Watch Marcus King Band Raise ‘Honky Tonk Hell’ On ‘Austin City Limits’

The Marcus King Band will make their long-awaited Austin City Limits debut on the next installment of the PBS live music series’ 51st season. Exclusive footage of “Honky Tonk Hell” was rolled out ahead of the episode’s premiere on Saturday, January 24 at 8 p.m. CT/9 p.m. ET.

“Honky Tonk Hell” was the first single put out by The Marcus King Band in seven years after frontman Marcus King released music as a solo artist since 2018. The song “is an anthem for anyone out there like myself who have struggled with the permanence of sobriety—those who fear the thought they will never again howl at the moon,” Marcus King stated of “Honky Tonk Hell,” which appeared on the 2025 MKB album Darling Blue. “This song for me serves as a reminder to take it all one day at a time.”

The core MKB lineup was augmented by horns, a keyboardist and backing vocalists for their first visit to the ACL stage at The Moody Theater. Darling Blue was also represented in the set by “No Room For Blue” and “Heartlands.” Marcus King invited his father, bluesman Marvin King, to guest on the scorching cover of The Allman Brothers Band’s “Ramblin’ Man” that punctuated the group’s Austin City Limits debut. Red Dirt singer-songwriter Wyatt Flores shares the hour with The Marcus King Band.

Touring keyboardist Mike Runyon spices up the “Honky Tonk Hell” intro on clavinet with teases of Genesis’ “That’s All.” Marcus King and fellow MKB guitarist Drew Smithers engage in a fiery duel towards the end of the song.

View an exclusive preview of The Marcus King Band’s first Austin City Limits appearance by clicking below:

Watch the upcoming episode live on PBS (check local listings), stream online or download the PBS App. Queens of the Stone Age and Leon Thomas will be featured on new Season 51 installments set to premiere on January 31 and February 7, respectively.