Kevin Bronson on April 15th, 2012

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Is waiting really the hardest part?

The sense of anticipation for evening sets from Radiohead, the Shins, Feist and Bon Iver seemed palpable Saturday at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, but the huge crowd were offered more than just time-killers leading up to those critical darlings. Tucked away in the tents were the likes of the Vaccines, Dragonette, Azealia Banks, the Head and the Heart and Buzzcocks, waiting to deliver a rush of blood to the head. And songstress Laura Marling and St. Vincent joined Feist to form a triumvirate of female singers to stir the soul.

Most surprising was Saturday’s U.K. contingent – tent-dwellers the Vaccines, Buzzcocks and Squeeze (yes, Squeeze) – repped the Union Jack proudly and boisterously. By comparison, ballyhooed main-stagers Kaiser Chiefs and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds went over like campground hippies at high tea.

Coachella’s bright desert sunshine returned Saturday, with Friday’s storm front having left behind crisp temperatures and more than a few festival sniffles.

There were plenty of other highlights too. Following are our capsules from select sets.