Broken Social Scene in Austin

About Broken Social Scene

Broken Social Scene started as Kevin Drew's solo project in Toronto in the late 1990s and grew into this sprawling collective that nobody can quite pin down. The band proper includes Drew, Brendan Canning, and a rotating cast of musicians that sometimes feels like half of the Toronto indie scene showed up to play. Their landmark 2002 album You Forgot It in People established them as people who cared more about textures and weird production choices than conventional song structures. Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl became their calling card—a song that builds from whisper to something almost anthemic without ever getting loud. They've made albums that range from the guitar-heavy brutalism of Self-Titled to the more restrained, orchestral work of Forgiveness Rock Record. Live, they've become known for their willingness to stretch songs and improvise, turning rehearsals into semi-public events. The band's influence on indie rock over two decades has been substantial, mostly because they proved you could be successful while being genuinely weird about it.

Their shows are controlled chaos with eight to twelve people on stage. Expect long instrumental passages where the crowd just watches, intently. The energy builds subtly rather than exploding. People talk less than at typical rock shows, actually paying attention.

Known for Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl, 7/4 (Shorelines), Feels Good, Cause = Time, Handsome Ghost

Broken Social Scene + Austin

Broken Social Scene brought their particular brand of orchestral indie rock to Stubb's Bar-B-Q in September 2023, working through a setlist that balanced the immediately accessible with the deeper catalog. They opened with 'KC Accidental' and spent the evening weaving between their more experimental moments—'7/4 (Shoreline)' has a way of reshaping a room—and the songs people actually came for, like 'Lover's Spit.' The Austin crowd got to hear 'Late Nineties Bedroom Rock for the Missionaries,' a track that captures their particular sense of drama and nostalgia, before closing things out with 'Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl,' which feels inevitable in retrospect.

Broken Social Scene in Austin News

• Metric, Broken Social Scene, and Stars in concert CultureMap Austin · Feb 17, 2026
• Broken Social Scene announce new album Remember The Humans Northern Transmissions · Feb 13, 2026
• Metric, Broken Social Scene, and Stars Just Announced a Joint Tour for 2026 VICE · Feb 3, 2026
• Broken Social Scene Announce New Album, 2026 North American Tour with Metric and Stars Consequence of Sound · Feb 3, 2026
• Broken Social Scene Return With First Album Since 2017 Rolling Stone · Feb 3, 2026

Live Music in Austin

Austin's indie and experimental rock community has always had room for bands that think bigger than the three-chord format. Broken Social Scene, with their maximalist arrangements and layered approach to songwriting, fits naturally into a city that's historically championed art-rock experimentation. From psych-leaning acts to chamber-pop orchestrations, Austin crowds tend to appreciate the kind of controlled chaos that defines BSS's sound—messy on the surface, intricate underneath.

Austin road trip to see Broken Social Scene?

Stay in East Austin, where you'll find better restaurants and a neighborhood that actually feels alive. Dinner at Suerte—confident, creative food in a space that doesn't try too hard. During the day, wander the galleries and vintage shops along East 6th, or head to Zilker Park to sit with a coffee and watch Austin be itself. If you've got time, catch live music at Mohawk or Hotel Vegas—smaller rooms where you can see how Austin's songwriting community actually operates. The city's best asset isn't any single thing; it's the density of good people doing interesting work.