1. I’ve been jabbing at the Coachella lineup for its paucity of newish guitar groups since the poster dropped in January, and today, the festival gets in a solid counterpunch. The day begins, for me, with three consecutive acts that fit into that category, and all three impress.
First up: The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, led by couple Sean Lennon (yes, John’s son) and Charlotte Kemp Muhl, who met, Lennon explains, while attending Coachella nine years ago. Playing to a smallish but enthusiastic early-Friday crowd, the group sounds well-suited for its sunny Outdoor Theatre environment, sending out melodically engaging psych-rock topped with some pleasant boy/girl harmonies. A fine way to start the day, and the festival.
Next: British five-piece Eagulls, who fill the sunless (and two-thirds-empty) Gobi Tent with jagged, and at times slightly ominous, post-punk tunes. Singer George Mitchell sounds like an early Robert Smith, the dual guitars of Mark Goldworthy and Liam Matthews play smartly off one another and the set gains momentum as it goes. File under bands to keep an eye on.
And finally: Cleveland outfit Cloud Nothings, which has shed a guitarist since I last caught the band, at FYF 2012. Though noticeably leaner, the music still feels strong and engaging, particularly when the now-trio returns to 2012’s Attack on Memory for punkish tracks like “No Future/No Past” and “Wasted Days,” the latter closing the set in epic, extended fashion, with frontman Dylan Baldi bashing away on his, yes, guitar and blowing past the group’s scheduled finish time. Score one, or maybe three, for Coachella.
2. Time for some exploring. Changes to the annual SoCal desert fest might be subtle this year, but several are significant, logistically speaking. At long last, Coachella has responded to its fanbase’s annual pleas for tech improvements—the fest has not only installed a slew of charging stations this year, but has introduced free Wi-Fi service in several areas. Which means, basically, that my smartphone does not turn into a useless brick by 9 p.m. for the first time I can remember here.
Also, for the porta-potty averse, Coachella now features several banks of permanent bathrooms, complete with cooling systems and running water. They’re located on a further expanded and tweaked version of the area known as the Terrace, home to indoor DJ space the Yuma Tent, outdoor dance stage/installation the Do Lab, many of the fest’s food stands and its craft beer garden. And the Ferris wheel, long housed relatively near the main stage, has been shifted to the edge of the Terrace, providing a slightly different view of the grounds from high above.
3. Two years ago, after witnessing Tame Impala’s shimmering Outdoor Theatre set here, I wrote that, “It wouldn’t be a shock to see [the band] play a headlining role someday.” Tonight, the Australian psych-rockers move one big step closer, stepping to the main stage just before night-capping countrymen AC/DC. And though Tame Impala’s draw dwarfs in comparison to the crowd that turns up after, the band’s performance further solidifies its standing as a festival-circuit giant in waiting.
Culling mostly from 2012’s Lonerism—reactions are most excited for two of that record’s singles, the chugging “Elephant” and the hazy, spiraling “Feels Like We’re Only Going Backward”—the group also previews two songs from upcoming third album Currents. One, a longish tune titled “Let It Happen” (played for just the second time ever, leader Kevin Parker says), brings Electric Light Orchestra to mind, featuring a pulsating dance beat and, in places, vocoder vocals; the other, “’Cause I’m a Man,” sounds something like a psychedelic R&B ballad. Neither sounds anything like a typical Tame Impala tune, which explains why there isn’t such a thing, and why the band continues to gain fans and move up in the ranks.
4. Anyone unsure if AC/DC could draw indie kids and dance devotees must have forgotten how many hits the hard-rock heavyweights produced in the ’70s and ’80s. The band unleashes many of those (and still had plenty in reserve) during a 20-song, two-hour set that fills much of the main field with bodies, even if many of them wander away before the final note sounds around 12:30 a.m. “Back in Black,” “You Shook Me All Night Long,” “T.N.T.,” “Highway to Hell” and other FM staples are met with delight, even if those doing the delighting weren’t alive when those songs first climbed the charts. AC/DC digs a little deeper in its first full performance since 2010, playing oldies “Have a Drink on Me” and “Sin City” for the first time in 25 and 14 years, respectively. And the band debuts two songs from latest album Rock or Bust, “Play Ball” and “Baptism by Fire,” which sound pretty much like the old songs, which isn’t a bad thing at all.
Singer Brian Johnson sounds just like Brian Johnson and guitarist Angus Young plays just like Angus Young—stripping off his shirt during a monstrous “Let There Be Rock” jam that sees him solo on a platform over the crowd—and cannonballs explode during the night’s final number, “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You).” If it isn’t one of Coachella’s all-time most memorable headlining sets, it’s absolutely one of the most fun I can remember.
