Coachella: the highlights package

I've finally washed what felt like half the desert out of my hair, but I can't get rid of the permanent bikini tan. My lungs are cleared of dust and other secondary collateral, the soothing foot balm has worked its magic and my poor, tortured calf muscles are finally rested. I'm re-adjusting to the chilly 25 degree climate in Mexico. And I haven't been blogging much, but old habits die hard... So here goes...

Just a few thoughts on just a few highlights of Coachella 2012... 

The total standout highlight of the weekend was Feist, on Day 2.  This woman just oozes charm, and a self-assured quirkiness evident in her lyrics and which cheekily pokes its nose into many of her melodies. But her live show really is something else. The woman rocked up into the middle of the desert with a ~30 piece orchestra, and proceeded to blow. my. mind. Everything about the set, which while delightfully lightheartedly executed, was clearly calculated for an holistic effect; foot-stomping, hand-clapping percussion and breathy, quirky BVs lent the whole set a deeply textured feel - the same expansive, earthy quality that endures throughout her latest album.  While her set list included plenty from Metals she also played the songs from other albums in the same Metals style - one of my favourite things to see live is an artist experimenting with their material and not just playing a carbon copy each time, and to hear her play us old favorites in this new style made for a truly unique performance.  And - not that I'm about Weekend 1 v 2 competition - but I did feel pretty privileged to get this treatment, since videos from Weekend 1 point to a more conventional treatment of her earlier material, which made her Weekend 2 show seem like even more of a treat. Like Metals itself (which really is a superb album, and I'm enjoying it even more having seen her play much of it live - another testament to a brilliant live performer...) the set was unhurried, slightly kooky, and earthy raw. Beautiful. Her voice is as delightful live as it is recorded; distinctive, and absolutely pitch perfect every time. She dealt with a few technical problems with humour and grace, and her crowd banter that was just off the charts. Many years of waiting finally came to fruition, and it was worth every second of the wait to see her live.  I maintain, she is as close to perfection as a live artist gets, an actual life highlight and just such a treat. Love her. 

The other big deal of the weekend was Day 1, The Black Keys. I have literally waited years to see them live, as previously documented, and they were my major drawcard in my initial decision to make the trek to Coachella. I'm gonna say here at the outset that I unconditionally love the Black Keys, and seeing them live was a phenomenal experience just in and of itself. But no band is an island, and I have to admit their show was at times hard work. They were plagued by sound issues; at least the first few tracks were disappointingly lacking punch - let's be honest, when your band is comprised of just drums and a guitar, your guitar's really gotta rock, and in this instance it did not fire - but this is a sound engineer problem, and thankfully  was resolved after a couple of numbers. While my response to the show might not have evidenced it (yes, I think I was the only person in the entire crowd getting remotely into it) the performance was a little... lacklustre. Crowd banter aside - some've got it, some don't... - there is, in my view, no excuse for breaks of up to 30 seconds in dark silence between songs.  On the upside, if you can call it that, it seems there was a reason for the subdued mood - halfway through the show Dan Auerbach let us know that friend and inspiration Levon Helm had died the day before. And this news led to something of a musical treat - Black Keys, accompanied by CCR's John Fogerty, covering "The Weight". I couldn't take a full video cos I was too busy actually enjoying it, but this was the kind of a musical moment that any music lover can only feel privileged to've witnessed. So. freakin'. awesome. In all, this was a show that had its problems but that I loved because once the sounds was sorted out, it was striking, blisteringly awesome music, played by wildly talented guys. My biggest problem wasn't with the band lethargy, but with that of the crowd -  it's always kind of awkward when the band has to ask the crowd to find some energy....  When it comes to shows like this, my constant gripe is with people who turn up to a show only wanting to hear the latest single. The Black Keys have a hugely rich back catalogue, which they chose selectively from, but the kids in the crowd clearly just wanted to hear Little Black Submarines. Don't get me wrong - I love the sinlge, and I happen to think El Camino is a superb album - but I love their whole back catalogue, and more importantly I just wanted to hear them play superb music. Which, luckily, they did - it was a set for the fans, and I applaud them for closing with 'I Got Mine' from 2008's Attack and Release. A mixed bag, but overall a great set and an irreplaceable experience, and I look forward to seeing them live again.

I was also particularly excited to see Kaiser Chiefs, who very unfortunately clashed with one of the great bands of my youth, Buzzcocks, but I'm very glad I made the Kaiser Chiefs call. In my humble opinion, this is a band that probably, in their heart of hearts, knows they have never topped their debut album, 2005's 'Employment', and who are doing everything they can to win new fans. For old timers like me, this was kind of awesome, since they opened with 'Na Na Na Na Naa', launched directly into 'Every Day I Love you Less and Less' (still one of my favourite running songs, but that's another story) and not long after into 'I Predict a Riot' - featuring some epic piano that I have never really been too conscious of in the recorded version. In fact, this show was a timely reminder of what an enduringly wonderful combination solid bass and piano can be. This show - which also featured favourites from other albums including 'The Angry Mob' (from 2007's similarly titled album) was a lesson in absolute high energy. Frontman Ricky Wilson absolutely killed it, at one point jumping offstage, running into the nearby beer garden, chugging a beer, running back through the crowd in front of the stage and climbing the nearby TV tower. 

Ricky getting down with the kids

It had the potential to feel contrived, but it never did - instead it was just a totally engaging performance from a band really trying hard.  He performed his ass off, and absolutely deserves to win new fans with a set like that. I wrote down a note about their performance on Saturday afternoon. It reads: "So damn good. Highlight of festival so far." To be fair this was pre-Feist, but still... high praise indeed.

M.Ward was just another example of where I found myself thinking this is just music as it should be. I've been rather fond of this guy since his 2009 cover with Lucinda Williams, Oh Lonesome Me. I'm embarrassed to admit that amidst all the acts for Coachella, I wasn't actually aware he was playing until a couple of weeks beforehand... but seeing him live was such a treat! Another high-energy set absolutely full of wailers and face-melters, steel string acoustics, lap steel and bootscootin' and real cowboy hats. 

M.Ward. Ace.

At one point I realised he was either consciously or unconsciously channeling Johnny Cash - all black shirt, black pants and raybans. (And could quite reasonably have been considered a babe in doing so. I'm just sayin'.) Again, this had the potential to feel contrived, but in reality was anything but. (In fact I've since noticed a whole lot more Johnny influence in his recorded work, particularly through parts of A Wasteland Companion. Diversionary note: this is another example of having seen a live set and gotten waaaaay more into his latest album. Everyone in the world should check it out - it's great.) The man knows how to rock a '50s throwback, and I was just in love with his live version of 'I Get Ideas', and with this random number he closed with.The man also knows how to operate a guitar, and for about an hour by myself in this crowd he absolutely rocked me senseless. AND - always a highlight in a festival setting - he played an encore. Heck yea! 

First Aid Kit are an absolute feast for the ears and the soul. These delightful, young (22 and 19 respectively) sisters are just adorable, beautiful songwriters and lyricists, and absolutely worth a listen. I was so, sooo excited to see them. And they didn't disappoint. Once again plagued by sound issues, I really felt for them having to play most of their set impromptu and without keys. In lots of respects this made the set even more of a treat because it was a genuinely improvised acoustic set, which really highlighted their quite special vocal harmonies. The set included a lllllll my favorites from the recent 'The Lion's Roar' album (including the outrageously excellent 'Emmylou', the title track, and the kinda heart-wrenching 'Blue') as well as that haunting Fleet Foxes cover, and couple of tracks off their earlier album ('Ghost Town' was a particular highlight). They dealt with their technical issues with the awkward grace that only a 19 year old can muster, and charmed the audience nonetheless. They were so reverie-inducing that I felt ever-so-slightly ripped off when their set closed after  just 40 minutes... only for them to return to stage and regale us with 'King of the World'... complete with keys! And when these ladies want to, they actually can really rock. Absolutely adore them, would see them again in a heartbeat, and recommend their gracious and warm live show - and their albums - to anyone with a penchant for sweet Americana folk, delightfully delivered by powerful voices and girlish charm.

Justice topped Day 3 hours before it even ended, hell they topped it before any of the other big acts even came anywhere near a stage. They were just so damn badass; never has an AC/DC tshirt been so appropriate for an electronic show. Featuring a crazy epic stage set, they regaled us with high energy, heavy beat, totally excellent times. Even 3 days in, with festival feet nearly falling to pieces, I just couldn't. stop. moving. They absolutely blew me away, and every time I tried to sneak away early to see Calvin Harris, Justice just drew me back in. Totally freakin epic, in every sense of the word. 


Some other noteworthy stuff...

Arctic Monkeys - delivered as you'd expect. A treat for anyone who just happened to like music in the 2000s. Frontman looks scarily like The Ethnomusicologist (these are the important things to note, you realise.) 'Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor' = totally freakin' ace.

I listened to Noel Gallagher with half an ear from the (arguably equally important) beer garden. (It's all about the hydration, people!) But as we left to check out another band, we found ourselves mid-back of the crowd and receiving one particularly loud and unmistakeable call from 1996... that's right, we were treated to 'Don't Look Back In Anger'.... Live. Like, that actually happened. Wowzers.

Pulp - fun, upbeat, old school rock - made all the more enjoyable for me by the extreme enjoyment of my friends in experiencing it. A great crescendo, made all the better when the frontman stopped his random and rambling philosophizing into the mic.

Miike Snow was noteworthy for a number of reasons. I had neither seen nor heard these guys before, but I'm a sucker for a good Swede (and, so, apparently is Coachella: see First Aid Kit, Swedish House Mafia) and was pretty excited about the whole concept. On the whole, I have to admit I came away with a feeling of extreme unrealised potential. This was achingly disappointing.  Let's start with the basic premise: the band plays electro-indie-pop. (Possibly not an actual genre, but try to come up with a better description for their sound.) Yet somewhere along the line, someone forgot that if you're going to rock the blistering, awesome drums that these guys do, you also need to rock some bass.  Somehow, someone forgot the other half of the rhythm section... and really how are such transgressions allowed to occur?! This was almost physically disappointing, until about 5 songs in someone realised bass is actually quite a good thing, and sounds quite good with drums. Things picked up a little at that point. Though I have to say, the lack of body and depth to what should have been an absolute wall of sound was hard to come to terms with. With up to 5 sets of keys at any one time, it sounded like a band full of rhythm synths, struggling to make an impact with no lead hooks, no real body to the sound, and nothing to excite me the way I wanted to be excited. I'll give their recorded work a go, because there is so much potential for this kind of sound to be extremely awesome, and it's entirely possible this was just a disappointing live set. But listening to music with that much potential really shouldn't be such hard work.

As someone of my generation, I should have more to say about Radiohead. I don't. I lay on the ground watching balloons in the sky, and listened to the wall of sound that they were. All I will say is gone are the days of the teenage wristslitting anthems. They were incredibly diverse, and even got pretty funky on it. Thom Yorke's voice incredibly rich, they make a great sound, and I wish I hadn't been so exhausted when they played.

Santigold was utterly ace, and markedly better than last time I saw her about 4 years ago. (She was pretty damn good then, too.) Totally polished, wholly engaged with her crowd. Ace.

I caught Calvin Harris for a few minutes. I had every intention of catching most of his show before segueing to Beirut, conveniently on the next stage. But while Calv had an awesome light show, without being right in amongst it, he simply did not compare with Justice, and felt like a total anticlimax. Tough act to follow, I guess. But it was an easy decision to leave his set and head across to catch Beirut's full set. 

And in hindsight, I can't believe I ever thought this was a genuine clash between Beirut  and Calvin Harris. Beirut are in an absolute league of their own. I'm incredibly lucky to've seen them twice in 4 months, and luckily for me their Coachella set was a different set from last time i saw them (though with some of same highlights: Postcards from Italy; Nantes etc.) After my slow start with them, these guys are a case study in persistence - they are just wonderful, and wonderful live. Zach Condon is just so adorable - he is the kind of humble, geeky frontman that makes this band so endearing. Earnest, and clever on stage, but with a hint of humour and a bunch of intensity. I'm a total convert, love 'em, would happily seem them again in another couple of months if I had the chance.    

Caught a bit of newly-reformed At The Drive In who were absolutely killing it. Wish i coulda seem their full set - unfortunately there were just too many scheduling clashes, especially on Day 3.

And then there were the final couple of acts - by which time I was running out of steam. Florence and the Machine were a total surprise  - atmospheric, moody, and totally wonderful, even for the sleep-starved three-day festival goer. She has such a huge voice and knows how to dominate a massive stage. She is the consummate performer, and I was blown away that she managed to vocally fill such an enormous space. 

And then this other thing happened. Snoop and Dr Dre, as well as playing a huge amounts of what I'm going to old-fashionedly call "classics"  - Jump Around, Drop It Like It's Hot, California Love -  i.e. songs i never thought i'd hear live.... Once I figure out how to make video work, I'll add this other thing that happened. I'm lazy right now...

And a couple of new discoveries...

Girls: Adorable pop reminiscent of the Brit pop movement but better. One of those fabulous undeniably guitar-driven bands that knows how to complete their sound with beautifully used wailing organs. Great female backing vocals to complement the rich vocals of the front guy. Props to him for his Bowie tshirt. Beautiful bluesy number "Like a River". Am probably a zillion years behind the game on this, but will definitely look for more of their stuff.  

Housse de Racket - as I noted at the time: "fuck these guys are good!" ('scuse my French. And the pun.) On the recommendation of some stranger with whom I drove through the desert one night (another story) I had to check these guys out. They play explosive, high-energy indie synth pop, French styles. At times The Strokes-ish riffs, but with synth done like they meant it. Wicked heavy drums and catchy synth hooks. They were everything i hoped Miike Snow might have been, twice the sound with half the members. Or, as I wrote at the time "only 2 of them, making a lot of noise." I danced my ass off, had a fantastic mid-afternoon time.  An absolute top pick, real highlight, exciting new discovery. As I also noted at the time: "Sweet Jesus they were good." 

And that, my friends, pretty much sums up Coachella 2012.