The Aces & Lydia Night

Empire Garage | December 3, 2025

The Aces turned Empire Garage into a queer disco confessional on Wednesday night, building warmth and intimacy in a room that started quiet but ended electric. Even with a smaller-than-usual crowd—the fog and light rain blanketing Austin that evening kept some fans home—what the night lacked in numbers, it made up for in connection.

Lydia Night opened with vulnerable solo material from her debut album Parody of Pleasure, released in August via Warner Records. Supporting The Aces on the entire Gold Star Baby World Tour, she's had to build this connection night after night without the usual Regrettes faithful shouting back every lyric. Early on, she kept her banter minimal and her stage presence restrained, but as she moved through tracks she loosened. At one point she laughed, "Now everyone knows about my problems." By the closer, hands were swaying and the room felt noticeably warmer.

The Aces picked up the energy the moment they stepped on stage. The Utah quartet—Cristal Ramirez, Alisa Ramirez, Katie Henderson, and McKenna Petty—played with the intuitive tightness of a seasoned band. The setlist leaned heavily on Gold Star Baby—opening with "Jealous," its strutting disco-funk bass line immediately setting the tone. "The Magic" and the title track landed with swagger, while "Twin Flame" built into a glitter-glossed groove that had the crowd dancing. They pulled from earlier records too—"Daydream" and "Stuck" drawing loud singalongs from longtime fans. 

True to form, the band blurred performance and conversation. Cristal asked the crowd for tea, only to be met with a long, chaotic story about an ex's ex yelling from the pit. Later, they pulled a fan forward as their "Gold Star Baby" best-dressed pick—a young fan in a sequined outfit who confessed that her attire was inspired by Cristal herself. Cristal then draped the boa over her own shoulders while the band launched into "Fire in the Hole," perfectly capturing Gold Star Baby's celebratory ethos.

A throughline emerged: pop as confession, confession as community. Night's solo work transforms interior chaos into self-aware theatrics. The Aces expand that vulnerability outward, speaking openly about queerness and creating safe space.

For a night that began with fog dampening expectations and a half-full venue, the show became something intimate and communal. Lydia Night is testing the contours of her new artistic identity; The Aces are fully in their stride, delivering a confident reminder that connection doesn't require capacity crowds.

By the final song, no one was thinking about the fog anymore. The Aces had turned Empire Garage into the warmest room in Austin—not through spectacle, but through small, honest moments that make a sparse crowd feel like chosen family for the night.

Words and photos: Victor Gonzalez