Concert Recap: Gus Baldwin and The Sketch at The Ballroom Austin

Gus Baldwin and The Sketch lashed out with angsty punk tunes on Feb. 20 at the Ballroom ahead of their 2025 tour with openers Guiding Light and Grocery Bag. 

Photos by Charlotte Keene

Local punk band Guiding Light opens for Gus Baldwin and The Sketch.

Local punk band Guiding Light opens for Gus Baldwin and The Sketch.

Local punk band Guiding Light opens for Gus Baldwin and The Sketch.

Local punk band Guiding Light opens for Gus Baldwin and The Sketch.

Local punk band Guiding Light opens for Gus Baldwin and The Sketch.

Grocery Bag, a four-piece local band, catapults the venue’s energy with powerful instrumentation.

Guitarist Dillon Aitala rocks back and forth while stoically strumming.

Vocalist Isabella Martinez sings tunes like “Alone” and “Xing” from Grocery Bag’s 2023 album, Break You.

Psych garage outfit Grocery Bag speeds up the pace during a guitar solo.

Vocalist Gus Baldwin moves with the rhythm during his band’s The Sketch album release show.

Baldwin moves with the rhythm during his band’s The Sketch album release show.

Bassist Lucas Martins jams out during the Gus Baldwin and the Sketch album release show.

Gus Baldwin and the Sketch’s guitarist David Rawlinson sings backup vocals while strumming guitar.

Gus Baldwin and the Sketch rock out while the crowd moshes.

Guitarist David Rawlinson screams with the music.

From left, Baldwin and Martins belt out in unison while performing.

Baldwin bobs with the quick beat as he sings almost every song from his band’s 2025 release.

Rawlinson sings along wildly during his band's show for their debut album, The Sketch.

From left, Martins and Rawlinson shake their hair with the music.

Martins grooves with the bass.

Gus Baldwin and The Sketch perform new raucous hits like “What the Freaks Say” and “Beautiful Delilah.”