In the city of Indio and its surroundings, there is no person who is not aware of Coachella, the festival that proves every year why it is considered as one of the coolest music events in the world.
On the first day of the second weekend of the festiva,l we arrived early to enjoy the sun, tour the venue and, above all, to know new musical proposals.
Sampha, the English composer and producer, known for his collaborations with Drake, Solange, SBTRKT, FKA Twigs, among others, surprised all the audience present at the Mojave tent, presenting the tracks of Process, his first LP. The power and originality of his voice, the electronic and analog beats and the rich harmonies, were the ideal start for our Friday.
After Sampha finished, we approached one of the main stages to see the last minutes of the King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s show. Even though the heat was intense, it did not stop us from completely immersing ourselves in the psychedelic trip that the Australian band proposes.
Rapper Mac Miller was one of the highlights of the day. Ariana Grande’s current couple went onstage accompanied by an incredible band. His striking attitude and hits like “Dang” and “Favorite Part” kept us dancing throughout the whole show.
Already at night, The XX captivated us once again with a show simple but effective. After their performance in Lollapalooza Argentina, the trio continued with their tour around the world presenting “I See You”, their third studio album.
Radiohead closed a memorable day. The beginning of their show focused on themes of “A Moon Shaped Pool”, their 2016 LP, and continued with a review of all of their discography. For almost two hours of music, the audience paid much attention and was receptive to the avant-garde sounds of the English five-piece, which several years ago added a second drummer to give more power to their innovative identity
The wide diversity of musical genres was once again a protagonist during the second day of the festival. In the same tent Sampha had played on Friday, Thundercat delighted us for almost an hour with his six-string bass, his daring look and his vocal and instrumental virtuosity. Among his endless collaborations – which included participation in Kendrick Lamar, Flying Lotus, Erykah Badu and more – the musician from Los Angeles managed to get enough time to release his album “Drunk” in February of this year and present it in Coachella.
We went to Bastille’s and Two Door Cinema Club’s shows, but it was Mura Masa the one who caught us. With only 21 years, the young producer and multi-instrumentalist is one pop/electronic music’s revelations. His recent hits “LoveSick” and “What If I Go” transformed the stage into a dance floor.
At night, Future provided an intense show, which reaffirmed him as one of Trap kings. He played at the same stage in which hours later Lady Gaga would give a shocking closing to the second day. The show consisted on her most iconic songs, powerful choreography and various looks. We saw her full of energy and ready to present her new album “Joanne” all over the world.
On the third day, we enjoyed early from Pond and Whitney, two of Indie’s bands.
Devendra Banhart’s warm and lovely show was the ideal farewell to Coachella’s last afternoon. Its fresh and relaxed vibe was very different from most of the festival’s proposals.
On that same stage, we saw two of Coachella’s most interesting projects: Future Islands and Hans Zimmer. The first shook the stage. The power of its singer, Samuel T. Herring, was one of the most striking factors of the North American trio. Hans Zimmer was the clear example that Coachella always gives rise to original proposals. The composer appeared with his orchestra to share his most recognized works, which include music from films such as The Lion King, Gladiator and many more.
There could have been no better ending for the festival than Lord and Kendrick Lamar.
The young New Zealand star anticipated songs from her upcoming album “Melodrama” in what was one of the most conceptual and effective shows throughout the festival. There is no doubt that Lord will be a figure that will give much to speak in the next years.
Kendrick Lamar’s performance was historic. His show was austere and innovative. He performed alone on stage, surrounded by giant screens. His presence was magnetic. Within 10 days of releasing their album “Damn”, the entire audience sang from the beginning to end of the rapper’s new songs. An oriental aesthetic crossed the set’s 80 minutes, including the visuals and his clothes. He thanked his fans for placing him in the first place of the charts, and promised to continue to share his music.
Coachella concluded with the best show of the festival.