Who: Violent Femmes at the Main Stage In 3 or Fewer Words: Remember those songs? Memorable Because: When the reunited Violent Femmes opened with “Blister in the Sun” and got that annoying bit of business out of the way, I knew I was in good hands. Then they played “Kiss Off.” And then “Please Do […]
Who: Bat for Lashes in the Mojave Tent In 3 or Fewer Words: Unlike the rest. Memorable Because: Bat For Lashes is a rare bird. In fact, Natasha Khan walked onto stage in a rainbow-colored outfit (which included a cape that gave her “wings”) with energy so electric she could have burst into flames like a phoenix. […]
Who:Â Ben Howard at the Outdoor Theatre In 3 or Fewer Words:Â Howard’s slow-burning heat. Memorable Because: Even with sun still beating down harshly on our skin during his set in the 4 o’clock hour, London’s Ben Howard managed to attract a faithful crowd and cool everyone down with his lush folk orchestrations off of his latest […]
Who: Savages in the Mojave Tent In 3 or Fewer Words: The ferocious four. Memorable Because: The only hint of girly-ness at Savages’ set was the pair of pink heels lead singer Jehnny Beth wore, but I’m almost certain that small fashion bit went unnoticed, since the all-female post-punk quartet played a set so raw, […]
Who: Allen Stone in the Gobi Tent In 3 or Fewer Words: Bet you’ve never seen this before: Band’s bassist arrives onstage alone and lays down a groove; guitarist joins in, followed by the drummer, organist, keyboardist and two-man horn section, slowly building the momentum. Then the soul man himself appears, beseeching the crowd to […]
Who: Dropkick Murphys at the main stage In 3 or Fewer Words: Erin go braugh! Memorable Because: The Dropkick Murphys dodged any criticism of being a Pogues facsimile when they invited the original Celtic punk band’s accordion player James Fearnley on stage for the final third of their excellent set. It’s tough to pick a […]
Who: Action Bronson at the Outdoor Theatre In 3 or Fewer Words: Old skool cipher Memorable Because: I saw my first crowd-surfing wheelchair during the mad spectacle that was Action Bronson. Bronson (no relation to your favorite LA blogger) and his crew brought an East Coast sound to the West Coast fest, with sparse beats […]
All that was missing from Saturday’s Day 2 of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts festival were Cameo themselves. It was a day of guests turns, with the hottest rumor du jour turning to vapor in the night air when R. Kelly, not Daft Punk (this year’s gossip leader), showed up to guest with Phoenix. […]
We’re not extinct – stay tuned for Saturday and Sunday coverage of Coachella. Thanks.
Photographer Scott Dudelson is lending his talents to the Buzz Bands LA team again this year at Coachella. He’s putting in a lot of miles hoofing it from stage to stage, and here is a gallery of performers from throughout the festival.