Who:Â Chet Faker at the Outdoor Theatre In 3 or Fewer Words:Â A monological meastro. Memorable Because: Although Nicholas James Murphy, aka Chet Faker, was basically a one-man show (he had some help from one musician behind him), the Australian electro maestro impressively held his own on the big Outdoor Theatre stage. Even the silly white beanie […]
Who: Bad Religion on the Main Stage In Three Words or Fewer: SoCal, so-so. Forgetable Because: Bad Religion played their first-ever Coachella (hard to believe, right?) on the Main State around 3:30 in the afternoon, a par-for-the-course SoCal punk set of the same songs you probably heard at a KROQ Weenie Roast. You could do […]
Who: Bad Suns in the Mojave Tent In 3 or Fewer Words: Coming-out party. Memorable Because: “Four years ago — I was 16 at the time — I came to Coachella for the first time,” frontman Christo Bowman told a very young crowd who seemed to have his lyrics memorized. “This is a dream come […]
Who: Royal Blood at the Outdoor Theatre In 2 or Fewer Words: Bloody good. Memorable Because: Two men. Two instruments. Monstrous stage. Blistering sunshine. No problem. Yes, Royal Blood makes you feel like you want to be concise, even in recounting their 40-minute set, which was so hot you could fry an egg on it. […]
Who:Â Clean Bandit on the Main Stage In 3 or Fewer Words:Â With strings attached. Memorable Because:Â Clean Bandit’s fun electro-pop, laced with intricate string arrangements (Grace Chatto on cello and Neil Amin-Smith on violin), made way for an afternoon dance party. With a slew of successful songs, including the worldwide hit “Rather Be,” the quartet featuring vocalist […]
Who: Parquet Courts in the Gobi Tent. In 3 or Fewer Words: Snot-nosed satisfaction. Memorable Because: “Real sorry about your water supply, just keep partying and you’ll forget about it. Until next year,†Parquet Courts’ guitarist Austin Brown astutely deadpanned early in a set reminiscent of the best DIY throwdowns you might have witnessed in […]
Who: PHOX at the Outdoor Theatre. In 3 or Fewer Words: Kinda folking great. Memorable Because: Keep an eye on Wisconsin’s alt-folk underdog heroes, who released their debut album last year and on Saturday played a noon-hour set on the Outdoor Stage. Singer-songwriter Monica Martin gave Coachella’s indie-bro frontmen a run for their money in […]
The good stuff at Coachella on Saturday started early (bonus points if you were there before noon for Until the Ribbon Breaks) and ran late (a gold star if you carried on with Swans after midnight). In between on a warmer Day 2, there were: Jack White shredding the Main Stage; coming-out performances from the […]
Photographer David Brendan Hall takes you on short tour around Friday’s first day of Coachella, starting with Alabama Shakes (top photo). Our Coachella mini-reviews
Who: AC/DC at the Outdoor Stage In 3 or Fewer Words: Rock or bust! Memorable Because: “I hope you guys like rock ’n’ roll, because that’s all we do!†singer Brian Johnson squealed as legendary hard rock band AC/DC took the Main Stage. He wasn’t lying. AC/DC’s electrifying set felt like a middle-finger to the […]
