Lucy’s Coachella Recap
Hi everyone! I know it’s been awhile since Coachella Music & Arts Festival wrapped, but I’ve been so busy in the showroom that I’ve had zero time to sit down and write about the experience.
Several weeks later, I’m still riding the high from experiencing some of the world’s greatest musical talents in one of California’s most beautiful settings. While bummed to be flying solo this year sans my other half Lesley, I had a blast dancing in the desert heat with friends old and new. This year, I chose to take the plunge and CAMP with my group instead of stay at a hotel. The pros? Being right on the festival grounds enables you to see SO MUCH more music while getting an authentic festival experience. The cons? Shower and phone-charging limitations comparable to The Hunger Games (Am I overly dramatic? Maybe so), and me having zero clue what I looked like for three days. My phone was dead for most of the weekend, but luckily, several friends captured some golden moments…
Campers ready on DAY 1
And I did land some cool features in SPIN, WILDFANG Blog, and Just Jilli!
(Photos 1 & 3: Tallow Polka Dot Romper // Free People boots – similar HERE // Wasteland fedora – similar HERE // vintage men’s Levi’s jacket // Urban Outfitters sunnies – similar HERE // Rusted Revolution Ribcage Harness and Halter Harness (coming soon)// Photo 2: thrifted football jersey – similar HERE // vintage Wrangler flannel shirt – similar HERE // CRAP sunnies // Mishka NYC hat // Free People boots)
And now for the music…
BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE: SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO, THE XX
The name Simian Mobile Disco was foreign to my ears, but my friends kept assuring me I would dig Jas Shaw and James Ford’s style because they’re super-hip AND British. We arrived on Saturday evening to a pitch-black Mojave Stage and a crowd full of extremely cool and fashionable people, so I assumed I was in the right place. The stage was soon illuminated by two glowing turntables, occupied by two DJs, facing each other as if at war. Once SMD started playing their funky “nu-disco” tunes, everybody started GROOVING. I felt like I was in some unbelievably rad underground Parisian club in the 80′s. Color me impressed!
Listen To: Audacity of Huge, I Believe, Cruel Intentions, Hustler
BEST LIVE PERFORMANCE: LOCAL NATIVES, THE XX
Imagine a golden sun setting behind mountains while warm desert winds cushion your entire body. The temperature is perfect. Now imagine the soothing melodies of the Local Natives transporting you to a place of complete serenity. This performance was truly spectacular. I cannot imagine a better setting for these dudes to perform, as their sound on the Outdoor Stage was fully clear and audible. The Local Natives really brought out all the guns for their fans with a killer setlist. I almost exploded during “Sun Hands” because it was one of the most magical musical experiences of my life.
Listen To: Sun Hands, Heavy Feet, You and I, Bowery
I’ve been a fan of The XX since college but I’ve never seen them live. Headlining the Main Stage on Saturday, the British trio drew a large, laid-back crowd. With a warm, gentle breeze blowing towards the crowd, the setting perfectly complimented the group’s highly-focused, indie trance-pop sound. Nobody spoke to one another for the whole set – it was almost eerie, but we were just so concentrated on the beauty of the vocals and instrumentals emanating from the stage. Overall, The XX’s performance was unbelievably stellar – uncomplicated, grounding, and moving all at once.
Listen To: Islands, Intro, Crystalised, Shelter, Heart Skipped a Beat,
BEST HIP-HOP PERFORMANCE: WU TANG CLAN
Wu Tang Clan was one of my most anticipated acts at Coachella this year because I’m from NY and I love OG hip-hop. The anticipation of seeing Ghostface Killah live was almost too much for me to handle, and I couldn’t wait until Sunday night to catch them on the Outdoor Stage. Considering all the hype surrounding their reunion tour, Wu Tang did NOT disappoint – the crew delivered a lengthy setlist of classics and newbies, bringing enough energy to amp up the thousands that waited for them while taking dust to the face (LITERALLY!) Spanning decades with classics like Protect Ya Neck, Shame On a N***a, The Wu’s set also included solo hits Bring The Pain, Duel of the Iron Mic, Ol’ Dirty Bastard tributes set to Shimmy Shimmy Ya and Brooklyn Zoo, and Triumph to finish off the evening. Even 43-year old birthday boy Redman strolled onstage to knock out Da Rockwilder with his Blackout! partner (and my personal favorite) Method Man. The group was in playful spirits, interacting onstage with familiarity and ease. As the group gears up for the 20th anniversary of 36 Chambers and their sixth studio album this summer, I think I can already die happy knowing I’ve seen Method Man, GZA, Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah, Masta Killa, Raekwon, RZA, U-God and Cappadonna.
Listen To: C.R.E.A.M., Bring Da Ruckus, Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber, Method Man, Clan in Da Front, As High As Wu-Tang Get
MOST ENTERTAINING PERFORMANCE: ACTION BRONSON
I first saw Action Bronson at the Brooklyn Bowl in December and it was hands-down one of the best concerts I’ve ever seen. Some highlights from the evening were Bronson throwing about 2 pounds of marijuana, a Rolex and a bottle of Dom into the crowd, not-to-mention the big booty twerkin’ competition from hand-selected females from the audience. The 350-pound Albanian gourmet chef-turned-rapper certainly knows how to put on a show – from slick rhymes professing his love for weed, women and the culinary arts to his fondness for crowd interaction and required audience participation, Bronson clearly lives to please his fans. Performing on the Outdoor Stage in the height of the sweltering dessert heat, Bronson took the stage shirtless, dove into the crowd, and made sure to hit every blunt within range. The rapper ended his set with hit single Bird On A Wire, bringing Riff Raff and several members of Odd Future to join him onstage for the finale.
Side Note: If you like hip-hop, you should download every one of Bronson’s mixtapes (most are available online for free). Also, this dude is fucking hilarious (If you have a free minute, watch some of my favorite Bronson moments HERE, HERE, HERE AND HERE. You’ll be hooked).
Listen To: 9-24-11, Pouches of Tuna, Bird On A Wire, Moorey Boogie Boards, Brunch, Moonstruck, Steve Wynn, Sylvester Lundgren, Gateway to Wizardry
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS: 2CHAINZ, DILLON FRANCIS
Sadly, my homie 2Chainz did NOT bring the fire this year, but in all fairness I don’t think Coachella was the right venue for him. I’d say more than half of Coachella’s attendees flocked to see the King of Ratchet throw down on the Mojave Stage, resulting in a sea of people so dense it was nearly impossible to navigate. Mr. Tity Boi also chose to hit the blunt an extra ten times and keep the audience waiting at least twenty minutes before gracing the stage, unapologetic and pretty inaudible. The rapper covered most of his hit singles, but I was so turned off by the setting that I bailed early to meet up with friends. I love me some ratchet music, but it might be better appreciated in a different venue.
Traversing genres completely, I also found electro-dance god Dillon Francis to be underwhelming. I felt like his sound was weak and the crowd was detached from the music. I”ll chalk it up as a misfire for Dillon, because I love his style and I plan to catch him again in LA at HARD SUMMER, so I’ll report back!
BIGGEST SURPRISES: BAAUER, PAUL KALKBRENNER
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard of the Harlem Shake. I don’t think I knew the man behind the viral jam until a few months ago, but Baauer is actually a 24 year-old, normal looking bro with a love for electro-trap-bass-dub. And guess what? He’s GOOD. We cruised by the Sahara Tent on Saturday afternoon to catch his set, not expecting much more than a crowd of sweaty ravers in costumes doing the Harlem Shake. It turns out, we were treated to a bumpin’ dance party with tons of bass energy. And….I’ll be honest, I really enjoyed doing the Harlem Shake. Total blast.
Listen To: Roll Up (Baauer Remix), Yaow!, Dum Dum, Harlem Shake
Me and a couple of friends were moving between acts on Sunday when we found Paul Kalkbrenner in the Sahara Tent (to be honest, I first thought the dude was Moby). Aside from looks, the German “techno minimalist” has a similar style to the electro-legend himself between a groovy, steady bass and a 90′s Euro house/club vibe. The coolest part? The crowd was sparse, so there was room to dance and spin at our leisure. I’d say that very few Americans know about Kalkbrenner at the moment, and I really enjoy his spiritual, electro-meditative beats. If you like simplified house music from the 80′s, 90′s and early 2000′s, you’ll probably dig his sound too.
Listen To: Dockyard, Sky & Sand, Since 77, Azure
COOLEST USE OF ELECTRONICS: PURITY RING, MAJOR LAZER
Coachella’s coolest lounged on grassy patches while waiting for Canadian duo Purity Ring to take the Gobi Stage on Friday night. I’d heard of the group from hit single Obedear, and my friend Themi (who has incredible taste) promised I would not be disappointed. Instantly, Purity Ring’s electro-trance, witchdub had me hooked. I was so transfixed by Corin Roddick’s custom-built, tree-shaped instrument off of which hung clusters of glowing pods. I kid you not, somehow the dude makes music from it! We swayed to the band’s sexy, reverent sounds that were peppered with unexpected noises and a steady bass line. Since returning home, I’ve had their album Shrines on repeat, and I can’t wait to see them at Lightning in a Bottle this summer.
Listen To: Obedear, Anemany, Fineshrine, Lofticries, Ungirthed, Crawlersout
Major Lazer is definitely for the dope kids. The group consists of LA native DJ/producer Diplo and Jillionaire and Walshy Fire of Jamaican posse Black Chiney. Major Lazer’s sound is unpredictable and weird in the best way…I think a variety of people are drawn to their sound for different reasons. To describe the group’s style, think Carribbean music, meets reggae, meets house, meets dubstep, meets hip-hop, meets jazz and you’re….ehhhh….close? The crowd for MJ got turnt up, as everyone was moving in their respective fashions. Whoever you are and whatever you like, I recommend giving these dudes a listen and DEFINITELY see them live if you get the opportunity.
Listen To: Jah No Partial, Get Free, Original Don, Wind Up, Jet Blue Jet, Bubble Butt
BEST NEWCOMER: ALT-J
I stumbled upon Alt-J by accident and I’m so happy I did. I was navigating a dense crowd en route to one of the festival’s beer gardens, holding my friend’s hand for dear life while weaving in and out of people. All of a sudden, I was shoved to the side and separated from my friends. Instead of fighting the current and panicking (at this point my phone had died and we didn’t have a meeting spot – bad idea!) I stood ground and surveyed the Mojave Stage, hoping my friends would just backtrack and find me. The smooth, bluegrass-folk-pop sound of the band put my mind and body at complete ease. I stayed and listened for a bit until re-connecting with my friends, but those melodies never left my mind. Later that day, I checked the lineup schedule to find the name of the band and realized it was British pop quartet Alt-J. Once home, I listened to their entire debut album, Ride the Wave, and I’m since HOOKED. Watch out for these guys because they’re gonna blow up. In the meantime, check out…
Listen To: Dissolve Me, Breezeblocks, Taro, Tessellate, Something Good, Intro
BEST EDM PERFORMANCE: BINGO PLAYERS
Out of Coachella’s seven stages, The Sahara Tent brings the most heat. Home to most of the festival’s house and EDM acts, here you can find crowds jumping, shuffling and grooving non-stop between the hours of 11 AM and 12 PM. The Bingo Players set on Saturday was straight up FUN. With the entire camping crew present and an unbelievably gorgeous twilight mountain backdrop, I spent the hour grooving to Miami house music that made me feel like I was on spring break forever and all my problems had totally dissolved.
Listen To: Cry (Just A Little), Out of My Mind, Rattle, When I Dip
HONORABLE MENTIONS: MIMOSA, PAUL OAKENFOLD, PHOENIX, PRETTY LIGHTS, LA ROUX, OF MONSTERS AND MEN, BEACH HOUSE, JURASSIC5, HOT CHIP AND…
THE DO LAB: The Do Lab deserves it’s own category because it’s simply amazing. After all, Lesley and I did discover the glorious DJ Chris B. there last year. This tiny stage in the middle of the festival grounds draws passerbys into its “bass lair” with contagious, Earth-shaking beats and amazing onstage entertainment (i.e. big booty dancers, rasta MC’s, bikini-clad chicks with Super Soakers, etc;). It was difficult to tell which DJs were playing and when, but there were a couple of tunes I recall woven into a set:
As with every major festival, it’s physically impossible to catch every act. But hey, most of these guys are still on tour in the US so I have a good chance of catching them this year!MOST REGRETTED MISSES: WILD BELLE, MOBY, PUSHA T, RAIDER KLAN, YEASAYER, THE LUMINEERS, BAT FOR LASHES, BAND OF HORSES, BLUR, JAMES BLAKE, KNIFE PARTY, LORD HURON, KURT VILE, METRIC, SIGUR ROS, SAVAGES, TEGAN AND SARA, ERIC PRYDZ, THE POSTAL SERVICE, YEAH YEAH YEAHS, YEASAYER
I hope you festival enthusiasts are as excited as myself about these new discoveries. Take a listen and I’d love to hear your thoughts!
See you at the next festival!
xoxo
Lucy
