit, “Ella No Me Conoce“.

I cannot stress this enough, but experiencing Austin TV live is always an oportunity to catharsis, connect with yourself and with everyone at the venue. In Rizoma the band captured the idea of connectivity among us and with that same rhizomatic network they extrapolate it to be a support net to go through grief, embrace the void that an important lost leave within ourselves and let it be a space for sound and immense possibilities.

* Shout out to everyone who joined me in this moment, and reminded me that this void in my chest is filled with your love and friendship. (Martin, Sofi, Charlie, Octavio, Jvan, Lisa, Chris, Andi, Eli, Emil, Cat, Ferdi, Matias)