Punk Band Lord Friday the 13th Stock Up on Dollar Store Lipstick

District Fray is on the road. We are excited to be in Austin, Texas for SXSW 2022 after the festival’s two-year hiatus. All week long, we’re covering local and international artists and creatives showcasing their talents. To learn more about SXSW 2022, visit their website here. To stream shows, including panels and musical performances, visit here.

SXSW serves as a mecca for the brightest upcoming musical talent to coalesce from across the globe. Hundred of thousands of creatives, reporters and visitors have flown and will continue to fly into Austin throughout the festival week, but the band Lord Friday the 13th doesn’t have to travel too far. With Austin as their home since their 2019 inception, the sister-brother-led band are set to perform three separate times throughout the festival. 

Self-described as “dollar store trash glam punk,” their songs carry grit with an unabashed avant-garde edge. As their name suggests, Felix Lenz’s vocals carry a sinister tone and are matched with fast-paced melodies carried by Sloane Lenz’s guitar. Now equipped with newly released EPs, Lord Friday the 13th is ready to take the festival by storm. We caught up with both Felix and Sloane Lenz to chat about what they are looking forward to this week and where to buy the best lipstick.  

District Fray: You describe the band as “dollar store trash glam punk.” What is your go-to purchase at the dollar store?
Felix Lenz: I buy my lipstick from Family Dollar almost exclusively. It’s probably made of stuff that’ll eventually make my lips fall off but it’s hard to beat that bright pop, and of course the price.

As siblings growing up did you fight at all?
Sloane Lenz: We don’t really fight. I think we were that thing where twins get separated when the egg splits and only one of us got fertilized and then two years and twelve days later the other was born. I really think so. Sometimes we even dream the same dreams at night.

What street food/snacks are you planning to get while at the festival?
Felix: Um, I don’t do a ton of street food in general but I’m sure I’ll choke down at least one veggie DittyDog at some point over the festival.

What do tourists and festival-goers miss or not understand about Austin’s culture?
Sloane: I think tourists and festival-goers typically see the Austin that Austin puts on when guests come over for dinner. The full face of makeup, ready to entertain version of Austin, not the Austin that Austin is most of the time when it’s comfortable and just chilling at home in its pajamas. Austin always has and always will have an unexplainable magic. No matter how shined up it gets or however many Hermès stores open over old homes it’ll still be there, you just have to dig a little deeper. You can feel it in the water at Barton Springs or eating Mexican food under an oak tree or seeing a show upstairs at the Continental Club. Bouldin Creek Cafe is somewhere that magic is still very much alive. I don’t know how to describe it, but when you feel it you feel it.

The first time you performed as a full band was in Ireland and your debut album was also recorded there. How has your music been influenced by Ireland?
Felix: Well, the amount of inspiration that’s come from the friends we recorded with in Ireland (Pete O’Hanlon, Evan Walsh, Becky Walsh, Ross Farrelly and Sam Geraghty) is immense. They’re extremely gifted musicians in addition to just being fantastic people who brought so much extra flavor to the songs. As far as Ireland’s influence goes on the music, we’ve got a penny whistle solo on an upcoming song. But seriously, the magic that we felt there is something we hope to bring through in everything we do forever.

Catch Lord Friday the 13th SXSW 2022 performances at Full Circle Bar on March 18 at 6:30 p.m. and then again for their official showcase at Hotel Vegas on Match 19 at 7 p.m. To stream SXSW performances, visit here. [Ed. Note: Their first performance at SXSW 2022 was on March 10 at Hotel Vegas.]

Learn more about Lord Friday the 13th by visiting their website here or follow them on Instagram at @lordfridayland. To listen to their music, visit their Spotify page here. 

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