Andrew Veeder on April 17th, 2016

2

Veeder’s Day 2: Brightener, GoGo Penguin, Algiers, The Black Madonna, SOPHIE, Run The Jewels, Chvrches, Courtney Barnett, SZA, Vince Staples, Ice Cube, BADBADNOTGOOD

Saturday’s Coachella offerings ran the gamut from newcomers of the scene to decades-old legends of it, ranging from indie rock to jazz, punk to R&B, dubstep to synth-pop, but it was rap — Ice Cube, Vince Staples and Run the Jewels — that reigned supreme on Day 2.

As the sun moved from east to west:

12:20: In the feel-good story of the day, Palm Desert-based Will Sturgeon and his band Brightener were asked last weekend by Goldenvoice to play the noon slot on the outdoor theater — a dream come true for a band who just started playing together in September. The five-piece breezed through the catchy “Bahamas,” written about the ill-fated Coachella cruise, and “Make Real Friends,” rocking out as they all beamed ear to ear.

||| Also: Guns N’ Roses and more on Day 2.

1:07: Manchester band GoGo Penguin were a jolt to the system in the Gobi tent as they powered through a set of hard-hitting jazz. The trio mixed up older material and new songs off their recent record “Man Made Object” on Blue Note Records. On “Initiate,” Nick Blacka’s lightening-fast fingers flew up and down his upright bass, furiously plucking to Rob Turner’s skittering drum beat, which was anchored by Chris Illingworth’s tickled ivories. “Branches Break” showcased the intricate texture of their sound, while “Smarra” was a delirious drum and bass onslaught.

1:35: A chaotic, chopped-up sound collage of news snippets on climate change and the refugee crisis set the tone as Algiers took the stage, and damn near burned the place down with their post-punk-gospel call to arms. The Atlanta foursome were a sonic juggernaut who, like Savages last night, play with such a sense of urgency, with bassist Ryan Mahan repeatedly pounding his chest, face, and the stage floor. “Black Eunuch” and “Claudette” delivered a 1-2 punch to begin, then “Irony. Utility. Pretext” and closer “Blood” hammered home their message in an undeniable way.

3:29: So this is the Yuma tent: air conditioned, strobed out, wood floored, and with an explosive sound system. Those on downers were chilled out or unconscious on the angled cushions jutting out from the back, while those on uppers were sliding around on the floor or dancing their faces off as The Black Madonna finished her set of hard house, dropping Mistral’s “Tuneboy” and her own track, “Exodus.”

3:50: Things I thought of when taking in SOPHIE‘s DJ set in the Yuma and thinking about how to articulate it: punishing assault of bass feedback; noise reverberation so intense it feels violating; marbles in a blender; sparkly, twinkling melodies; LSD anime rollercoaster; a NES game theme thrice as fast; bleeps, blops, bloops; pops, clacks, booms; helium vocals; a washing machine in a dryer; a war in space. Questions I asked myself: Is my heart beating irregularly? Am I going to have hearing damage? Am I dying?

4:03: I have to get out of here … I’m 200 feet away and it’s still too loud. That was cool though.

4:16: James Murphy is spinning vinyl records in the Despacio, “a one-of-a-kind sound system” with seven 11-foot-tall stacks of Macintosh amplifiers on the perimeter pumping 50,000 watts of power, which are no joke. In roughly 8 minutes, at least that many people approached Murphy taking photos, and two different animated bros shouted their love at him. He sipped white wine, and continued to play funky cuts.

4:55: Bernie Sanders introduced Run The Jewels via video, praising Killer Mike, before he and El-P walked onstage to Queen’s “We Are The Champions,” and launched into a new song “Scenes” from their forthcoming third album “RTJ3.” Their second Coachella set in two years felt like a victory lap, and was one of the most fun sets of the day as they tore through “Oh My Darling Don’t Cry,” “Lie, Cheat, Steal,” “Blockbuster Night, Part 1,” and then running through a plethora of guest stars. Gangsta Boo joined them on “Love Again (Akinyele Back),” and DJ Shadow scratched on their recent collaboration “Nobody Speak,” as well as Despot on “Banana Clipper,” BOOTS on “Early,” Gary Clark Jr. on “Angel Duster,” and bringing out Nas for his track “Made You Look.” RTJ’s initial plan was to come out wearing matching denim jumpsuits, so El-P apologized to the crowd for having to see his legs beneath the baggy shorts.

6:04: After two frantic, failed laps through the north beer garden looking for my moleskin full of notes on the day’s acts, I start recalling and typing them out on my phone just as Rhye started playing “Open,” and it’s so beautiful and lush, a lone tear slowly rolled down my right cheek … and then CHVRCHES started, drowning them out.

6:16: CHVRCHES began their main stage set with “Never Ending Circles” and “We Sink,” and the lawn seemed to eat it up. Laura Mayberry’s voice is lovely, her lyrics are great, and she has a great charisma and presence on stage. And the band sounds like they’re playing music, at least from the shade, that is.

6:47: Australian indie rock darling Courtney Barnett‘s 10-song twilight set showcased much of her 2015 album “Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit,” breezing through her talk-sing story songs “Dead Fox,” “An Illustration of Loneliness (Sleepless in New York),” and “Depreston,” about looking for a house in Melbourne’s nearby town of Preston. In addition to her witty lyrics, Barnett proved she can wail too, busting out scuzzy solos during “Debbie Downer” and “Small Poppies.”

7:19: Giving you a R&B fix in the Gobi at dusk, SZA played the Toro Y Moi-produced “HiiiJack” and danced around the stage, as well as “Child’s Play,” “Warm Winds,” and a cover of Rihanna’s “Consideration.” She ended with “Babylon,” and thanked the crowd for being part of her bucket list.

7:58: Over in the Sahara, Long Beach rapper Vince Staples and his DJ, Westside Ty, looked dwarfed against the massive inverted Aggro Crag of cubical screens constructed up and above the stage, but their energy and enthusiasm filled the tent on his tracks “Lift Me Up,” Future-sampling “Señorita,” and Jhené Aiko-guested “Lemme Know.” He made a ballsy choice mid-set by performing “Summertime,” a melancholy number about insecurities that he sang-rapped about, but then, “Now that that bullsh*t is out of the way,” he remarked, older tracks “Fire” and “Blue Suede” closed on a high note. Staples’ rapid-fire banter filled the gaps with lines like, “Who been listening to Vince Staples for a long time? … Some of you motherf*cking lying,” and Tyler the Creator was seen crowd surfing from the back of the tent all the way to the stage.

9:05: Less than a week after his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Ice Cube played a homecoming greatest hits set packed with guests on the main stage to a packed lawn. After asking the crowd, “Can I keep it gangsta tonight?” he warmed it up with “Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It,” “Natural Born Killaz,” and “Check Yo’ Self,” he brought out MC Ren and DJ Yella to perform N.W.A’s seminal hits “Straight Outta Compton,” and “F*ck tha Police,” with Cube’s son O’Shea Jackson joining them for “Dopeman.” Common tag-teamed their new collaboration “Real People” from the “Barbershop: The Next Cut” soundtrack, a decidedly non-gangsta song, then Snoop Dogg emerged for “Go To Church,” staying to rap his part of “The Next Episode.” As one may have expected, he ended his set with “It Was a Good Day” — and since none of the spectators had to use their A.K., we can all agree on the sentiment.

10:12: Silversun Pickups closed their set in the Mojave with “Lazy Eye,” and it was everything I wanted it to be.

10:55: The few festival goers who weren’t at Guns N’ Roses or Grimes took in the electric Toronto jazz quartet BADBADNOTGOOD, who recently added saxophonist Leland Whitty as a full-time member. Whitty’s horn shined on “III” track “Confession,” as well as their cover of Flying Lotus’ “Putty Boy Strut.” “We’re gonna get a little wild, but we’re going to stay sane,” drummer Alexander Sowinski said as they played two dynamite new songs from their forthcoming album “Four” out in July, “Speaking Gently,” and the complex “Four Shots.” What their set lacked in attendance was made up for in the band’s sheer talent.